ILM open 2026 with the Charity Shield
A 3–0 win over cup holders ETC gave the reigning champions the first Charity Shield and got the 2026 season under way.
The season curtain-raiser finally happened on 26 February, seven weeks after it was originally meant to — and FC ILM made short work of it, beating FC ETC 3–0 to take the first VFX Football League Charity Shield.
The fixture pits the reigning league champions against the cup holders. ILM arrived as back-to-back Division 1 winners; ETC as the side that lifted the inaugural VFL Cup with a 2–1 win over Escape the previous August, having gone through a 6–0 semi-final on the way.
The Shield now becomes an annual thing: champions against cup winners, played before the league programme starts, on whichever January evening the pitch and the weather both cooperate.
Fixtures for the season ahead are on the fixtures page.