F.C. Isle of Man

In August 2019, F.C. Isle of Man confirmed their intentions to enter a team into the English football league system at step six of non-league.[3] On 8 October 2019, the club announced it had become affiliated with the Isle of Man Football Association, following the backing of clubs in the Manx football system.[4] However, there was opposition to the move from some local clubs and supporters over F.C. Isle of Man cherry-picking the best players from teams around the island and other clubs losing out on potential spectators. To ease this concern, F.C. Isle of Man kicks off its games in the later time slot of 18:30 to avoid any potential clash with the local league, which consists of 26 teams.

On 18 February 2020, St Georges manager Chris Bass was announced as the club's first manager.[5] On 7 November 2022, following a run of mixed results, an announcement was made that the club and Bass had parted company with Director of Football Paul Jones taking over from Bass until the end of the season.[6][7]

During February 2023 the club began the process to find a permanent manager for the 2023-24 campaign. Whilst still in his interim role the club were keen to ensure that should he wished, Jones would be able to apply for the job on a fulltime basis.[8]

On 21 February 2020, the North West Counties Football League confirmed F.C. Isle of Man had submitted an application to join the league in time for the 2020–21 season.[9]

On 21 July 2020, it was announced that the club would participate in the North West Counties Football League First Division South.[10] Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the team withdrew from the 2020–21 FA Vase before their first qualifying round match. On 7 December, the club was temporarily suspended from the league as it had become apparent that they would not be able to complete all their fixtures by 31 May 2021, as required by The Football Association.[11]

F.C. Isle of Man played their first competitive league match against Maine Road F.C. on 31 July 2021, with Frank Jones scoring the club's first competitive goal. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[12] Their first season ended in success as despite a second-placed finish, a 4–2 victory over New Mills FC on 16 April 2022, saw the club promoted to the ninth tier of English football through the play-offs.[13]

F.C. Isle of Man play their home games in a red, white and black strip, and their away games in blue and white.

In July 2020, the club asked supporters to vote via social media on three different kit options.[14] After a 10-day voting period, option one was the favourite choice of the official supporters, garnering 55% of the vote.[15] Hope & Glory was announced as the club's kit manufacturer.

On 27 February, F.C. Isle of Man unveiled their club crest, stating "In line with the philosophy of our parent company Sporting Club Isle of Man, the crest has been carefully crafted to not only reflect the essence of our Island's history, colours and community but also, importantly, to represent our confident sporting approach." Featuring a black raven in an attack posture, one of the island's national birds, synonymous to the Celts and Vikings with battle, intelligence and problem solving. The crest also includes red and white colours, which represent the island's sunsets and Manannán's cloak. The four water lines represent the four sides of the Island, symbolising unity and community.

The club's motto, "Bee ny Share" also features on the club's crest and sleeve of the shirt, which is Manx for "Be Better".

The crest did not include the triskelion of the Island's national flag and coat of arms, which surprised many. However the three legs do appear of the back of the shirt. In a tweet sporting director Paul Jones stated, "It was in one of the earlier designs but we felt the 3-legs should be for National teams as it's sooo associated with the IOM. We also wanted to do things differently and reflect other parts of our heritage - to challenge the norm."

The club signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Manx Telecom, a local telecoms provider.[16] Manx Telecom's IT infrastructure and managed services subsidiary Synapse 360 will appear on the away shirts. On 30 July 2020, F.C. Isle of Man announced a three-year deal with Rex Motor Company to become the team's first sleeve sponsor.[17]

Raymond P Raven at the Bernabowl, Douglas, Isle of Man

The official mascot of F.C. Isle of Man is a generic bear, which is of uncertain origin and is trotted out at various sporting events around the Island. For a team nicknamed the Ravens, a group of supporters deemed a bear to be a wholly inappropriate mascot and thus the unofficial mascot, Raymond P Raven was born. Attending every home game, and even travelling away to AFC Darwen on 2 May 2022, and to Kendal Town on 4 February 2023, Raymond has become a firm fan favourite, and is widely considered to be the most known mascot in Manx sport.

The club play at The Bowl in Douglas, a 3,500-seater stadium nicknamed "The Bernabowl" in reference to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. The Bowl has been the club's home ground since July 2020.

• Highest victory: 10–2, against St Martins F.C. (2 November 2021)
• Home attendance: 3,230, against New Mills A.F.C. (16 April 2022)
• Goals (total): 41, by Sean Doyle[21]
• Goals (season): 41, by Sean Doyle

F.C. Isle of Man is owned by parent company Sporting Club Isle of Man, a club owned by the local community, through purchasing various memberships. Rajan Nandha is the club's finance director.

• Official website