Why doesn’t the Isle of Wight play a combined football team in the English football pyramid?
Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man all have 1 team representing their respective islands. Even the Orkney Islands (population 22,055) in the far north of Scotland field a combined side in the North Caledonian League (Scotland Step 6).
2 weeks ago, Island Echo compared the performance of Island Games athletes with those of other islands – particularly the Channel Islands. The results weren’t favourable. Would Isle of Wight football performances improve were we to have 1 senior side rather than 3.
The Isle of Wight is the largest British Island (population 140,889), greater than that of Jersey (111,300) and Guernsey (63,544). However, both Channel Islands have outperformed the Isle of Wight in Island Games football tournaments: Jersey winning on 4 occasions (’93, ’97, ’09 and ’23) and Guernsey 3 times (’01 ’03 and ’15).
The Isle of Wight have taken gold twice, in 1995 and 2011.
Our island’s most famous footballer – Roy Shiner – ended his professional career over half a century ago in 1960. He never won an England cap.
By contrast, Jersey’s Graeme Le Saux won 36 England caps in the 90s and noughties. Possibly the hottest English football prospect at present – Bristol City’s Alex Scott – hails from Guernsey, which is also the home island of former Southampton and England star Matt Le Tissier.
While the larger Channel Islands and the Isle of Man now field combined sides to represent their islands, the Isle of Wight limps on with 3 Wessex League sides: Cowes, Newport and East Cowes Vics. Our highest-placed side – Cowes Sports – finished 16th in the Wessex Premier last season.
Our teams have tasted success in the past. Cowes Sports were Southern League Division 2 champions in 1899 and Wessex League Cup winners in 1999.
Newport’s success has been more recent as Southern League Eastern Division Champions in 2001. The Port have also twice reached the 2nd round of the FA Cup: in 1935/36 and 1945/46. But the famous County Town club – now groundless for over 4 seasons – are but a shadow of their former selves.
Should we therefore follow the example of other – more successful – islands which now field combined sides?
Guernsey were the pioneers in creating an all-island team. They began their English pyramid journey in 2011, winning the Combined Counties League Division 1 (equivalent to Wessex Division 1) at their 1st attempt. The following season, they topped the Combined Counties Premier Division. They currently play in the Isthmian League.
A combined Jersey side – Jersey Bulls – have been on a similar trajectory to Guernsey. The Bulls entered the league pyramid in 2019 in the Combined Counties League Division 1, winning 27 games in succession before Covid put an end to the season. They now play in Combined Counties Premier South, finishing 3rd in 2022/23.
FC Isle of Man are the 3rd combined island side to enter the league pyramid, joining the North West Counties League at the start of the 2021/22 season and winning promotion at their 1st attempt.
All 3 combined Island sides draw comparatively large crowds. Last season, FC Isle of Man averaged 758, Guernsey 627 and Jersey Bulls 615. By contrast (as of March 2023), Cowes Sports attracted 111, Newport 101 and East Cowes Vics 92 – a combined total of 303.
Inter-island competitions – played without the participation of the Isle of Wight – also attract healthy attendances. The Muratti Vase – contested between the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney – saw a gate of 1,800 at their final. The last Skipton Cup – featuring the Isle of Man and Guernsey – had 2,700 present at the ground.
Why can’t the Isle of Wight compete in a similar competition against similar-sized islands?
We asked a couple of well-known Isle of Wight players what they thought of the idea of a combined Isle of Wight team.
Cowes Sports’ captain, John McKie said:
““We’ve said this for years. One island, one club would be great if it was done properly”.
Newport centre forward Jordan Browne had a positive response, saying:
“I think its a good idea in theory. If it was run by capable football people who had the training facilities behind them then that could be great.”
What do Island Echo readers think of the idea of a combined Isle of Wight team playing in the English league pyramid? Would single side be better than the Yachtsmen, Vics and Port? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…
Just be one more team without a ground.
No, just get an Arabian Sheik to buy Cowes Sports!
Unfortunately we live on an island where sense never prevails. We are so far behind most other islands it’s beyond belief. A 1 team club would benefit the island massively but I fear to many egos have and would prevent this from happening.
Absolutely what should be done.
And that is where the arguments start.
Not the name
Let’s imagine we have a local philanthropist willing to put some funding in place to make this happen.
I can see both Cowes and Newport immediately complaining all their best players have been poached.
Or if an existing club is taken over, well that’s just a renamed X,Y or Z.
And where do they play?
Smallbrook?
The imaginary WightFibre Park? Cowes?
A new stadium at Victoria Rec?
The actual multi-sport stadium we need with stands, a track and a football/rugby pitch?
What about access for away fans… And if successful where do people park?
Like all things IW based, it needs to happen but won’t due to petty local politics!
A this moment in time it’s the other way round,it Newport and Cowes-both clubs that are dragging the good players away from other island teams causing a shortage and putting other clubs in danger of folding .The answer would be island league or Wessex league not both.
This is a nonsensical suggestion. You can’t just say lets have an island team when teams exist already. If say Newport got some investment and climbed the football ladder a few rungs, then you would have a more successful island team. However, suggesting that there needs to be an island team would require the foundation of a new team with no ground, no funding, and no players. Who would want to invest money in such a pie in the sky and pointless project? In addition, there would not be sufficient support from islanders to make money and finance such a project.
Except that Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man have all done this. As have Orkney. None of these islands had a ground, players funding and so on. Until someone started a team.
Guernsey play one tier above Newport and Jersey play in the same tier. Hardly a great difference. The attendances you quote are low and typical of these levels. Can’t see a local team doing much better than that really. Let people have their local teams. That is what grass roots football is all about.
The Isle of Wight is not the most populous British island; it’s Portsea, just across the Solent. That supports a fully professional side .
I doubt there would be much support for away games at these ferry prices!
There are about 40 island players of wessex quality. About half a dozen that could and do play in the Southern league or above for mainland sides.
So even if you got the very best players all playing for one side, you will still have enough players to field at least two wessex league sides.
So we are always going to need at least 3 Island teams in mainland leagues… which is what we have now.