East Fife F.C. facts for kids
 |
||||
| Full name | East Fife Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Fifers or The Fife | |||
| Founded | 1903 | |||
| Ground | Bayview Stadium, Methil | |||
| Capacity | 1,980 | |||
| Chairman | Jim Stevenson | |||
| Manager | Dick Campbell | |||
| League | Scottish League One | |||
| 2015–16 | Scottish League Two, 1st (promoted) | |||
|
||||
East Fife Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Methil, Fife, Scotland. The club was started in 1903. They are part of the Scottish Professional Football League and play in Scottish League Two. This is the fourth level of Scottish football.
East Fife was the first team to win the Scottish League Cup three times. They were also one of only two teams from the second division to win the Scottish Cup. This makes them the most successful club in Fife when it comes to winning big trophies.
There are four professional football clubs in Fife. East Fife is the only one named after the area. The other teams are Dunfermline Athletic, Kelty Hearts, and Raith Rovers. These clubs have often been rivals with East Fife.
Contents
History
How the Club Started
People in Methil really wanted a senior football team. So, in January 1903, they held a meeting and formed East Fife Football Club.
In their first year, they played in the Fife League and the Scottish Qualifying Cup. They also played friendly matches. For the 1904–05 season, East Fife joined the Eastern League. The next season, they moved to the Northern League. This league included teams like Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone. East Fife stayed in the Northern League until 1909.
In 1909, East Fife joined the Central League. This league had many of the same teams, plus Alloa Athletic, Stenhousemuir, and King's Park.
The 1920s and 1930s
East Fife played in the Central League until 1921. During World War I, the Eastern League was restarted for a short time. After the war, many Central League clubs were from mining towns. As these towns grew, so did the local football teams.
By the end of the 1920s, Central League clubs could pay players more than the Scottish Football League. To stop players from leaving, the Scottish League let Central League clubs join them. So, the Central League became the Scottish Division Two in the 1921–22 season.
Just six years after joining the Scottish League, East Fife reached the 1927 Scottish Cup Final. They lost 3–1 to Celtic at Hampden Park.
East Fife played in Scotland's top league for one season before World War II. This was in 1930–31, after they finished second in Division Two the year before.
In 1938, "The Fifers" won the 1937–38 Scottish Cup. They beat Kilmarnock 4–2 in a replayed final. Almost 92,000 fans watched this exciting game.
The Golden Age
East Fife had its best years in the ten years after World War II. In the 1946–47 season, the club finished third. They just missed out on promotion. Scot Symon became manager in 1947. At the end of the 1947–48 season, East Fife was promoted to the top league. They won the 'B' Division championship.
During this "Golden Period," the club won the Scottish League Cup three times. These wins were in 1947–48, 1949–50, and 1953–54. They also reached the Scottish Cup final again in 1949–50.
The club's league performance was also very good. Between 1948 and 1954, East Fife finished high in the Scottish Football League Division One. This was the top league in Scotland. They finished fourth twice, third twice, tenth, and sixth. In the 1952–53 season, they were even close to winning the league title.
Many great players were part of this era. Some, like Tommy Adams and Willie Laird, had played in the Scottish Cup-winning team before the war. Others, such as George Aitken and Allan Brown, went on to play for the Scotland national team.
The Late 20th Century
East Fife played in Scotland's top league for ten seasons in a row. But at the end of the 1957–58 season, they were moved down a division. Since then, the club has found it hard to repeat its past success. Except for three seasons in the early 1970s, they have played outside the top league since the 1950s.
In November 1998, East Fife moved to a new, specially built stadium. It was located near the Methil power station.
The 21st Century
The 2006–07 season started well for East Fife in the Scottish Football League Third Division. They had a big lead at one point. Their form dropped, but they still made it to the promotion play-offs. East Fife beat Stranraer but then lost to Queen's Park in the final.
The 2007–08 season began with high hopes. East Fife played very well and had a twelve-point lead by Christmas. They also did well in the Scottish League Cup. They beat Queen of the South and St Mirren from the top league. They finally lost to Rangers.
In 2007, their new stadium was officially named Bayview Stadium.
East Fife won the 2007–08 Scottish Third Division title on March 15, 2008. They beat East Stirlingshire 3–0. This was East Fife's first league title in 60 years. It was also their first trophy since 1954. Manager David Baikie left the club in April 2009. Stevie Crawford took over as manager.
On August 23, 2011, East Fife had a big win against Dunfermline Athletic in the League Cup. Then, on September 20, 2011, they caused another cup upset. They beat Aberdeen on penalties after a 3–3 draw. This sent them to the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup.
East Fife stayed in the Second Division for six seasons. They were moved down to League Two at the end of the 2013–14 season. In 2015–16, they won League Two with 62 points. This meant they returned to League One. Gary Naysmith was the manager. Nathan Austin was the top scorer with 22 goals.
The Fifers were quite stable in League One for a few years. They often finished in the middle of the table. In the 2016–17 season, they finished 5th, just missing out on promotion play-offs. However, the 2021–22 season was tough for the club. They were automatically moved down to League Two for the 2022–23 season.
Players
First-team squad
|
|
On loan
|
|
Club Staff
Board of Directors
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
 Jim Stevenson |
Club chairman |
| John Donaldson |
Vice-chairman/Stadium safety officer |
| Liam Anderson |
Director/Player liaison director/Media |
| Douglas Briggs |
Director/Company secretary |
| Tom Brown |
Director |
| Robert Cargill |
Director/Child wellbeing & protection manager |
| Stephen Mill |
Director/Disability access officer |
| Elizabeth Anderson |
Associate director |
| Laura Anderson |
Associate director |
| Lee Gillies |
Associate director |
| Leona Guidi |
Associate director/Office manager |
| Scott Young |
Associate director |
| Denis Nicol |
Honorary director |
| Harry Blyth |
Honorary director |
Coaching Staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Dick Campbell |
| Assistant manager | Ian Campbell |
| First-team coach | John Young |
| First-team coach | Stuart Malcolm |
| Goalkeeping coach | Jim Moffat |
| Physiotherapist | Jeb Spink |
| Head of football development | Dave Heddle |
| Under 20s manager | Roy Barnes |
| Under 20s coach | Jamie Allan |
| Kitmen | Colin Miller, Chris Watson, John Keddie |
Former Managers
- Thomas Neill (secretary) (1903–1911)
- David McLean (1911–1929)
- Walter Robertson (1929–1931)
- David McLean (1931–1941)
- John McArthur (1941–1947)
- Scot Symon (1947–1953)
- Jerry Dawson (1953–1958)
- Charlie McCaig (1958–1963)
- Jimmy Bonthrone (1963–1969)
- Bill Baxter (1969–1970)
- Pat Quinn (1970–1973)
- Frank Christie (1973–1976)
- Roy Barry (1976–1978)
- Dave Clarke (1978–1987)
- Gavin Murray (1987–1993)
- Alex Totten (1993–1994)
- Steve Archibald (1994–1996)
- Jimmy Bone (1996–1998)
- Steve Kirk (1998–1999)
- Rab Shannon (1999–2001)
- Dave Clarke (2001–2002)
- Jim Moffat (2002–2006)
- David Baikie (2006–2009)
- Stevie Crawford (2009–2010)
- John Robertson (2010–2012)
- Gordon Durie (2012)
- Billy Brown (2012–2013)
- Willie Aitchison (2013)
- Gary Naysmith (2013–2016)
- Barry Smith (2016–2017)
- Darren Young (2017–2021)
- Stevie Crawford (2021–2022)
- Greig McDonald (2022–2024)
- Dick Campbell (2024-Present)
Stadium
East Fife used to play at Bayview Park in the center of Methil. Since 1998, their home games have been at the new Bayview Stadium. This stadium is located at the old Lower Methil docks. It has seats for all fans. The stadium has one main stand, and the other three sides are open.
The area around the stadium is developing. A business park is growing, and a local train station for the Levenmouth rail link opened in June 2024.
In the 2013–14 season, East Fife added three temporary stands. This increased the stadium's capacity for games against big teams like Rangers and Dunfermline Athletic. These temporary stands boosted the capacity to 4,900. They were removed after the season ended.
At the stadium, there is a club shop for home fans. There are also two bars open for all supporters on match days.
In March 2023, the stadium was renamed "MGM Timber Bayview Stadium." This happened because of a new partnership with MGM Timber.
Honours
- Scottish Cup:
- Winners (1): 1937–38
- Runners-up (2): 1926–27, 1949–50
- Scottish League Cup:
- Winners (3): 1947–48, 1949–50, 1953–54
- Scottish Division Two (second tier):
- Winners (1): 1947–48
- Scottish Third Division / Scottish League Two (fourth tier):
- Winners (2): 2007–08, 2015–16
- Scottish B Division Supplementary Cup
- Winners (2): 1946–47, 1947–48
- Scottish Qualifying Cup:
- Winners (1): 1921
- Wemyss Cup:
- Winners (6): 1912, 1913, 1918, 1935, 1936, 1937
- Penman Cup:
- Winners (4): 1910, 1917, 1939, 1962
Records
- Largest win: 13–2 against Edinburgh City in 1937
- Worst defeat: 0–9 against Heart of Midlothian in 1957
- Record attendance: 22,515 against Raith Rovers in 1950
- Most capped player: Arnold Dwarika with 73 caps for Trinidad and Tobago
- Quickest League Title (Scotland): 29 Weeks (August 25, 2007 – March 15, 2008)
See also
In Spanish: East Fife Football Club para niños
- East Fife Ladies Football Team
- Levenmouth rail link reopened rail link
