Jersey Bulls: Gary Freeman to be island club's first manager

Gary Freeman played as a striker for Jersey and St Peter before becoming manager of the parish club

Jersey Bulls have appointed Gary Freeman as their first manager.

Freeman is currently boss of local club St Peter, who won the Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield last season and are through to the semi-finals of the Kent Senior Trophy this term.

The newly-formed Bulls are set to be the first island side to compete in an English league next season.

The Combined Counties League approved an application from the club last month to join from the summer of 2019.

"It's very exciting," Freeman told BBC Sport.

"It's a real wrench to leave St Peter having been involved with the club all of my career, it wasn't an easy decision and a lot of thought went into it.

"We do have a strong team at St Peter and a number of those would have been asked to play with the Bulls.

"I'm doing my Uefa B course and the thought of working in the English league and the top players in the island was something that really appealed."

The Bulls will fly into Gatwick airport for their away games and pay the travel and accommodation costs of all opposing teams travelling to the island.

Springfield stadium was approved in November for use by the Bulls, providing some minor alterations are made by the end of March.

Jersey has its own 13-team league, split into two divisions, but the island's bid to become an international football nation was rejected by Uefa in February.