Isle of Man Football Association’s development team has been handed the keys to a new minibus as part of the major sponsorship agreement with Jacksons.

The liveried vehicle will be used to transport teams visiting the island to play Isle of Man FA Academy sides.

The academy resumed on October 4 - the girls’ section includes under-10, u12, u14, u16 and u18 age groups, while the boys’ section covers every age group from u11 through to u18.

The groups train either once or twice every week depending on their age.

The academy employs 22 coaches and is run by IoMFA development manager Lewis Qualtrough plus women and girls development officer, Simon Elson.

The squads enjoyed many off-island trips last season. The boys u18s squad travelled to Dumfries last week where they defeated Scottish League One side Queen of the South u18s 3-1 at Palmerston Park Stadium.

They also went up against Scottish League Two side Annan Athletics’ u17s at Galabank Stadium on Friday.

Jacksons has supported all areas of youth football on the island since 2019, including the Isle of Man Junior Football League which has seen a significant rise in player numbers and teams.

There are currently 1,777 registered players, aged from under-six to u16, which is up 112 compared to this time last year. New divisions have been added in both the u12 and u14 sections to accommodate additional teams.

There are 35 u14 teams this season compared to 27 in 2021-22, which represents a 30 percent increase.

The u12 section has grown by three teams and the u16 leagues are contested by 17 teams, up one from last season.

This season’s midweek Jacksons IoMFA Under-18 League has been extremely competitive so far. The u18s eight-a-side tournament began on Wednesday and will continue with the semi-finals and finals taking place tomorrow (Wednesday).