The Most Isolated Football Team in the World: Tristan da Cunha
What is the most isolated location on earth? That would be Point Nemo, a mark on the map in the Pacific Ocean. At times the closest people to this pole are the astronauts on the International Space Station who fly just under 400km above the area. That’s the most isolated point on earth then, how about the most isolated piece of land? That would be Bouvet Island, an uninhabited glacier between the southern tip of Africa and Antarctica belonging to Norway. How about a place you can actually visit and put feet on the ground with a permanent population? This is where we turn our eyes to the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha. A volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean with its nearest neighbours being just a short 1,243 miles away.
The majority of Tristan da Cunha’s population of just 300 people reside in the capital of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. It is the only settlement on the island, but it does have all the amenities you would expect, shops, a school, a hospital and several homes. So, an island as remote as can be with a population of just 300, you will be surprised to learn that football is a popular sport on the island. The island is a British overseas territory, so they do have access to watch football from the United Kingdom, many locals support the suspects such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
The first known report of football on the Island came from the 1920’s, a couple, Rose Rogers and Rev. Henry Rogers first introduced the game and the islanders fell in love. Of course, the games were very informal and may have felt like a kick-about with friends, but it caught the imagination of the locals. The Islanders split into two teams and got into a game, usually on special occasions. Very quickly through the 1920’s and the 1930’s football grew, and many islanders took upon football and integrated the game into their daily lives.
Who though can the islanders play against if not themselves? The first reported game against foreign opposition wasn’t until 1940, the score line is unknown but what we do know is that the opposition was a Norwegian vessel crew. The sport began to expand into more regular games during the second world war. The island was a key point for the British Navy during the war meaning ships would stop at the island regularly giving the islanders the opportunity to play games against the crewmen.
However, in 1961 the unimaginable happened, the islands volcano, St Mary’s Peak, erupted and the islanders were all forced to flee to Britain. Come 1963 the island was deemed safe to inhabit once again with almost all islanders choosing to return to their homeland. The return of the islanders however did not see a return of football, the love for the game became lost. It wasn’t until the early 2000’s that the sport started to regain its popularity. This was partly down to the broadcasting of British football games on televisions in Tristan da Cunha. A spark was lit and one man, Leon Glass, took full advantage of this.
In 2002, Glass and a number of islanders formed Tristan da Cunha FC, the first official football team on the island. The same issue would find itself being the biggest hurdle to the team, they have no-one to play against. The team plays when they get the opportunity, visiting vessels are the common-most teams they get the chance to play against. This doesn’t mean they don’t turn out looking professional though, they have a team kit, a football pitch and of course their own footballs.
How about the quality of the football on show? Glass is adamant the quality of football is of a good standard on the island, not too long after the formation of the team the islanders hammered a visiting team by the name of RFA Black Rovers 9-0. What about in more recent times? With such a small population it is very difficult to schedule regular 11-a-side games, it is more common to find 5-a-side games being played with an annual tournament being a highlight of the footballing calendar.
Is there an ambition to send a representative team to play elsewhere? As much as the islanders may enjoy and desire such an opportunity it is highly unlikely. Travel costs would be such a deciding factor in this. The island is only visited every few weeks by a shipping vessel that brings supplies to the island, people can pay for tickets to catch a ride on this ship but the infrequent schedule causes implications. The ship sails to South Africa which means not only would a representative have to travel over a thousand miles to South Africa they would then have to find further transport to arrive at the location they are scheduled to play at.
Even the Island Games seem out of reach for Tristan da Cunha, a competition for small islands not recognised by FIFA or a football Confederation, think Greenland, Orkney and the Isle of Man. Tristan da Cunha’s island ‘neighbours’ (over 1000 miles away) Saint Helena are considering this though, they have a population three times larger and play regularly with a league in place on the island.
In the meantime, the islands team will continue to hold the title of the most remote football club on earth, albeit they don’t play a lot of football. Perhaps funding will arrive from the United Kingdom to help grow the sport on the island, this doesn’t look likely at the current moment in time though. It is hoped that the islands team will be able to play an organised game more than 3-6 times a year but with the lack of transport opportunities it is unlikely. Hopefully one day the world’s most remotely inhabited island can make its mark on the footballing world and who knows, they might even get an away day experience one day.
Written and Researched by BSc Cavan Campbell
