Channel Island sides drawn in 2025 Island Games
The biennial Island Games will hold its 20th edition in 2025
- Published
The draw for the Island Games has provided almost all the biggest football teams who had been at risk of missing out on Orkney 2025 with a place at the tournament.
Island footballing powerhouses including Guernsey, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight and Ynys Mon faced the prospect of missing out on a spectacle which saw the men's event reduced from 16 teams in 2023 to 12 for the next edition.
The move was made because of a lack of accommodation, with the Isle of Wight men's team the major side not to be drawn a place.
Hosts Orkney and men's holders Jersey were assured of spots, while Orkney's fierce rivals Shetland have been allocated a place after a wait for the draw described as "anxious" by George Smith, president of the Shetland Football Association.
"What I think needs to happen, if they've got more teams entering than what there are places, is they need to let the islands know as early as possible if they have a place or not," Smith told the BBC.
The Games will take place from 12-18 July 2025. Teams will be split into leagues and play each other in a round-robin format, with the top side from each group advancing to the semi-finals and the rest playing games to decide placings.
The men's teams selected to compete are: Orkney, Hitra, Jersey, Bermuda, Froya, Gozo, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Menorca, Shetlands Islands, Western Isles and Ynys Mon.
Women's sides from Orkney, Berumda, Froya, Gozo, Guernsey, Hitra, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Menorca, Shetland Islands, Western Islands and Ynys Mon were selected.