Full name | Arbroath Victoria Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Vics | ||
Founded | 1882-1895 / reformed 1904 | ||
Ground | Ogilvy Park, Cairnie Loan, Arbroath | ||
Capacity | 4000 | ||
President | Russell Ruxton | ||
Manager | Eddie Gray | ||
League | SJFA Midlands League | ||
2021–22 | SJFA Midlands League, 9th of 19 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
Arbroath Victoria Football Club are a Scottish Junior football club based in Arbroath. The club competes in the SJFA Midlands League and play their games at Ogilvy Park. They are nicknamed "the Vics".
The original Arbroath Victoria (The Vics) were formed in 1882. In April of that year, they defeated a team called Sunrise 3–0 on the common. This club disbanded in 1895. Vics were re-formed in 1904 as 2nd Class Juniors, essentially a Juvenile club, before becoming full Juniors in 1910 and joining the Arbroath & District Junior League.
On 1 November 1890 the Vics met Burnside Athletic, another local side, on the common. According to the local newspaper of the time, it was a miserable one-sided game, with the Vics winning 15–0. To our[ who? ] knowledge this is the club's biggest ever win. That year the Vics won the Forfar and District Junior Cup. In 1951, after years playing on local public playing fields and at Gayfield Park during the Second World War, the Vics moved to Ogilvy Park. The Vics were unbeaten at home from 25 October 1952 to 4 June 1955. They were the Angus League Champions four times in the seasons from 1952 to 1956.
In 1971 the Vics reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, but were beaten by Cambuslang Rangers. To date this is their best achievement in this event. Many players have joined the senior ranks over the years; and in the 1980s three players, Brian Goodall, Eric Martin and Gus Malone, were selected to play for the Scottish Junior team.
The Vics celebrated their centenary on 8 August 1982 when George Best, the former Manchester United, Northern Ireland international and European Footballer of the Year, turned out as a guest for them, scoring twice in a 4–3 win against Arbroath F.C [1]
Until the 1990s the Vics were one of the top teams in the region, winning almost every honour open to them, including the Angus League no fewer than 12 times. Recent seasons however have not been kind, and in 1999 the club came close to folding, but with a new committee and management team they appeared to have turned the corner, despite not having the best of results to begin with.
At the start of the 2002–03 season the Junior regions were restructured, and the Vics won promotion to the Tayside Premier Division for the first time in 10 years. And with Tayside's top two teams, Carnoustie and Tayport, ending their domination of the league by electing to play in the new Scottish Junior Football East Region Super League, the Vics stood a good chance of remaining in the Premier Division. However although the Vics started the season well, they tailed off towards the end and found themselves back in the First Division.
In 2013–14 the Vics played in the newly formed First Division North: after the East Region AGM the three regional divisions were merged into two and branded as North and South. Clubs in the Central division were split between the two new leagues on a geographical basis. After a promising start to the season the Vics finished in 11th place, their worst finish since 2006–07 when they finished 10th.
In October 2014, the club announced that Jake Ferrier was retiring and thus stepping down from his post, ending an eight-year stint in charge of the Vics.
The Vics finished the 2014–15 season on high finishing sixth their best position since they were promoted to the old Tayside Premier Division back in 2002–03.
Since finishing sixth in the 2014–15 season the Vic's have since struggled in the league finish the next four seasons in the bottom half of the league.
The team is currently managed by ex Forfar Athletic u20's manager Eddie Gray.
The Vics' local rivals were Arbroath Sporting Club until ASC folded in 2011.
Every year, the Vics contest the Urquhart Cup with Arbroath, the senior team in town. Names associated with the club have included Tony Cargill, Jim McIntosh, Samuel Meston, Mark McWalter and Paul Tosh.
Arbroath's Victoria Ogilvy Park has been their home since 1951, but like many other junior teams the Vics played on local public playing fields. During the World War II the Vics played at Gayfield (the home of Arbroath F.C.) as senior football had ceased for the duration of the war. When Arbroath F.C. required their ground back, the committee began to look for their own ground. The club secretary of the time, Jimmy Smith, was instrumental in securing a piece of waste land in the Cairnie area of the town, and the committee set about transforming this into a football pitch. The park was officially opened in 1951 and named Ogilvy Park in honour of Lord Ogilvy who owned the land in the Cairnie area.
Committee Member | Name |
---|---|
President | Russell Ruxton |
Club Secretary | Neil Hardie |
Committee Member | Paul Tosh |
Committee Member | Paul Fraser |
Committee Member | Arthur Walker |
Committee Member | Colin Pankhurst |
Committee Member | Jake Ferrier |
Committee Member | Willie Kiddie |
Committee Member | Steve Dall |
Coaching staff | Name |
Manager | Eddie Gray |
Assistant Manager | David Sturrock |
First Team Coach | Arthur Gray |
Goalkeeping Coach | Graham Duff |
Club Medic | Darren Hogg |
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some 16 miles (26 km) east-northeast of Dundee and 45 miles (72 km) south-southwest of Aberdeen.
Forfar is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a population of 16,280.
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games at Station Park, in the north end of Forfar.
The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the level of football played, not the age of the players. The closest equivalent terminology would be non-League football in England, the difference being that junior football in Scotland was not similarly integrated into its football league system until 2021.
Arbroath Football Club is a semi-professional Scottish football club based in the town of Arbroath, Angus. They currently play in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded in 1878 and plays home matches at Gayfield Park. They play in maroon strips and are nicknamed "The Red Lichties" due to the red light that used to guide fishing boats back from the North Sea to the Burgh's harbour. The Red Lichties share a long-standing and fierce rivalry with local neighbours Montrose, as well as with fellow local sides Forfar Athletic and Brechin City.
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the town of Brechin in Angus. The club was founded in 1906 by players and officials of two local clubs, Brechin Harp and Brechin Hearts. The club currently competes in the Highland Football League after successive relegations from the Championship in 2018, League One in 2019 and League Two via the play-off in 2021 after a 3–1 aggregate defeat by Kelty Hearts.
Montrose Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team, based in the town of Montrose, Angus. The club was founded in 1879. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League One, the third tier of football in Scotland.
The Scottish Junior Football East Region Premier League North also known for sponsorship reasons as the McBookie.com East Premier League North, was the second-tier division of the East Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association and sat parallel with the East Region Premier League South.
The Forfarshire Cup is a football competition in Scotland competed for by teams in the Forfarshire Football Association from Angus, Dundee and Perth. The name of the competition is often baffling to some, as "Forfarshire" is an archaic and anglicised name for Angus which became official in the late 19th century around the time of Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 which restructured and renamed many of Scotland's counties, however the name quickly fell into disuse and was very rarely used in everyday conversation and non existent today.
Montrose Roselea Junior Football Club are a Scottish Junior football club based in the town of Montrose, Angus. The are members of the Scottish Junior Football Association and currently play in the North Region Junior Football League Premier Division in the sixth tier of football in Scotland.
Gavin Swankie is a retired Scottish footballer who is currently in his fourth spell with Arbroath. Capable of playing in midfield and as a forward, his previous clubs include Forfar Athletic, Dundee and St Johnstone.
Richard Campbell is a Scottish football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Arbroath.
Arbroath Sporting Club were a Scottish junior football club based in Arbroath. Their home ground was Seaton Park.
Brechin Victoria Junior Football Club are a Scottish Junior football club based in Brechin, Angus. Their home ground is Victoria Park. The club have recently celebrated their centenary year 1917–2017. They enjoy links with the community and Brechin Youth Clubs to promote and work on the player development and pathway from grass roots to first team level.
Dundee Harp Football Club was a football club based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded in 1879, the team went out of business in 1894.
The 2011–12 season was Arbroath's first season back in the Scottish Second Division, having been promoted from the Scottish Third Division at the end of the 2010–11 season. Arbroath also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
The 2012–13 season was Arbroath's second consecutive season in the Scottish Second Division, having been promoted from the Scottish Third Division at the end of the 2010–11 season. Arbroath also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
The Tayside Junior Football League, originally called the Midlands League, was a football league competition operated in Tayside under the Scottish Junior Football Association which operated as the top league in the territory from 1969 until a merger in 2002; it existed for a further four years as a second-tier league before the name was discontinued in 2006.
The Angus derby is a football rivalry that is based in Angus, Scotland. Matches are contested between any two SPFL clubs from Arbroath, Montrose, Forfar Athletic and Brechin City. All four sides regularly compete within the same leagues and therefore often face each other, and it is rare to find a season without a matchup between at least two of the Angus teams.
The Midlands Football League is a junior football league based in the Tayside area of Scotland. The league sits at level 6 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Highland Football League.