 | |
| Full name | Loch Ness Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Ground | King George V Park, Fortrose |
| Capacity | 500 |
| Chairman | Hugh Gardner |
| Manager | Shane Carling |
| League | North Caledonian League |
| 2022–23 | North Caledonian League, 1st of 13 (champions) |
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.
Loch Ness were formed in 1999 by current manager Shane Carling, and for 20 years played as members of the welfare/amateur recreational leagues of Inverness & District. [1] The club formed a senior team in 2020, and were accepted as members of the North Caledonian Football Association, joining a temporary second tier of the association, known as the Ness Cup League. [2] From 2021–22, they will play in the re-combined North Caledonian League.
During the summer of 2020, the club received widespread acknowledgement via social media after releasing prototypes for their new kits, which featured the Loch Ness Monster in the pattern. [3] [4] The designs were subsequently used and made by Lancashire company Zero Negativity Clothing, receiving orders worldwide upon release. As part of a sponsorship deal with WooHa Brewing Company, the sponsor created a limited edition lager named for the club. [5]
Loch Ness played their first game in the Ness Cup League on 17 October. Their debut in the senior ranks resulted in an emphatic 11–1 win over Scourie, another team making their debut in the league, with hat-tricks from DJ MacPhee and Luke Seago. [6]
In November, the club enlisted the help of former Clachnacuddin manager Iain Polworth to assist in coaching the side. [7] The side finished 4th in League 2 when the season was curtailed.
In the 2021–22 season Loch Ness were pipped to the league title by Invergordon, ultimately finishing 2nd.
In the 2022–23 season, Loch Ness won the North Caledonian League title for the first time in their history with a 5–0 win over Fort William, the title also meant they qualified for the Scottish Cup for the first time.
Although the club has no fixed ground, they played their first season (2020–21) at Canal Park in Inverness, the regular home of Highland Rugby Club.
For the 2021–22 campaign, they are playing their home games at King George V Park in Fortrose.
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.
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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.
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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.
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The Highlands and Islands League is an amateur women's association football league in Scotland, run by Scottish Women's Football (SWF). Founded in 2019, the league sits outside the current Scottish Women's Football League pyramid. It comprises eight teams: one based in Caithness, one in Moray, one in Ross-shire, one in Nairnshire, one in Orkney, two in Sutherland, and one in Inverness-shire.
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The 2021–22 North Caledonian Football League was the 113th season of the North Caledonian Football League, and the first season as the sixth tier of the Scottish football pyramid system.
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 is 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.