WESTERN ISLES LOOKING FORWARD TO THE ISLAND GAMES

The 2025 Island Games will take place in Orkney next month, and the Western Isles will be sending teams to take part in both the men's and women's football tournaments. The Hebrideans first took part in the Island Games in Shetland in 2005, and began well, finishing in third place in both that tournament and the following, which was held two years later in Rhodes. 

However, since then, they have gone backwards, finishing between eighth and twelfth place in every tournament they have taken part in since, including the unofficial Inter-Island Games, which took place in Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in 2019, where they finished in ninth place. Last time out, in Guernsey, they finished in eleventh after beating Menorca in the eleventh-place play-off.

Eric Macleod has been overseeing the Western Isles men's team since February 2012, and, including the 2019 Inter-Island Games, this year's tournament will be his fifth at the helm. Macleod has been involved with football in the Western Isles for many years, but, club-wise, he has only ever represented Stornoway Athletic, the region's oldest club, which was founded in 1891, on and off the pitch.

His own journey started aged 10 with Athletic's youth wing, the Acre's Boys Club, and he progressed through every age group up to and including the first team. Unfortunately, his playing career came to a premature end when he suffered an ankle injury, aged 28. He has spent most of the intervening thirty-four years coaching Athletic's youth and adult sides, and has had two spells in charge of the first team.

Nowadays, though, he devotes his time solely to the Western Isles men's team, and five of last year's Stornoway Athletic title-winning side will be among the eighteen players donning the yellow shirt in Orkney. 

Macleod briefly shared some of his thoughts on the upcoming tournament with Pat's Football Blog early last month, and began with the withdrawal of one of the Western Isles' group rivals, Menorca.

"We have been drawn in the same group as Ynys Môn and Bermuda. Menorca were originally in our group but they have since pulled out of the football competitions. [The Menorcan Island Games Association withdrew both their men's and women's teams from their respective competitions in early January due to financial constraints.] 

"We were disappointed that they pulled out as we are now looking at playing one game less which, although is easier to manage in terms of player fatigue, is still frustrating in terms of the overall experience; we want to play as many matches as we can."

Macleod was under no illusions about the task facing his team after being drawn against two old advesaries, but he remained positive: "It is a tough draw, with both Ynys Môn and Bermuda being finalists and semi-finalists, respectively, in Guernsey. We have played Ynys Môn before and lost 2-1 so we know it will be another very tough match for us, but we are very much looking forward to it. 

"I watched about 20 minutes of Bermuda in Guernsey and I was very impressed with their athleticism and technical abilities, so we will have to perform to the very best of our own capabilities to be able to compete in this match. Fourteen of our squad from Guernsey will attend Orkney."

The Western Isles team which took part in the 2023 Island Games (Photo: Western Isles Island Games Association)

The team have been holding training sessions and will be playing friendlies in the run-up to the Games. According to Macleod, they will be approaching the tournament in a positive frame of mind.

"Our preparations have started and we play Orkney, the hosts, in one of our preparatory matches in June so it is going to be a very busy few months for us all," he said. "We are just really looking forward to heading to Orkney, our northern neighbours, and giving a really good account of ourselves, and I am sure that we will do that."

The Western Isles women's team, meanwhile, will be looking to go one better than their performance in Guernsey two years ago, when they surprised friend and foe by finishing runners-up. Their tournament began by their thrashing both Ynys Môn and Guernsey in the group stage, and they went on to dispose of Menorca in the semi-final before losing 4:0 to Bermuda in the final. 

Almost all of the players who were in the Western Isles women's squad in Guernsey were selected for the forthcoming tournament in Orkney, which begins on 13 July. An interesting group stage awaits them, as they were drawn together with Ynys Môn, Menorca and Hitra in Group 3. Much will be expected of manager Ewan Macleod's team this time around.

                            

WESTERN ISLES SQUAD INFORMATION (correct as of 17 April) 

MEN'S SQUAD

Harry BRAY (Tong); Michael JONES (Stornoway Athletic); Robert JONES (Stornoway Athletic); Dominic MacAULAY (Eriskay); Angus MACDONALD (Point); Euan MACDONALD (Melbost); Ross MACDONALD (Barvas); Luke MACKAY (Borve); Sam MACKAY (Borve); Robbie MACKENZIE (Carloway); Calum MACLENNAN (Gress); DI MACLENNAN (Carloway); Jack MACLENNAN (Stornoway Athletic); Eachainn MILLER (Carloway); Luke MORRISON (Stornoway Athletic); Stephen MUTCH (Back); AJ NICHOLSON (Barra); Josh SMITH (Stornoway Athletic)

MANAGER: Eric MACLEOD

ASSISTANT MANAGERS: Domhnall MACKAY; Graeme MILLER

WOMEN'S SQUAD

Krysta BRAY (Tong); Natalie CAMPBELL (Stornoway Athletic); Ann-Louise MACKENZIE (Back); Rosa

 MACKENZIE (Stornoway Athletic); Katie MACKINNON; Kirsty MACLEAN (Stornoway Athletic); Beth MACLEOD (Borve); Jessica MACLEOD (Harris); Sinéad MACLEOD (Stornoway Athletic); Shana MACPHAIL (Tong); Emma MACSWEEN (Tong); Grace MARTIN (Laxdale); Lisa MASON (Bragar); Kyla McMURDO (Back); Amanda NICOLSON (Point); CAITRIONA O'CARROL (Barra); Eleanor SMITH (Tong); Maimie ZIMMERMANN (Back)

MANAGER: Euan MACLEOD

ASSISTANT MANAGER: Hannah MACLEOD 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Eric Macleod for contributing to the above article. Other information was gleaned from Facebook and Wikipedia. Any errors or omission shall gladly be corrected upon notification of same.