Cowes Sports Football Club is a football club based in

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes ...

, Isle of Wight, England. They play in the . The club is affiliated to the Isle of Wight Football Association, which is a division of the

Hampshire Football Association The Hampshire Football Association, also known as ''Hampshire FA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metro ...

History

Cowes Football Club was formed in 1881 and played in friendlies until 1886, when they entered the Hants and Dorset Junior Cup. In 1896 they became founder members of the

Hampshire League The Hampshire League was a football league in Hampshire, England. During its heyday its constitution consisted of four divisions with over 60 clubs taking part - this included a vast number of semi-professional teams and Reserve/’A’ sides o ...

becoming its first ever champions and completing the double by winning the

Hampshire Senior Cup The Hampshire Senior Cup is a cup competition open to football teams affiliated with the Hampshire Football Association. The competition was founded in 1887 and has been contested every year since, with the exception of 1914 to 1919 when it wa ...

. The club joined the Southern Football League Division Two (South West Section) in 1898, winning that division at their first attempt. However, they finished as runners-up in the overall Division two play-off to Thames Ironworks. However, they were promoted to Division One after a test match against

Royal Artillery Portsmouth F.C. Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most de ...

, but folded the following season due to financial problems. The club was reformed in 1903, and joined the

Division One. The club entered the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...

many times during its time in the Hampshire League, reaching the Fourth Qualifying Round in 1957–58 and 1963–64. Cowes were relegated to Division Two in 1967, and won the league in 1975. The club was still a Division Two side by the 1980s when the club merged with Whites Sports to form Cowes Sports. The club was promoted to Division One in 1988–89 after finishing third, and after winning Division One in 1993–94, Cowes Sports were promoted to the

Wessex League The Wessex Football League is an English association football league formed in 1986, with its premier division currently at the fifth step of the National League System, or the ninth tier of the overall English football league system. The part ...

. The club reached the Fifth Round of the

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footb ...

in 1999–2000. They were placed in the Wessex League Division One upon reorganisation in 2005, and the league was renamed the Premier Division the following season. Cowes Sports were relegated to Division One in 2010. In the 2014–15 season Cowes Sports gained promotion back to the Premier Division by finishing in second place behind winners Team Solent.

Ground

Cowes Sports play their games at Westwood Park in Cowes. The club moved to the ground in September 1912 after their old Brooklyn ground was sold for housing. The club purchased the ground in 1945 for a total amount of £665.

Honours

League honours

* Southern Football League Division Two South West Section **Champions (1): 1898–99 *

Division One **Champions (7): 1896–97, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1930–31, 1936–37, 1955–56, 1993–94 *

Division Two **Champions (1): 1974–75

Cup honours

: ** Winners (9): 1896–97, 1905–06, 1911–12, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1933–34, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1966–67 *

Wessex Football League The Wessex Football League is an English association football league formed in 1986, with its premier division currently at the fifth step of the National League System, or the ninth tier of the overall English football league system. The part ...

: ** Winners (1): 1998–99 *

Cup: ** Winners (1): 1992–93 * Isle of Wight Senior Cup: ** Winners (20): 1906–07, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1926–27, 1930–31, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1942–43, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1964–65, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2017-18

Records

*Highest League Position: 1st in Southern Football League Division Two South West Section 1898-99 *

best performance: Fourth Qualifying Round 1957–58, 1963–64 *

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...

best performance: Second Qualifying Round 1970–71 *

best performance: Fifth Round 1999–2000

Former players

Former player

Marc Burrows Marc Burrows (15 October 1978 – 9 February 2009) was an English footballer, who played as a forward. He grew up in Sandown on the Isle of Wight and attended Sandham Middle School before heading to Sandown High School. Playing career After be ...

scored the sport's fastest ever goal whilst at the club, In a record time of 2.5 seconds, beating the previous record set by

Ricardo Oliveira Ricardo José Dognella Lima de Oliveira (; born 6 May 1980) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Athletic. He represented São Paulo and Santos in two different spells, but also played in Spain, amassing La Liga ...

, in a reserve team match against

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, ...

in 2004. A list of other former Players who meet the following criteria # Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league). # Players with full international caps. *

Billy Bevis William Ernest Bevis DSM (29 September 1918 – 22 August 1994) was an English footballer who played for Southampton as an outside right in the years either side of the Second World War. Football career Portsmouth Bevis was born in Warsash, H ...

* Joe Blake *

Lee Bradbury Lee Michael Bradbury (born 3 July 1975) is an English football manager and former footballer who is currently manager of National League club Eastleigh. As a player, he was a striker who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League wi ...

Arthur Bradford Arthur Houston Bradford (born November 19, 1969) is an American writer and filmmaker. He has published two books of short stories, ''Dogwalker'' (2001) and ''Turtleface and Beyond'' (2015), and a children's book, ''Benny's Brigade'' (2012). He h ...

Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, aka ...

* Len Butt * Lewis Buxton *

Percy Cherrett Percy Albert Mark Cherrett (12 September 1899 – 1984) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle, Crystal Palace, Bristol City and Bournemouth & Boscombe. Life and caree ...

* John Flood *

David Hamer David John Hamer (5 September 1923 – 14 January 2002) was an Australian politician and Royal Australian Navy officer. Early life and naval career Born in Melbourne, he was educated at Geelong Grammar School and then the Royal Australian ...

Danny Hatcher Daniel Ian Hatcher (born 24 December 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League, as a forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forwa ...

* James Hayter * Bill Luckett *

Jamie Lawrence James Hubert Lawrence (born 8 March 1970) is a football coach and former professional player who played as a right winger. He notably had spells in the Premier League with Leicester City and Bradford City, as well as playing in the Football Le ...

Charlie Leatherbarrow Charles Leatherbarrow (born Letherbarrow) (16 January 1870 – 26 December 1940) was an English professional footballer born in Banbury who played in the Football League for Rotherham Town, Walsall Town Swifts and Small Heath. He played at ...

* Duncan McLean *

Pat Parker Pat Parker (born Patricia Cooks; January 20, 1944June 17, 1989) was an American poet and activist. Both her poetry and her activism drew from her experiences as an African-American lesbian feminist.Pat Parker. Contemporary Authors Online, Gal ...

Harry Penk Henry Penk (19 July 1934 – 22 June 2020) was an English footballer who played as a winger. Career Having grown up during the Second World War, he began his career in non-league football with Wigan Athletic, making 55 appearances in the Lancas ...

George Reader George Reader (22 November 1896 – 13 July 1978) was the fourth man to referee a FIFA World Cup Final, the first Englishman (one of only 10 match officials from the United Kingdom) to do so, and the oldest match official at any World Cup in h ...

Albie Roles Albert James "Albie" Roles (29 September 1921 – 3 October 2012) was an English footballer who played as a full back for Southampton. His career was interrupted by the Second World War and, as a result, he only made one Football League an ...

David Skea David Frederick Skea (February 1871 – c. 1950) was a Scottish footballer. Football career He began his career with his hometown club, Arbroath, before joining Aston Villa, where he made just one appearance in the English Football League. After ...

Lachie Thomson William James Gay "Lachie" Thomson (9 June 1873 – 23 November 1940) was an English professional footballer who played as a defender for Stoke in the Football League before joining Southampton St Mary's for the inaugural Southern League se ...

Former coaches

# Managers/Coaches that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league). # Managers/Coaches with full international caps. * Jack Gregory *

Steve Hunt Steven Hunt (born 1958) is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has released two studio albums, recorded extensively, and toured the world. Music career In 1977, Hunt graduated from Brazoswood High School in Clute, Texas. He then attend ...

References

External links

Cowes Sports FC official website
{{Wessex One Wessex Football League Association football clubs established in 1881 Southern Football League clubs Football clubs on the Isle of Wight 1881 establishments in England Football clubs in England Cowes