Castletown Commissioners has confirmed that it will not be showing this year’s football European Championships in its Market Square.
The ‘big screen’ in the square has shown events in the past such as King Charles’s coronation, the Women’s World Cup final last August and the Rugby World Cup in the same month.
Although the screen is operated by the Commissioners, it is not owned by the town, and football is not a sport that is ‘within the current scope of the agreement’ to operate the screen.
Commenting on Facebook, the Commissioners said: ‘The “summer of sport” in Castletown has been in the pipeline since 2023.
‘The potential screening of the European Championships was omitted from the schedule following feedback at early meetings with key stakeholders in January.
‘While we recognise the recent public interest in the town potentially screening the Euros, there have been some misleading narratives on social media regarding the reason football is not being shown.
‘We are grateful to be in a position to continue with the proposed sporting calendar in Market Square through the availability of the screen at no cost to the Commissioners.’
The ‘sporting calendar’ as referenced includes the showing of the T20 Cricket World Cup, ‘Ladies Day’ at Ascot, Tour De France, British Grand Prix, Wimbledon, the Golf Open and this year’s Paris Olympics.
The local authority added: ‘There are a significant number of licensed premises in the town that have already confirmed their intention to screen the football, and we hope that they may benefit from local custom.
‘If a home nation progresses to the final, other options remain available, as was the case with the historic Women’s World Cup final last August. These will be considered by the board in due course.’