Festival 'lets fans come together away from home'

Fans heading to the FC Isle of Man Summer Festival of Football can expect "some really competitive football in a relaxed environment", organisers have said.

The second event of its kind, it features teams from across the English football pyramid taking on the home side at the island's national stadium, The Bowl, in Douglas.

The home side's Lee Dixon said Fleetwood Town, Altrincham FC and Radcliffe Borough and the Manx club battling it out in the mini festival on Friday and Sunday would provide "great entertainment".

Altrincham's manager Phil Parkinson said the tournament meant a lot to the fans as it allowed them to "come together a lot more" while supporting the team away from home.

Dixon said the matches Manx fans would be treated to a "level of football that we don't see throughout the year" at the festival, which had been inspired by a similar contest last played about 20 years ago.

The island team has just completed its fourth season competing in the North West Counties Football League, finishing 11th in the Premier Division.

Fleetwood play in League Two of the English Football League, Radcliffe feature in the National League North, while Altrincham are part of the National League, the fifth tier of English football.

Parkinson said pre-season training was about "fine tuning skills and fitness, and coming together to bond, and every game here will give us that".

"We're getting a full array of the different types of teams that we would normally have in our programme but we're getting that in one hit over a weekend," he said.

The manager said the team also planned to make the most of the island by "having a cold dip in the sea" during their downtime, but "the weather will help us decide on how long we'll stay in".

He said taking part in events away from their home ground ahead of the stresses of the season were important to not only the players but the fans as well.

"Trips like this mean a lot to fans because they're able to get away, come support the team and come together a lot more because you're away from home," he said.

Dixon said: "Ultimately, we're an amateur football team, and people might say were the whipping boys but I know the benefits of the old festival and what we got out that going into the next season."

The revamped contest for 2025 will provide a rest day on Saturday and a results table once the matches have all been played.

Dixon said the day off in between games would be a chance for the visiting teams to meet fans and explore the island, which would also be "good for the local economy".

He said the contest would see some "really competitively football in a relaxed environment and hopefully the games will make for good entertainment".

"Fingers crossed we get plenty of people through the door so it's a win win for everyone," he added.

On Friday, the schedule will see the Altrincham v Radcliffe match kick off at 15:00 and FC Isle of Man take on Fleetwood at 19:00.

The play off for third will get underway at 11:00 on Sunday, with the game for first place scheduled for 15:00.

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