FC Isle of Man: Bright future lies ahead for the Ravens, says manager

The future looks "bright" for FC Isle of Man as it celebrates the end of its first calendar year as a club side, the team's manager has said.

The Ravens are more than halfway through their first season in the North West Counties Football League First Division South.

Chris Bass said the ultimate aim was to see them in the "professional system".

The team is currently standing fifth in the league, with 15 games left to play this season.

Mr Bass said: "Moving forward we are developing as a team, we've got a lot of young lads so the future looks very, very bright for FC Isle of Man."

"We're getting a good fan base, which is also very encouraging for the team."

Chris Bass said the team still had a long way to go but was pleased with its progress

The club's first competitive match took place in July against Maine Road FC at Brantingham Road in Manchester, after their membership was suspended from the 2020-21 season due to the island's Covid-19 border restrictions.

Coach Lee Dixon said the team was now becoming "a bit of a name" in the league as people were "starting to sort of know who we are over in England".

"I just think the players feel like they belong to something big now," he added.

While the island's border remained closed to most non-residents in 2020, the only matches the team had been able to play were two legs against Guernsey FC in the Skipton cup, due to an air-bridge with the Channel Island last summer.

Team captain Jack McVey said it had been great to see the younger generation inspired

Captain Jack McVey said it was an "honour" to be playing for the team and he had been surprised at how much community support there had been for the Raven's first home tie against the Guernsey side at the Bowl in Douglas in August last year.

"I think we had about two and a half thousand people down here, so hopefully in the summer next year we can get the same."

And capitalising on that home support, especially among the younger generation, to bolster the clubs ranks in future years is something coach Lee Dixon would like to see happen.

He said in the long term he would like to see the island form its own academy, "where we can get kids in at a young age and start developing them, and educating them about what it requires to be at that level and higher".

The Ravens next take to the pitch for a home game against New Mills on Monday.