The Wessex League has confirmed that the Boxing Day crowd of 658 for the game between East Cowes Victoria and Newport IW is the highest in Wessex Division 1 since records began in the 2004/05 season.
Attendances for grassroots football have climbed steadily over recent years, likely due to the increasing cost of tickets for the professional game and the lack of connection between millionaire international footballers and ordinary fans – not to mention increased weekly sport coverage delivered by Island Echo.
Traditionally, many Isle of Wight football supporters have travelled to the mainland to watch Portsmouth and Southampton; however, the high cost of cross Solent travel, lack of late night ferries and the increasing unreliability of services have made such journeys more problematic.
East Cowes Victoria has seen their average attendances increase from 151 in 2023/24 to 199 this season. Newport’s crowds have shown a similar trend rising from an average of 138 last season to 183 in their current campaign.
However, average gates for Cowes Sports have dropped from 172 in 2023/24 to 160 in 2024/25, possibly due to their poor start to the season.
East Cowes Victoria have the highest average in Wessex Division 1, with Newport recording the 2nd highest.
The Boxing Day crowd at Beatrice Avenue was the 2nd biggest in the Wessex League overall this season, only beaten by the 1,630 who attended the Wessex Premier game between AFC Portchester and Fareham Town.
Top 10 Wessex Division 1 attendances since records began in 2004/05 below:
1 2024/25 Thursday 26-Dec-24 East Cowes Victoria v Newport IOW 658
2 2021/22 Tuesday 22-Mar-22 Andover New Street v Andover Town 570
3 2023/24 Friday 29-Mar-24 East Cowes Victoria v Newport IOW 565
4 2023/24 Tuesday 26-Dec-23 Newport IOW v East Cowes Victoria 523
5 2024/25 Saturday 28-Dec-24 New Milton Town v Lymington Town 464
6 2022/23 Friday 07-Apr-23 Newport IOW v East Cowes Victoria 416
7 2021/22 Friday 21-Jan-22 Downton v Laverstock & Ford 401
8 2021/22 Tuesday 17-Aug-21 Andover Town v Andover New Street 369
9 2022/23 Tuesday 27-Dec-22 Andover Town v Andover New Street 340
10 2022/23 Saturday 08-Apr-23 Andover New Street v Andover Town 332
