What counts as a team?
Anything people join and turn up to regularly: a football side, a choir, a church, a Rotary club, a chess night, a beach clean, a parents' group. If it meets on the island and would welcome a new face, it belongs here. We use "team" for all of them because that is what they become.
Is it really free?
Yes. Finding a group is free and listing one is free. There is no account to create and nothing to pay, ever.
How do I find something near me?
Open the map and use the filters: what kind of thing, who it is for, which part of the island, which day. The "Near me" button centres the map on you and adds a distance filter. Open any listing to see where it meets, when, what it costs and how to get in touch.
I have never done this before. Can I still go?
Usually, yes. Turn on the "Beginners welcome" filter to see groups that have said so explicitly. "Drop-ins welcome" means you can just turn up without arranging it first. When in doubt, message the group; they are almost always glad to hear from someone new.
How do I add my team?
Tap "Add a team" on the map and fill in the short form. Your venue becomes a map pin, which you can drag to the right spot before you submit. There is a step-by-step guide on the List your team page.
Why has my team not appeared yet?
Every submission is checked by a person before it goes live, so there is a short delay, usually a day or two. Once approved it can take a few more minutes to show on the map. If it has been a while, email michael@michaeljosem.com.
Something is wrong with a listing. How do I fix it?
Open the listing and tap "Suggest a correction". The form comes pre-filled; change what is wrong and submit. Or use the Update your listing page. Either way a person reviews the change before it goes live.
How did my group get on here? We never signed up.
The map lists groups from public sources such as their own websites and social pages, so people can find them. Most groups are glad to be found, but it is your listing: if anything is wrong, or you would rather not be listed at all, email michael@michaeljosem.com and it will be fixed or removed, no questions asked.
Why does a junior group show no contact details?
Groups for under-18s never show an email address or phone number on this site, whatever was submitted. That is deliberate, for the children's sake. Contact goes through the group's own website or the organisation behind it: a Scout group with no website of its own shows "Contact through Scouts Isle of Man", linking to theirs.
What does "Part of" mean on a listing?
It names the bigger organisation a team belongs to: a league, association, federation, circuit or movement on the island, such as the Isle of Man FA, Scouts Isle of Man or the Diocese of Sodor and Man. Once a running team other than the organisation's own listing is part of it, the organisation gets its own page with its teams on a map, and the Organisations page lists them all. Say which one your team is part of on the form. If it is not on the list yet, type its name: a person checks it and adds the organisation if it is a real one on the island.
I run an organisation. Can I see how its teams' listings are doing?
Yes. Email michael@michaeljosem.com and you will be sent a private link to a page for your organisation. It shows which of its teams' listings are up to date, due a check or may have stopped, and has a button that emails each team due a check a one-click link to confirm its listing. The page never shows anyone's email address or phone number, and the emails only ever go to each team's own address on file, never one you type.
What does "not yet confirmed" mean?
Nobody from the group has confirmed the listing yet. It may have come from public information or from someone outside the group, and been checked by Manx Teams. The site says so because a wrong night or a moved venue wastes your evening. A group confirms its listing with one click from the private link in the emails we send its contact; a correction alone does not.
The map looks empty for the thing I want.
Two options. If you know a group that is missing, add it; every listing you add saves the next person the search. If there really is nothing, the Start a team page is a plain guide to starting one yourself. Most groups on this map began with one person and a message to a few friends.
Can I share a team as a picture?
Yes. Open the team on the map and tap "Or make a card" under the invite, or use "Make a card to share" on the Update your listing page. It draws a square picture for a group chat or a tall one for a story, with a QR code to the team's page. It is made on your phone and nothing is uploaded. A card never shows an email address, phone number or website, and a card for a junior group never carries your name.
Can I put the map on my own website?
Yes. Any listing has an "Embed badge" button that copies a small card linking to that team. For the whole map, put https://manxteams.com/map?embed=1 in an iframe; add &category=sport or &town=Peel to pre-filter it.
Is the site in Manx?
The map is, as a draft. Open the map in Gaelg, or choose Gaelg from the language list at the top of the map, which remembers your choice on that phone or computer. The Manx was written with dictionaries and has not yet been checked by a fluent speaker, so if you speak Manx and can suggest better words, email michael@michaeljosem.com. Team names, venues and what each group says about itself stay as the group wrote them, and the other pages are in English for now.
I have an idea to make the site better. Who do I tell?
Michael Josem runs the site and welcomes suggestions. Email michael@michaeljosem.com.
I think I have found a security problem in the site. Who do I tell?
Email security@michaeljosem.com. The security page says what you may test, the rules for testing, and what happens next. We do not pay for reports.
Safeguarding concerns
I am worried about a group, or about a child. What do I do?
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999. If you are worried about how a group or someone in it behaves, tell the group's own safeguarding lead or the national body it belongs to. If it is about a listing on this site, email michael@michaeljosem.com.