Forfar Athletic F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Forfar Athletic Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Loons, Sky Blues | ||
| Founded | 1885 | ||
| Ground | Station Park, Forfar | ||
| Capacity | 6,777 (739 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Alan Shepherd | ||
| Manager | Jim Weir | ||
| League | Scottish League Two | ||
| 2015–16 | Scottish League One, 10th (relegated) | ||
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Forfar Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Forfar, Scotland. They are part of the Scottish Professional Football League. The team plays its home games at Station Park.
The club is often called "the Loons." This nickname comes from an old Scottish word for a young man. People might have used it because the club's second team was younger than the first. Sometimes, they are also called the "Sky Blues" because of their team colours, which are sky blue and navy blue.
Forfar Athletic has many local rivals in the Angus area. These include teams like Arbroath, Brechin City, and Montrose. They also compete against larger clubs such as Dundee and Aberdeen. Besides the main league, Forfar Athletic also plays in cups like the Scottish Cup and the League Cup.
Contents
Club History
How Forfar Athletic Started
Forfar Athletic was founded in 1885. It began when the second team of an older club, Angus F.C., decided to form their own club. This second team was very successful in junior competitions.
On May 16, 1885, Forfar Athletic played its first match. They won 1–0 against Dundee Our Boys. The new club first wore black and white striped jerseys. Later, in 1889, they changed to blue and black vertical stripes.
A big moment for the new club was beating Angus F.C. 3–1 in the 1885–86 Scottish Cup. Angus F.C. then stopped playing soon after. On September 1, 1888, Forfar Athletic had their biggest win ever, beating Lindertis 14–1.
Joining the Scottish League
Forfar Athletic joined the Scottish Football League in the 1921–22 season. They played in the new Second Division. In the 1923–24 season, a Third Division was created. Forfar was moved to this division in the 1924–25 season.
During this time, Alex Troup was a very important player for the club. He later played for bigger teams like Dundee and Everton. The club's biggest loss happened on January 2, 1930, when they lost 2–12 to King's Park.
After World War II
After World War II, the league started again in the 1946–47 season. Forfar Athletic was placed in the C Division. They earned promotion to the B Division in the 1948–49 season.
The club stayed in the Second Division until they won the championship in the 1983–84 season. This was a big improvement from the 1973–74 season, when they finished last. The late 1970s and 1980s were a very successful time for the club. In the 1985–86 season, they were almost promoted to the top league.
This era also saw some exciting cup runs. They played against Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals in 1977–78. They also met Rangers again in the Scottish Cup semi-finals in 1981–82. In the 1986–87 Scottish Cup, they almost knocked out Dundee United, a very strong team at the time.
The team used different kit colours during this period. In the 1950s, they wore green. Later, they used lighter blue with navy. The nickname "The Sky Blues" was introduced in the 1982–83 season to help with marketing.
Changes in the 1990s
Forfar Athletic played in the First Division until 1991–92. They finished last that season. After some changes, the club found itself in the new Third Division in 1994.
They had a great season and won the first-ever Third Division Championship in 1995. Bobby Mann scored the winning goal. Even with a good start to the 1995–96 season, Forfar was relegated back to the Third Division.
In late 1996, Ian McPhee became player-manager. He led the team to promotion again. Forfar stayed in the Second Division for a season but was relegated back to the Third Division in 1998–99. They were promoted again the next season. McPhee resigned as manager in November 2000.
Managers in the 2000s
Neil Cooper took over as manager in 2000. He helped Forfar stay in the Second Division in the 2000–01 season. In his only full season, 2001–02, Forfar finished third in the Second Division. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup. They played Rangers at Station Park, and the game was shown live on TV. Even though they lost 6–0, the club earned a lot of money from the match. Cooper left in January 2003 to coach youth players at Aberdeen.
Ray Stewart became manager in January 2003. He led Forfar to a penalty shootout win against Motherwell in the League Cup in 2003. This led to another big game against Rangers, which they lost 6–0. Stewart resigned in November 2004 after a series of poor results.
Brian Fairley then became manager. He helped the club finish safely in mid-table. Fairley resigned in September 2005 due to work commitments outside football.
Ray Farningham, a former player, became manager. He helped the team stay in the Second Division. After the season, Farningham moved to another club.
George Shaw was promoted to manager in 2006. He left in March 2007 after the team struggled. Jim Moffat took over but the team was relegated to the Third Division. Moffat was sacked in April 2008.
The Dick Campbell Era (2008–2015)
Dick Campbell became Forfar's manager on May 8, 2008. His first season had ups and downs. Forfar was strong away from home but struggled at Station Park. Campbell helped the club financially.
On May 16, 2010, Campbell led Forfar to promotion to the Second Division. They won 2–0 against their local rivals, Arbroath, in the playoffs. In 2011, Forfar tried to reach the First Division play-off final but lost to Ayr United. They also qualified for the play-offs in the 2012–13 season. They won the first game against Dunfermline Athletic 3–1. However, in the second game, three Forfar players were sent off. They lost 3–1 in regular time and 6–1 after extra time, losing 7–4 overall.
On August 3, 2013, Forfar had one of their biggest wins. They defeated Rangers 2–1 at Station Park in the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup. Both goals were scored by Gavin Swankie.
In the 2014–15 season, Campbell almost led Forfar to win the League One title. They lost out to Morton and then lost a play-off final to Alloa. After seven years, Campbell was sacked in December 2015.
Recent Managers
Gary Bollan became manager in December 2015. Forfar had a tough season and was relegated to League Two. However, they quickly returned to League One the next season through the play-offs.
On October 1, 2017, Jim Weir was appointed manager. He left the club in November 2019 due to work and recovery from a car crash.
Stuart Malcolm, a former Forfar player, became manager on November 10, 2019. He had played for the club three times before.
Gary Irvine took charge of the team on April 9, 2021, after Stuart Malcolm resigned. Irvine was officially named manager on May 4. Forfar came close to promotion in the 2021–22 season. However, a very disappointing start to the next season led to Irvine leaving the club on November 9, 2022.
On November 10, 2022, Ray McKinnon was appointed as the new manager. He was in charge until November 9, 2024, when he was sacked. Jim Weir returned as manager 11 days later.
Club Achievements
Forfar Athletic has won several titles and cups over the years:
- Scottish Second Division/Scottish League One:
- Winners (1): 1983–84
- Scottish Third Division/Scottish League Two:
- Winners (1): 1994–95
- Runners-up (3): 1996–97, 2009–10, 2021–22
- Scottish Midlands Qualifying Cup:
- Winners (1): 1946–47
- Forfarshire Cup:
- Winners (9): 1905–06, 1907–08, 1930–31, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2014–15
- Forfarshire Charity Cup:
- Winners (5): 1887–88, 1889–90, 1890–91, 1891–92, 1893–94
- Runners-up (1): 1892–93
- Forfarshire County League:
- Winners (2): 1897–98, 1898–99
- Runners-up (1): 1899–1900
Club Records
- Biggest win: 14–1 against Lindertis on September 1, 1888
- Biggest defeat: 2–12 against King's Park on January 2, 1930
- Record home attendance: 10,780 fans watched them play Rangers on February 7, 1970
- Record goal scorer: John Clark, with 127 goals (1978–1991)
- Most goals in one season: Dave Kilgour, with 45 goals in the 1929–30 season
- Most appearances: Ian McPhee, who played 534 games (1979–1998)
Current Team Squad
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Club Officials
Board Members
- Chairman: Alan Shepherd
- Vice-chairman: Paul Stephen
- Treasurer: Raymond Hutt
- Directors: Scott Barn, John Milne, Scott Murdie
- Company secretary: Robin Beattie
- Honorary life president: David McGregor
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Jim Weir
- Assistant manager: Gavin Price
- Goalkeeping coach: Wayne Henderson
- Doctor: Dr Jane Crawford
- Sports scientist: Mark Farrell
- Therapist: Lara Jordan
- Groundsman/kitman: Martin Gray
See also
In Spanish: Forfar Athletic Football Club para niños
