FC Isle of Man have appointed Lee Dixon as the club’s new first-team manager.

The former St George’s, St Mary’s and Pulrose United man has been involved with the Ravens since its inception seven and a half years ago, serving as assistant to the club’s first manager Chris Bass Sr and latterly on the board as the Bowl outfit’s vice-chairman. He only stepped away from the latter position last month.

The ex-island midfielder will take over the role from Rick Holden, who was appointed interim manager in September after Paul Jones stepped down after nearly three years in charge.

Holden steered the club to a 20th-place finish in the North West Counties Premier Division, 17 points ahead of the league’s two relegation spots.

Speaking to club’s in-house media following his appointment, Dixon said: ‘I'm obviously very happy, but I'm not kidding myself – there's a lot of hard work ahead. ‘It's going to be a rollercoaster with ups and downs.

‘I know what I'm going back into in terms of the level of commitment required.

‘I've been discussing with the new board and the new group behind the scenes about various things, trying to pin down what it's going to look like for everybody.’

Dixon continued by outlining his vision for the squad: ‘I want to get us more solid and balanced defensively, with the mentality to become a team that's very hard to beat.

‘It'll take time to get a new mindset around it all, but it's a very simple mindset, effort and commitment from the lads.’

Pre-season training begins on Monday, with the club's Festival of Football next month featuring Bury, Radcliffe and EFL League Two side Shrewsbury Town, offering an early test.

‘I'll give everything I can to make it as enjoyable as possible and give the fans a team that will run through walls for the results we require,’ he added.

A spokesperson for the club’s board added: ‘Lee has been a key figure in the club's whole football journey and brings continuity, experience and a deep understanding of both the players and the wider Manx football landscape.

‘He will work closely with the board and football operations team to deliver a footballing model that reflects the club's values, ambitions and commitment to developing Manx talent.’

It has been a summer of change for the club with a new chair and chief executive also appointed this week.

David Pope takes over the former role from Gill Christian, while Russ Kent is the club’s new CEO having previously served as treasurer.

The fixtures for the new season will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Ahead of that the Festival of Football takes place at Ballacloan Stadium.

The tournament kicks off on Friday, July 17 with Radcliffe taking on Shrewsbury Town at 3.30pm.

FC Isle of Man then take on former North West Counties Premier Division adversaries Bury at 7.30pm.

After a rest day on July 18, the four teams are back in action on Sunday, July 19. The third-place play-off kicks off at 11am and the tournament’s final at 3pm.