# Isle of Man in international sports **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556 "2002-05-12T00:10:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/1 "2002-05-12T00:10:00Z")
Wanted to add, a couple of England internationals have been from Guernsey and Jersey (Matt Le Tissier and Graeme Le Saux respectively). But they may have been eligible through ancestry. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/2 "2002-05-12T00:14:21Z")
My OP appears to have disappeared. In summary I was asking whether Manx nationals can play in international competition in soccer or rugby since the IOM is not part of England Wales or Scotland. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/3 "2002-05-12T00:58:34Z")
I live in the Isle of Man so I _should_ know the answer to this. But I don’t (maybe because I’ve only lived here for a few months). I will try to find out though. As far as I know the Isle of Man is in a very strange situation. It has it’s own Govornment (the oldest in the world). It is ‘sort of’ part of the UK. English money is legal tender here (and there’s quite a lot of it) IOM money is not legal tender outside the IOM, But is identical to the English Money (tenners, quids, ten p, all the same shapes, but with different pictures on them. The only difference being - IOM still has those **bloody pain in the arse** one pound notes!). We drive on the left here, it appears like England. blah blah blah. I’d be surprised if the answer to your question was no. The England ‘Soccer’ Team has quite a few non-English players. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/4 "2002-05-12T03:18:47Z")
P.S. If you want to know what the Isle of Man looks like my [webpage](http://members.aol.com/pjlobleyiom) doesn’t have any pictures on it. (see my other [post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=114688) if you are confused) ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/5 "2002-05-12T11:02:42Z")
The Isle of Man has its own national side in football, since my lot often play them in a pre-season tournament with other lower-league clubs. Legendary Oldham and Man City winger Rick Holden was the manager/physio/star player, and may still be. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/6 "2002-05-12T11:09:07Z")
But its national side is not a member of FIFA or UEFA. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/7 "2002-05-12T11:17:09Z")
Their government website isn’t much help on this question, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/8 "2002-05-12T14:43:29Z")
Maybe the Isle of Man’s been excluded from UEFA and FIFA on account of having three legs an’ all ? ---
**Author:** ![a\_gherkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@a\_gherkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a_gherkin)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/9 "2002-05-12T16:08:44Z")
they have their own national soccer team, that is for sure. they are holding a tournament out there this year including some of the lower league english teams like tranmere (i think) and luton (yay) ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/10 "2002-05-12T17:13:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crusoe \* > \*\*Their government website isn’t much help on this question, unfortunately. \*\* Nonsense. You just have to know where to look. The obvious place to discuss football is on the [Post Office](http://www.gov.im/stamps/welcome.asp?article=Products.asp?categoryid=53) page.\*\* > [@](#): > > …the number of Clubs on the Island has grown to a present strength of 27, with 12 owning their own facilities. The Isle of Man Football Association has been affiliated to the English FA since 1908 with the Island clubs receiving assistance in the upgrading of their facilities. Each Saturday afternoon over 500 players and 1000 spectators are involved in the local game and this is from a population of just 75,000.\*\* Apparently the Isle of Man National team just plays friendlies. They don’t directly say there could be no Manx team in the World Cup, nor that Manx players are assuredly eligible for the English side, but they imply as much:\*\* > [@](#): > > Who knows, could there be an Isle of Man footballer playing for England in the World Cup one day? \*\*And **London\_Calling** , while a sizable third leg may impress the female fans, it’s not clear that it would be an advantage on the pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/11 "2002-05-12T17:19:08Z")
Ah. The Post Office page. Silly me, that should have been the first place I checked. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/12 "2002-05-12T18:34:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lobley \* > **It is ‘sort of’ part of the UK.** **lobley** , at risk of hijacking my own thread, I don’t think you’re right about this. To the best of my knowledge, the IOM is a crown colony, subject to the Queen in her capacity as heir to the Lordship of Mann, but not part of the UK. But then, you live there, whereas I’ve only spent a few days there, so I won’t say you’re definitely wrong. Thanks everyone for all the info. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/13 "2002-05-12T20:33:41Z")
[This site](http://www.isleofman.com/factfile/) suggests **hibernicus** has done you up _like a kipper_, **lobley**. Ho ho. I don’t suppose any posters to this thread need telling it’s a pretty place, but the link would tend to confirm that. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/14 "2002-05-12T22:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hibernicus \* > \*\* > **lobley** , at risk of hijacking my own thread, I don’t think you’re right about this. To the best of my knowledge, the IOM is a crown colony, subject to the Queen in her capacity as heir to the Lordship of Mann, but not part of the UK. But then, you live there, whereas I’ve only spent a few days there, so I won’t say you’re definitely wrong. > > Thanks everyone for all the info. \*\* You are probably right. It’s why I said ‘sort of’. Not part of the UK but sort of connected with it in some way. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isle-of-man-in-international-sports/108556/15 "2002-05-12T22:39:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*[This site](http://www.isleofman.com/factfile/) suggests **hibernicus** has done you up _like a kipper_, **lobley**. Ho ho. I don’t suppose any posters to this thread need telling it’s a pretty place, but the link would tend to confirm that. \*\* Nice link, I’d follow your point and look more at the website if I hadn’t been awake for 27 hours. I know it’s pretty. Today I saw a very pretty thing in it - It had 2 legs, a face and a restraunt order book.