The Political Economy of Football V2

How one organizes football on islands is an interesting challenge.  One solution adopted in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man is to enter an all island team, backed up by a local competition, in non-league competitions on the mainland.  Travel and other expenses of visiting teams have to be met, so wealthy backers are needed. The Garrison Field stadium At the other extreme, the Isles of Scilly has two teams which play each other in league and cup competitions every week at the Garrison Field stadium. The latest Four Four Two features football on the Scottish island of Arran.   Attempts to field a representative island team on the mainland faltered in the face of the unreliable ferry service (thank you, Scottish Government). In the island competition Lochranaz Northend Thistle went 18 games without a victory before finally folding after Covid.  They played at the Ewe Camp and had a special machine for picking up sheep dropings Brodick, the islands 'capital', c...

Island football has always been difficult except for islands that are close to the mainland with decent transport links, think the Isle of Wight, although teams there have had their challenges. Guernsey pioneered the idea of having a consolidated team, the Green Lions, playing in the English non-league system, an idea taken up by Jersey, not that they would see it that way given inter-island rivalries. The Isle of Man was also planning to enter the English non-league pyramid. Now the Jersey Bulls have not only seen their 100 per cent record in the Combined Counties League wiped out, they also face increased travel costs to the mainland (including those for away teams) and a loss of the crowd revenue from an average attendance of 700:  https://jerseyeveningpost.com/sport/football/2020/06/04/bulls-chairman-we-will-not-sit-out-next-season/ Alderney are one of my favourite island teams as they mimic the Isle of Wight in making it possible to travel to a game on an old London Undergrond...