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| Full name | Fort William Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Fort | ||
| Founded | 1974 | ||
| Ground | Claggan Park, Fort William | ||
| Capacity | 1,800 (200 Seated) | ||
| Chairman | Robert Coull | ||
| Manager | Kyle Redpath | ||
| League | North Caledonian League | ||
| 2023–24 | North Caledonian League, 5th of 12 | ||
Fort William Football Club is a senior football team from Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. They play in the North Caledonian Football League, having been relegated from the Highland Football League in 2022 after 37 seasons.
The club was founded in 1974 by then chairman Colin Neilson and started out playing mainly friendlies and cup competitions, such as the Scottish Qualifying Cup, the North of Scotland Cup and the Inverness Cup.
In the late 1970s, their most famous player to date, John McGinlay made his senior debut for Fort William at the age of 14, coming on as a substitute in a North of Scotland Cup tie with now Scottish Professional Football League side Elgin City (formerly of the Highland League). At the age of 17, he moved to Nairn County, and would later go on to play in the Premier League with Bolton Wanderers and eventually represent Scotland. [1] He was childhood friends with another, now former, professional footballer Duncan Shearer, who also hailed from Fort William. [2]
Ever since forming in 1974, the club campaigned for entry into the Highland League, but were rejected many times. In 1983, Fort William were admitted to the North Caledonian League. The club enjoyed wins in the two-year spell in the North Caledonian League. They won both the Chic Allan Cup and Morris Newton / SWL Cup in successive seasons, while also winning the Football Times Cup and finishing as runners-up in the league in the 1983–84 season.
In the 1984–85 season, the club won the division outright, making it their only league championship victory to date. [3]
In the 1985–86 season, the club was admitted to the Highland League. Fort William played their first Highland League match against their nearest league team Clachnacuddin, with striker Gordon MacIntyre scoring the goal in a 1–0 home win. In that season, they recorded their highest-ever attendance of 1,500, against the Scottish Football League side Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup 2nd round, with a 0–0 draw, [4] before losing 6–0 in the replay at Annfield a week later. [4] [5]
The club was unable to build upon their relatively competitive start to life in the Highland League, and gradually, season-by-season, began to struggle to the point where they had finished bottom in 14 of the 18 seasons between 1996–97 and 2013–14. Their struggles included a record 17–0 away defeat in 1998, to now Scottish League One side Peterhead. [6] [7] Despite this, The Fort did not finish bottom that season, with the wooden spoon going to Nairn County. In the 2008–09 season, they accumulated only a solitary point from 28 matches, making it the Highland League's record lowest points total since its inception. [7] [8]
During the 2008–09 season, an exciting future appeared forthcoming, when television producer and former Lochaber resident, Paul MacDonald, unveiled his vision for the football team. In conjunction with his American Entertainment company, PMAC Tonight, he planned to create a reality TV series based around the toiling team. The premise was to import some of the best young American talent from college campuses across the USA, in an attempt to take Fort William "From Worst to First", in what was envisaged to be the ultimate underdog story. However, after much initial media hype, the project failed to materialise.
The club formerly fielded a reserve side in the North Caledonian Football League, but were forced to disband this team prior to the 2011–12 season due to a lack of playable pitches in the Fort William area – something that has always plagued the club. [9] They were, however, able to set up an Under 19s team, which was formed with the sole purpose of participating in the Scottish Youth Cup.
In January 2015, the club made history when it recorded four consecutive league victories for the first time since joining the Highland League, after a 2–1 success over Clachnacuddin. [10]
The club's continuing presence in the Highland League was threatened in early 2018 as all six directors announced they would be stepping down at the end of the season. [11] However, despite a poor season (picking up just five points and conceding over 180 goals), it was announced that Fort William would continue its involvement for the 2018–19 season. [12]
Five games into the 2018–19 season and still pointless, the club was deducted nine points by the Highland League after fielding an ineligible player on three occasions. [13] They finished the season with no wins and two draws from their 34 games, ending on −7 points. [14] This led to them being dubbed in 2019 "The worst football team in Britain", by many news media publishers. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]
In July 2019, Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle loaned nine players to Fort William in order to both prepare the youngsters for professional football and bolster the Fort William squad. [20]
On 31 July 2019, Fort William won their first competitive match in 707 days when they defeated Nairn County 5–2 in a North of Scotland Cup tie, ending a 69-game run without a victory. [21] This win came one day after BBC Scotland broadcast The Fort, a documentary on the club's winless run. [22] After another winless month, Fort William finally recorded their first league win in 882 days on 11 September, with a 1–0 home win against Clachnacuddin.
In the 2021–22 season, Fort William finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the North Caledonian League after forfeiting their play-off match against North Superleague side Banks O' Dee F.C.
"Fort William became the first team to be relegated from the Highland League last season and were unable to play in the play-off final after being unable to raise a team." — Strathspey Herald [23] (January 2023)
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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All final positions are from the Highland League.
| Season | Final Position | Points Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | 12/17 | 35 |
| 1986–87 | 11/18 | 33 |
| 1987–88 | 17/18 | 21 |
| 1988–89 | 18/18 | 13 |
| 1989–90 | 13/18 | 40 |
| 1990–91 | 12/18 | 43 |
| 1991–92 | 16/18 | 28 |
| 1992–93 | 16/18 | 19 |
| 1993–94 | 16/18 | 27 |
| 1994–95 | 12/16 | 37 |
| 1995–96 | 14/16 | 26 |
| 1996–97 | 16/16 | 9 |
| 1997–98 | 15/16 | 13 |
| 1998–99 | 16/16 | 4 |
| 1999–00 | 16/16 | 8 |
| 2000–01 | 14/14 | 14 |
| 2001–02 | 13/15 | 23 |
| 2002–03 | 15/15 | 13 |
| 2003–04 | 15/15 | 13 |
| 2004–05 | 13/15 | 16 |
| 2005–06 | 15/15 | 4 |
| 2006–07 | 15/15 | 9 |
| 2007–08 | 15/15 | 3 |
| 2008–09 | 15/15 | 1 |
| 2009–10 | 17/18 | 20 |
| 2010–11 | 18/18 | 9 |
| 2011–12 | 18/18 | 7 |
| 2012–13 | 18/18 | 6 |
| 2013–14 | 18/18 | 9 |
| 2014–15 | 13/18 | 27 |
| 2015–16 | 17/18 | 16 |
| 2016–17 | 17/18 | 11 |
| 2017–18 | 18/18 | 5 |
| 2018–19 | 18/18 | −7 |
| 2019–20 | 16/17 | 10 |
| 2020–21 | 15/16 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | 18/18 | 7 |
Their ground, Claggan Park, has a capacity of 1,800[ citation needed ] – and is sometimes regarded as one of the most picturesque grounds in the United Kingdom,[ citation needed ] mainly due to the views of the nearby Ben Nevis mountain range.
Claggan Park consists of standing areas on all sides of the pitch, with one 'rustic' stand that can seat 200 spectators. To date, the record attendance is 1,500 – recorded in a 1985 Scottish Cup 2nd round tie against Scottish League side Stirling Albion.
Often during the autumn and winter months, many home matches are postponed (usually due to a waterlogged pitch) – a consequence of the heavy rainfall the town experiences.
The Scottish Highland Football League is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scottish Professional Football League.
The North Caledonian Football Association is a senior football association operating throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and is a recognised body of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and as such has its senior football competitions officially registered with the SFA.
Clachnacuddin Football Club is a part-time, senior Scottish football club based in the city of Inverness, that currently plays in the Highland Football League.
Claggan Park is a football ground in Fort William in the West Highlands of Scotland, which is the home ground of North Caledonian League side Fort William. It is located on Achintee Road on the outskirts of the town and has a capacity of 1,800 with 400 seated. The ground is often considered the most picturesque in Great Britain due to its proximity to the foothills of Ben Nevis, the highest point in the United Kingdom.
Highland Rugby Football Club is a rugby union amateur club from the city of Inverness that compete in the Scottish National League Division One. They have a number of teams taken from different age groups including micros and minis, S1 and S2, Under-15, Under-16, Under-18 and senior first and second teams. They play their rugby at Canal park in Inverness.
The 2012–13 North of Scotland Cup began on 28 July 2012 and ended on 20 October 2012.
The 2009–10 North of Scotland Cup was won by Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The 2010–11 North of Scotland Cup was won by Forres Mechanics.
The 2013–14 North of Scotland Cup began on 27 July 2013 and ended on 19 October 2013, when eventual winners, Brora Rangers, defeated defending champions Nairn County 3–0 at Clachnacuddin's Grant Street Park in Inverness. It was sponsored by AJG Parcels for the second year.
The 2018–19Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. season is the club's second season in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the Scottish Premiership at the end of the 2016–17 season. Caley Thistle will also compete in the Scottish Challenge Cup, Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup. This season will be the 25th season since Inverness joined the Scottish Football League. This season is also the return of the Highland derby after Ross County were relegated one season after Inverness.
The 1986–1987 Highland Football League was expanded to eighteen teams when Cove Rangers, formerly of the North Juniors was elected in.
Loch Ness Football Club is a Scottish football club playing in the North Caledonian Football League currently based in the town of Fortrose in the Scottish Highlands.
Daniel Hoban is a Scottish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Highland football league club Banks o' Dee.
Ryan Fyffe is a Scottish footballer who plays as a defender for Highland League club Buckie Thistle.
Anthony Low (born 18 August 1983) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a midfielder for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Brora Rangers, Albion Rovers, Clachnacuddin, Buckie Thistle, Elgin City, Nairn County and Peterhead.
The 2021–22 Highland Football League was the 119th season of the Highland Football League, and the 8th season as part of the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Brora Rangers were the reigning champions.
The 2022–23 Highland Football League was the 120th season of the Highland Football League, and the 9th season as part of the fifth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system. Fraserburgh were the reigning champions, but were unable to defend their title.
The 2022–23 North Caledonian Football League was the 114th season of the North Caledonian Football League, and the second season as part of the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system.
The 2023–24 North Caledonian Football League was the 115th season of the North Caledonian Football League, and the third season as part of the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system.
The 2nd Highland Light Infantry F.C. was an association football club active up until the Second World War.
