Designed and created by Team Isle of Wight’s official sponsors, Sandown-based software company ICRTouch, the website also features a donate function, which enables people to pledge their support to the squad.
Chairman of the Isle of Wight Island Games Association, Martin Goodall, said:
“We’ve always strived for the Island to get behind us because this is a huge platform for our athletes to perform on. It’s like a mini Olympics and we hope our new website will help to tell our story and inspire Islanders to support us.
We also want to make sure we can take the best team possible, based on talent. It costs around £800 for each athlete to take part in the games and we want to help our squad members, some of which are still at school, meet that cost.
The site looks fantastic. I’d like to say a huge thank you to ICRTouch for developing it for us.”
Island Games 2019: Appeal Launched To Help Fund Team Isle Of Wight Participation In Gibraltar
A 142-strong squad from the Isle of Wight will head to Gibraltar in July next year to compete against other Islands from across the world.
However, unlike many other Islands, the Isle of Wight receives no central funding, leaving athletes having to fund the trip themselves.
It will cost each individual around £800 to go and team managers want to select people for their talent, not their financial circumstances.
Martin Goodall, chairman of the Isle of Wight Island Games Association, said: “We don’t want money to stop us from taking the best team possible from the Island.
“Many of those we could select are either still at school or college or not working for different reasons.
“This event is like a mini Olympics and it’s something our athletes will never forget. Our team members are hugely talented, dedicated and are proud to represent the Island.
“We would love the Island community to get behind the team through our crowdfunding appeal to help us ensure no-one who deserves to go misses out.”
Team Isle of Wight will compete in 12 sports in Gibraltar — athletics, badminton, basketball, cycling, judo, sailing, shooting, squash, swimming, table tennis, tennis and triathlon.
The event runs from July 6 to 12.
