NATWEST 2013 ISLAND GAMES FIXTURE-LIST

The men's and women's football tournament of the 2013 NatWest Island Games will be getting under way, as this article is being published, in the British overseas territory of Bermuda, and, in comparison to more recent version of both tournaments, features a much-reduced list of participants. There are but four teams in the men's competition, and just three in the women's.

The hosts will be competing in both competitions for the first time since 2007, and, despite being full FIFA and CONCACAF members, will apparently be represented by their full national team in both the men's and women's sections. Greenland will also be competing in both competitions. The Norwegian island of Hitra will be sending a combined team to take part in the women's competition, while the neighbouring island of Frøya's team will be competing in the men's section; the Falkland Islands completes the line-up in the men's competition.

Bermuda's Under-23 side finished in fourth place at the 2007 version of the men's tournament, and their women's side finished in the bronze medal position in both 2005 and 2007. Greenland's women's side took bronze at the 2011 NatWest Island Games, which were held in the Isle of Wight.

Many of the sides who would otherwise have been among the front-runners (or at least participating) in both the men's and women's tournaments, such as Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man and Åland, decided not to take part due to various reasons, such as cost and distance; the 2013 NatWest Island Games, the fifteenth in all and the thirteenth to hold a football tournament, will be the first be hosted by an island  outside Europe. Bermuda are favourites to win the men's tournament, but history will nevertheless be made at this edition of the NatWest Island Games; none of the teams competing in the men's or women's tournaments have ever won either competition.

The competition venues are the National Sports Centre (NSC) in Devonshire, and the Bermuda Athletics Assocation (BAA) stadium in Pembroke.

Please find below the fixture-lists for both the fifteenth men's and the seventh women's competitions of the 2013 NatWest Island Games. (Kick-off times are local.)



MEN'S COMPETITION

ROUND-ROBIN STAGE

14/7/13 20:00 Bermuda : Greenland (NSC)
14/7/13 20:00 Frøya : Falkland Islands (BAA)
15/7/13 20:00 Bermuda : Falkland Islands (NSC)
15/7/13 20:00 Greenland : Frøya (BAA)
17/7/13 18:00 Falkland Islands : Greenland (NSC)
17/7/13 20:00 Bermuda : Frøya (NSC)

THIRD-PLACE MATCH

18/7/13 18:00 3rd : 4th (BAA)

FINAL

18/7/13 20:00 1st : 2nd (NSC)

WOMEN'S COMPETITION

14/7/13 18:00 Bermuda : Greenland (NSC)
15/7/13 18:00 Bermuda : Frøya/Hitra (NSC)
16/7/13 18:00 Frøya/Hitra : Greenland (NSC)

PLAY-OFF

17/7/13 18:00 2nd : 3rd (BAA)

FINAL

18/7/13 18:00 1st : Winner Play-off (NSC) 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks are due to Kay Batty, general secretary of the Island Games Association, for kindly granting permission to publish the fixture-lists for both the men's and women's football competitions at the 2013 NatWest Island Games.

Other information has been taken from diverse sources; please find below the link to an article on the Bermuda national team which will be competing in the men's tournament at the NatWest Island Games:

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20130710/SPORT01/707109973

Please find below an article on Jersey's decision not to send their men's team to the tournament:

http://bernews.com/2012/06/another-football-team-pull-out-of-island-games/