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 | Scott Murdie | ||
| Manager | Jim Weir | ||
| League | Scottish League Two | ||
| 2015–16 | Scottish League One, 10th (relegated) | ||
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Forfar Athletic Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football team. They come from the town of Forfar in Angus. The club is part of the Scottish Professional Football League. They currently play in Scottish League Two. Their home games are played at Station Park, located in the north of Forfar.
The team's main nickname is "the Loons." A "loon" is a Scottish word for a young man. Some people think this name started because the younger reserve team was called "the Loons." They are also sometimes called the "Sky Blues," which is one of their team colours, along with navy blue.
Forfar Athletic has many local rivals in Angus. These include teams like Arbroath, Brechin City, and Montrose. They also play against bigger clubs like Dundee and Dundee United. Besides the Scottish Professional Football League, Forfar Athletic also plays in other important competitions. These include the Scottish Cup, the League Cup, and the Challenge Cup.
Club History
How Forfar Athletic Started
Forfar Athletic Football Club began in 1885. It was formed when the second team of an older club, Angus F.C., decided to start their own club. Angus FC had been the main team in Forfar for many years. In 1883, Angus FC joined with a junior club called Forfar West End. This new second team was called Angus Athletic.
Angus Athletic did very well in junior competitions. This success made the second team want to become independent. So, in May 1885, they started playing as Forfar Athletic. Their first game was on May 16, 1885. They won 1–0 against Dundee Our Boys.
The new club first wore black and white striped jerseys with blue shorts. In 1889, they changed to blue and black vertical stripes. This was similar to the old Angus FC colours. Forfar Athletic showed they were the stronger team when they beat Angus FC 3–1 in a cup match in 1885. Angus FC stopped playing soon after that.
On September 1, 1888, Forfar Athletic had their biggest win ever. They defeated Lindertis from nearby Kirriemuir with a score of 14–1.
Joining the League
Forfar Athletic joined the Scottish Football League in the 1921–22 season. They played in the new Second Division. In their first season, they finished 14th out of 20 teams. A Third Division was created in the 1923–24 season. Forfar was moved to this division in the 1924–25 season after finishing last in Division Two. They were lucky because many teams were relegated that year. Forfar managed to get promoted again.
Football competitions were stopped when World War II began in 1939. 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 also happened in this period. On January 2, 1930, they lost 2–12 to King's Park.
Successes and Challenges After the War
When the league started again in the 1946–47 season, Forfar was in the C Division. This was like a new Third Division. They won promotion to the B Division in the 1948–49 season. They stayed in this division until they finally 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, missing out by just one point.
This period also saw some exciting cup runs. They played against Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals in 1977–78. They also met Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-finals in 1981–82. Forfar held Rangers to a 0–0 draw in the first game, forcing a replay. In the 1986–87 Scottish Cup, they almost beat Dundee United in the quarter-finals. Dundee United was a very strong team at the time.
The team used different kit colours during these years. In the 1950s, they wore green. Later, they switched to lighter blue with navy. The nickname "The Sky Blues" was used in the 1982–83 season to help with marketing. However, it sometimes caused confusion with another team, Coventry City. The club stopped using this nickname in the early 1990s, but the media still sometimes uses it.
Changes in Management (1990s-2000s)
Forfar stayed in the First Division until 1991–92. They finished last under manager Paul Hegarty. The team only won five matches that season. After protests from fans, Hegarty was replaced by Tommy Campbell.
In 1994, the league was reorganized, and Forfar found themselves in the new Third Division. They had a great season and won the first-ever Third Division Championship in 1995. Bobby Mann scored the winning goal. Despite a good start the next season, Forfar was relegated back to the Third Division.
In late 1996, Ian McPhee took over as player-manager. He led the team to promotion again. Forfar survived one season in the Second Division but were relegated again in 1998–99. They were promoted again the next season. McPhee resigned in November 2000, saying the club was more important than him.
Neil Cooper became manager after McPhee. He helped Forfar stay in the Second Division in 2000–01. In his only full season, 2001–02, Forfar finished third in the Second Division. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup, playing Rangers at Station Park. The game was shown live on TV, which brought the club extra money. Cooper left in January 2003 to coach youth players at Aberdeen.
More Managers and Cup Runs
From 2003 to 2004, Ray Stewart managed the club. He had played for big teams like West Ham United. Stewart led Forfar to a penalty shootout win against Motherwell in the League Cup in 2003. This led to another big game against Rangers, which Forfar lost 6–0. Stewart resigned in 2004 after a series of poor results.
Brian Fairley took over as manager in late 2004. He helped the club finish safely in the middle of the league table. Fairley resigned in September 2005 due to work commitments outside football.
Former player Ray Farningham became manager, with George Shaw as his assistant. They helped Forfar stay in the Second Division. Farningham then moved to another club.
George Shaw was promoted to manager in 2006. He was in charge for ten months before leaving. Jim Moffat then became manager in 2007. His first game was a tough 9–1 loss, which saw Forfar relegated to the Third Division. Moffat was sacked in 2008.
The Dick Campbell Era
Dick Campbell became Forfar's manager in May 2008. His first season had ups and downs. Forfar was strong away from home but struggled at Station Park. Campbell helped improve the club's finances.
In May 2010, Dick and Ian Campbell led Forfar to promotion to the Second Division. They won 2–0 against local rivals Arbroath in the play-offs. In 2011, Forfar tried to reach the play-off final for the First Division but lost to Ayr United. The team also made the play-offs in 2013. They won the first game against Dunfermline Athletic 3–1. However, in the second game, three Forfar players were sent off. They lost the match 3–1 and then 6–1 in extra time, losing 7–4 overall.
On August 3, 2013, Forfar had one of their biggest wins ever. They defeated Rangers 2–1 at Station Park in the 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 missed out to Morton and lost a play-off final. After seven years, Campbell was sacked in December 2015.
Recent Managers
Gary Bollan became manager after Campbell. Forfar had a difficult season and were relegated to League Two. However, they quickly returned to League One by winning the play-offs in 2017.
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.
Former player Stuart Malcolm returned as manager in November 2019. He had played for Forfar three times before.
Gary Irvine took over as manager in April 2021. He had joined Forfar in 2019. Despite almost getting promoted in the 2021–22 season, a poor start to the next season led to Irvine leaving in November 2022.
On November 10, 2022, Ray McKinnon was named the new manager. He was sacked in November 2024. Jim Weir then returned as manager, starting his second time in charge.
Club Achievements
Forfar Athletic has won several titles and finished as runners-up in different leagues and cups:
- 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
Here are some of Forfar Athletic's most notable 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 (from 1978–1991)
- Most goals in a season: Dave Kilgour scored 45 goals in the 1929–30 season
- Most appearances: Ian McPhee played 534 games for the club (from 1979–1998)
Current Team Squad
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Players on Loan
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Club Officials
Board Members
- Chairman: Scott Murdie
- Vice-chairman: Paul Stephen
- Commercial director/secretary: Alan Shepherd
- Treasurer: Raymond Hutt
- Director: John Milne
- Associate director: Scott Barn
- Company secretary: Robin Beattie
- Honorary life president: David McGregor
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Jim Weir
- Assistant manager: Gavin Price
- First team coach: Mark Whatley
- 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
