Did you know that there is a league within the UK with just two teams? Yes, really, so read on to find all about this unique division.
This non league, which is affiliated with the Football Association, exists in the Isles of Scilly, group of 145 islands, only five of the are inhabited and it’s off the south west coast of Cornwall.
You have to travel 25 miles out to get to the Isles of Scilly and they only have a total 2,300 people living on them so the pool of players you can pick from for football is already very small. But regardless it hasn’t stopped them starting their own Football League which has been running since the 1920s
Two teams, Garrison Gunners and Woolpack Wanderers both play at Garrison Field, they meet 17 times in the league each season as well as playing an additional 5 games of various cup competitions, so only 22 games per season as much matches.
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The teams take it in turns to use the home and away dugout at Garrison Field. In terms of the players, the players move between teams each season because at the start of the season, the two captains are chosen, then for example if you’re on a school playground where you have the two captains and you pick the players from the pool. The players names are drawn on pieces of paper, pulled out of hats which make up their teams.
The league runs from November to March during the winter months when there is a lot less tourists as the island relies on the tourism to function, it’s a big source of their revenue coming in to the population of those on the Isles of Scilly.
The players are older and not the usual 18 to 30 years old as they head to look for better job prospects. It can be difficult to get squads together each season because players come back and forwards, however they still continue to keep going on despite the restrictions.
There used to be five teams across different islands but due to players being few and far between, it has to be cut down. It goes to show the spirit of just wanting to play football for the love of the sport, it doesn’t matter what team you’re on, who you’re up against, whether it’s against same players every week, they’re just playing it because they like football, a great thing to see on such a small island.
Even though no teams play in the Cornwall leagues (mainly due to cost), they do travel over once a year, a combined team from the two teams play against a team from Penzance in the Lyonesse Cup, which interestingly has the smallest trophy in the world at just 6mm tall (check out what it looks like in the video below).
It just shows that this is football totally stripped back of all the money and everything else on top of it, it’s just football for the love of football. It’s quirky, it’s unique, it’s different.
Would you like to be playing in a league like this where you know you’ll be playing against the same players each week, you know exactly what’s going to happen, same ground, atmosphere etc, would you get bored of this? Like mentioned earlier in the article, it’s like being back at primary or secondary school where you pick the your mates and people you know and want for your side, so surely not, right?!
Watch a video by non league fan Luke Thompson, aka NLYT, talking through the Isles of Scilly Football League along with photos including that very very small trophy below…
The league had been attempting to get into the Guinness World Records for the smallest league in the world.
However, that was something that they succeeded in doing during 2006 under the title ‘Smallest affiliated football league’.
Back in 2019, they used a well-known Video-Assistant Referee (VAR) system – but with a twist.
The first game of the season saw a world-first test of FAR – Fan-Assistant Refereeing – thanks to the new 5G Vodafone network.
Vodafone said: “While many football fans across the globe enjoy being armchair referees, it’s the supporters of the Garrison Gunners and Woolpack Wanderers on the Isles of Scilly who can now officially claim that title as their own.”
Equipped with Samsung S10 5G handsets, supporters were able to review incidents just after they happened and have their say on several fouls, a disputed goal, and two contested penalties during the game.
Following a quick online vote, fans’ decisions were relayed to Paul Charnock, the match official and former first division linesman, at pitch side. The Woolpack Wanderers won the match 4 – 3, with just minutes to spare.
Chairman of the Isles of Scilly Football League Anthony ‘Gibbo’ Gibbons said: “I have never seen the referee so happy after a game. He was empowered by the other islanders to make bold decisions – and not always in my team’s favour! Vodafone’s involvement with the league has got everyone excited.”
Vodafone UK’s Chief Executive Officer Nick Jeffery said “This was great fun for the fans, and we’re very happy to have been the first network operator to take 5G to the Isles of Scilly.”
Following the success of the world’s first 5G-enabled Fan-Assistant Referee test, Vodafone said it will now work alongside local businesses looking to boost tourism on the islands.
5G connectivity will “enable them to show high-definition videos and 3D-images of the islands’ attractions to a worldwide, online audience”.
Vodafone signed a two-year 5G sponsorship agreement with St Mary’s Association Football Club in June this year.
See how the game played out in the video below…
Back in April 2008, Adidas ran an advert called “Dream Big”, which highlighted the league and it features several well-known football personnel including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Patrick Vieira. It really is a superb and fascinating watch, which comes in four parts, and has been viewed altogether nearly 500,000 times…
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