The new Manx football season fires into life later today (Friday) when the Eric Fletcher Charity Shield takes place at the Bowl.

The traditional curtain-raiser sees reigning Canada Life Premier League champions Peel and ECAP FA Cup winners Ayre United lock horns as they bid to lay down an early marker ahead of the 2025-26 campaign getting underway in earnest next week.

The Tangerines will be hoping to make it back-to-back triumphs having defeated Rushen United 2-1 in last year’s showpiece.

The Westerners, meanwhile, will be aiming to add to their eight Charity Shield victories to date, having most recently won in 2023 when beating Corinthians 3-1.

The two sides met on no fewer than four occasions last season, with Ayre winning twice, Peel once and also sharing an eight-goal thriller early in the campaign.

One of those Tangerines wins came in the Railway Cup final when the northerners won 3-2 after extra-time to seal the silverware, although the westerners gained a modicum of revenge later in the season by knocking Ayre out of the Hospital Cup 2-1 at Douglas Road.

There have been a fair few changes in personnel during the close season, particularly at Ayre who now have a new man in charge as Phil Quayle has stepped up from the combination managerial hotseat to replace the outgoing Nick Hurt.

Goalkeeper Andy Ball has returned to the club though, and will therefore be in line to face his former club in the Charity Shield.

Peel, meanwhile, have bolstered from a position of strength with the return of club legend Lee Gale and Jason Charmer who have both made the switch from Foxdale.

While both sides will still very much be getting up to speed ahead of the new league campaign, the game under the Friday night lights at the Bowl offers up a chance to potentially gauge their progress and lay down a marker for any potential Premier League title assault.

Kick-off at the national stadium will be at 7pm.

Full report and photos in Tuesday’s Isle of Man Examiner.