3 days ago
Footballers invited to move to Alderney as the island's only team needs new players
For aspiring footballers, a change of club might mean travelling to a new city or even moving countries, but would you consider relocating to a "tiny island" in the English Channel?
Alderney has a population of around 2,000 and struggles with a shortage of young men to play for the island's only football team.
Alderney FC is nicknamed The Nomads and wants that spirit to be adopted by footballers living in the other Channel Islands, the UK, and beyond, so they can put forward a competitive team for Guernsey 's Priaulx League.
They also play in the Channel Islands' showpiece annual tournament, the Muratti Vase, competing against Jersey and Guernsey for footballing glory.
Alderney has only beaten its much larger neighbours once in 1920, but hopes fresh momentum will build further memories.
Chairman and team coach, Rob Kirkland, says: "We hope that we offer a little slice of paradise here on the island, an incredibly well-run club supported by the community.
"We have to do everything we can to fill that void. We have 10 competitive men based on the island, but we need a larger squad to be able to compete in the Guernsey leagues."
The campaign for new footballers started a couple of weeks ago as the team declared in a social media post that "on a tiny island in the English Channel, Alderney's football club is doing something different".
It added you can "live on an island that looks like a David Attenborough documentary" and "play your guts out for a team that actually needs you".
Rob says the post has got traction with tens of thousands of views, and he is encouraged by the early signs.
He explains: "A number of players have expressed an interest in relocating, and we're in initial discussions.
"We've also had a number of agents interested in bringing players across for short-term contracts, maybe half a season, while they wait for something different."
One of those to make the move over is 18-year-old Callum McCarthy, who just joined Alderney for a year ahead of moving to the United States to study.
He says: "I saw the opportunity to come here and work while playing football, so I thought it was a no-brainer.
"You can gain experience and play competitively, getting your games recorded and being able to watch over what you've done in a match. You can just learn a lot from being here and understanding the game."
While comparisons with the Premier League may end at the island's ground name, The Arsenal, club captain Andy Adamson says it can be a place to grow.
He explains: "We can offer a lot, maybe not on the wages, but living on Alderney is always quite good fun.
"Together as a group, we've shown over the past few years that not only do we have a laugh, but we also compete.
"We're not looking for superstars, we're looking for people that want to be there every week that we can count on."
