Highland Football League facts for kids

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Highland Football League

Founded	1893
Country	Scotland
Number of teams	18
Level on pyramid	5
Promotion to	Scottish League Two
Relegation to	Midlands League North Caledonian League North of Scotland League
Domestic cup(s)	Scottish Cup Scottish League Cup (champions) Scottish Challenge Cup (top 4)
League cup(s)	Highland League Cup
Current champions	Brora Rangers (5th title) (2024–25)
Most championships	Clachnacuddin Caledonian (18 titles each)
Website	highlandfootballleague.com

The Scottish Highland Football League (often called the Highland League) is a football league for grown-ups in the north of Scotland. It's a really important league, sitting at Level 5 in the Scottish football league system. This means it's a place where teams can try to get promoted to the bigger Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

The league started way back in 1893. Today, it has 18 teams playing in one main division. The teams come from a wide area, including the Highland region, Moray, Aberdeenshire, and the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee.

Since the 2014–15 season, the Highland League has been part of a special 'pyramid system' in Scottish football. This system allows teams to move up or down between different leagues. The team that wins the Highland League gets to play against the winner of the Lowland Football League. The winner of that game then plays against the team at the bottom of Scottish League Two for a chance to join the SPFL. Teams can also move down from the Highland League to three smaller regional leagues at Level 6.

The league is currently sponsored by the Breedon Group.

How the League Works
- Playing in the Scottish Cup
History of the League
Teams in the League
- Past Teams of the League
Other Football Cups
Highland League Champions
- How Many Times Each Club Has Won
See also

How the League Works

Each team in the Highland League plays every other team twice during a season. They play one game at home and one game away. This means each team plays a total of 34 matches.

Teams get 3 points for winning a match and 1 point for a draw (when the score is tied). If two teams have the same number of points at the end of the season, the team with the better goal difference wins. Goal difference means the number of goals a team has scored minus the number of goals they have let in. The champions get a special trophy and a flag.

Because the weather in Scotland can be very bad in winter, games sometimes have to be cancelled. To make sure all games are finished in time for the promotion play-offs in April, teams now play games on both Saturdays and Wednesdays from August to October. This helps them get more games played when the weather is usually better. There's also a four-week break built into the schedule near the end of the season. This break is used to play any games that were postponed earlier.

Playing in the Scottish Cup

All the clubs in the Highland League are part of the Scottish Football Association. This means they automatically get to play in the first round of the Scottish Cup the next season. The league champions and the second-place team get a special pass (called a 'bye') straight into the second round of the Scottish Cup.

Since 2014, the Highland League champions have also played in the Scottish Challenge Cup. From 2016, the top four teams in the league got to play in this cup. Also in 2016, the champions earned a spot in the Scottish League Cup.

History of the League

How the League Started

The Highland Football League was created on August 4, 1893. It was started by people who worked for the Highland Railway Company in Inverness. The first league had seven teams: Inverness Thistle, Caledonian, Clachnacuddin, Forres Mechanics, Inverness Union, Inverness Citadel, and Cameron Highlanders. Another team, Dingwall Victoria United (which later became Ross County), was also supposed to join but left in November 1893.

The very first champions of the league were Inverness Thistle. Out of those original teams, two are still playing in the league today: Clachnacuddin and Forres Mechanics. Caledonian and Inverness Thistle later joined together to form a new club called Inverness Caledonian Thistle, which now plays in the Scottish League.

New Teams and Teams Leaving

Over the years, some teams have left the Highland League to join the bigger Scottish Football League (SFL). In 1994, Caledonian, Inverness Thistle, and Ross County all left. The league then had 18 clubs, but after these three left, Wick Academy joined, making it 16 clubs.

In 2000, Elgin City and Peterhead also moved up to the SFL. In 2002, Inverurie Loco Works joined the Highland League, bringing the total to 15 clubs. Inverurie Locos also has a railway history, as it was formed by railway workers.

In 2009, three new teams joined the league: Formartine United, Strathspey Thistle, and Turriff United.

The Pyramid System

Before the big changes in Scottish football in 2012–13, the Highland League was one of the main football leagues in Scotland.

Since the 2014–15 season, the league champions have had the chance to move up to Scottish League Two. They do this by playing a special play-off game against the winners of the Lowland Football League. The winner of that game then plays against the team at the bottom of League Two.

While most people liked the idea of teams being able to move up to the SPFL, some worried about the costs for smaller clubs. They might need to spend a lot of money to improve their stadiums to meet the rules. Also, traveling to away games against teams in the central part of Scotland can be a challenge for teams located far north, like Wick Academy and Brora Rangers.

At the end of the 2018–19 season, Cove Rangers became the first Highland League club to get promoted to the SPFL through this play-off system. They beat Berwick Rangers easily. Two years later, Brechin City became the first SPFL club to be moved down into the Highland League after losing their play-off game.

At the end of the 2020–21 season, a new rule meant that teams could also be moved down from the Highland League. This happened because the North Caledonian League, the new Midlands League, and the North Superleague were all added to the pyramid system as leagues that feed into the Highland League. At the end of the 2021–22 season, Fort William was the first team to be moved down. They couldn't play their play-off games, so Banks O' Dee moved up to the Highland League, and Fort William went down to the North Caledonian League.

Teams in the League

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity	Seats	Joined	Titles
Banks O' Dee	Aberdeen	Spain Park	876	100	2022
Brechin City	Brechin	Glebe Park	4,083	1,519	2021	1
Brora Rangers	Brora	Dudgeon Park	4,000	200	1962	3
Buckie Thistle	Buckie	Victoria Park	3,000	400	1909	12
Clachnacuddin	Inverness	Grant Street Park	2,074	154	1893	18
Deveronvale	Banff	Princess Royal Park	2,600	360	1938	2
Formartine United	Pitmedden	North Lodge Park	2,500	300	2009
Forres Mechanics	Forres	Mosset Park	2,700	502	1893	2
Fraserburgh	Fraserburgh	Bellslea Park	3,000	480	1922	4
Huntly	Huntly	Christie Park	3,500	270	1928	7
Inverurie Loco Works	Inverurie	Harlaw Park	1,400	250	2001
Keith	Keith	Kynoch Park	2,362	370	1924	7
Lossiemouth	Lossiemouth	Grant Park	2,050	250	1946
Nairn County	Nairn	Station Park	2,250	250	1914	1
Rothes	Rothes	Mackessack Park	2,700	184	1938	1
Strathspey Thistle	Grantown-on-Spey	Seafield Park	1,600	150	2009
Turriff United	Turriff	The Haughs	2,135	135	2009
Wick Academy	Wick	Harmsworth Park	2,412	102	1994

Past Teams of the League

Some teams have left the Highland League over the years. Here are some of them:

Teams that moved to the Scottish Football League:

* Elgin City (in 2000) (Scottish League Two) * Caledonian (in 1994) * Inverness Thistle (in 1994) * Peterhead (in 2000) (Scottish League One) * Ross County (in 1994) (Scottish Premiership) * Note: Caledonian and Inverness Thistle joined together to form Inverness Caledonian Thistle when they moved to the Scottish Football League in 1994. This new team now plays in the Scottish Premiership.

Teams that moved up to the Scottish Professional Football League:

* Cove Rangers (in 2019) (Highland League)

Teams that moved down to other regional leagues:

* Fort William (in 2022, to the North Caledonian League)

Teams that stopped playing or merged:

* Elgin Caledonian (stopped playing in 1926) * Inverness Celtic (stopped playing in 1898) * Inverness Citadel (stopped playing in 1937) * Inverness Union (merged with Inverness Thistle)

Military teams:

* Some military teams also played in the league for a while, like the 1st Highland Light Infantry and the Cameron Highlanders.

Other Football Cups

Besides the main league, teams in the Highland League also play in other exciting competitions:

Highland League Cup
SHFL U18 League (for players under 18)
SHFL U16 League (for players under 16)

Clubs from the North of Scotland FA also play in:

North of Scotland Cup
North of Scotland FA U20 League (for players under 20)

Clubs from the Aberdeenshire FA play in:

Aberdeenshire Cup
Aberdeenshire Shield
Aberdeenshire & District League

Highland League Champions

Here's a list of the teams that have won the Highland Football League championship over the years:

Season	Winner	Runner-up
1893–94	Inverness Thistle	Caledonian
1894–95	Clachnacuddin	Inverness Thistle
1895–96	Caledonian	Inverness Thistle
1896–97	Clachnacuddin	Caledonian
1897–98	Clachnacuddin	Caledonian
1898–99	Caledonian	Clachnacuddin
1899–1900	Caledonian	Clachnacuddin
1900–01	Clachnacuddin	Caledonian
1901–02	Caledonian	Inverness Thistle
1902–03	Clachnacuddin	Inverness Thistle
1903–04	Clachnacuddin	Inverness Citadel
1904–05	Clachnacuddin	Black Watch
1905–06	Clachnacuddin	Caledonian
1906–07	Inverness Thistle	Caledonian
1907–08	Clachnacuddin	Highland Light Infantry
1908–09	Inverness Citadel	Clachnacuddin
1909–10	Inverness Thistle	Elgin City
1910–11	Caledonian	Buckie Thistle
1911–12	Clachnacuddin	Caledonian
1912–13	Aberdeen 'A'	Buckie Thistle
1913–14	Caledonian	Aberdeen 'A'
1914–15	unfinished
1919–20	Buckie Thistle	Clachnacuddin
1920–21	Clachnacuddin	Inverness Thistle
1921–22	Clachnacuddin	Buckie Thistle
1922–23	Clachnacuddin	Elgin City
1923–24	Clachnacuddin	Buckie Thistle
1924–25	Aberdeen 'A'	Caledonian
1925–26	Caledonian	Inverness Thistle
1926–27	Buckie Thistle	Clachnacuddin
1927–28	Buckie Thistle	Clachnacuddin
1928–29	Inverness Thistle	Elgin City
1929–30	Huntly	Elgin City
1930–31	Caledonian	Buckie Thistle
1931–32	Elgin City	Keith
1932–33	Fraserburgh	Elgin City
1933–34	Buckie Thistle	Forres Mechanics
1934–35	Elgin City	Huntly
1935–36	Inverness Thistle	Peterhead
1936–37	Buckie Thistle	Peterhead
1937–38	Fraserburgh	Clachnacuddin
1938–39	Clachnacuddin	Buckie Thistle
1939–40	unfinished
1946–47	Peterhead	Huntly
1947–48	Clachnacuddin	Peterhead
1948–49	Peterhead	Clachnacuddin
1949–50	Peterhead	Caledonian
1950–51	Caledonian	Buckie Thistle
1951–52	Caledonian	Huntly
1952–53	Elgin City	Buckie Thistle
1953–54	Buckie Thistle	Elgin City
1954–55	unfinished
1955–56	Elgin City	Buckie Thistle
1956–57	Buckie Thistle	Caledonian
1957–58	Buckie Thistle	Elgin City
1958–59	Rothes	Fraserburgh
1959–60	Elgin City	Caledonian
1960–61	Elgin City	Keith
1961–62	Keith	Elgin City
1962–63	Elgin City	Caledonian
1963–64	Caledonian	Nairn County
1964–65	Elgin City	Nairn County
1965–66	Elgin City	Caledonian
1966–67	Ross County	Elgin City
1967–68	Elgin City	Ross County
1968–69	Elgin City	Inverness Thistle
1969–70	Elgin City	Caledonian
1970–71	Caledonian	Inverness Thistle
1971–72	Inverness Thistle	Elgin City
1972–73	Inverness Thistle	Ross County
1973–74	Elgin City	Inverness Thistle
1974–75	Clachnacuddin	Keith
1975–76	Nairn County	Fraserburgh
1976–77	Caledonian	Peterhead
1977–78	Caledonian	Peterhead
1978–79	Keith	Caledonian
1979–80	Keith	Brora Rangers
1980–81	Keith	Fraserburgh
1981–82	Caledonian	Peterhead
1982–83	Caledonian	Elgin City
1983–84	Caledonian	Keith
1984–85	Keith	Caledonian
1985–86	Forres Mechanics	Elgin City
1986–87	Inverness Thistle	Caledonian
1987–88	Caledonian	Buckie Thistle
1988–89	Peterhead	Cove Rangers
1989–90	Elgin City	Caledonian
1990–91	Ross County	Caledonian
1991–92	Ross County	Caledonian
1992–93	withheld
1993–94	Huntly	Caledonian
1994–95	Huntly	Cove Rangers
1995–96	Huntly	Cove Rangers
1996–97	Huntly	Keith
1997–98	Huntly	Fraserburgh
1998–99	Peterhead	Huntly
1999–2000	Keith	Fraserburgh
2000–01	Cove Rangers	Huntly
2001–02	Fraserburgh	Deveronvale
2002–03	Deveronvale	Keith
2003–04	Clachnacuddin	Buckie Thistle
2004–05	Huntly	Inverurie Loco Works
2005–06	Deveronvale	Inverurie Loco Works
2006–07	Keith	Inverurie Loco Works
2007–08	Cove Rangers	Keith
2008–09	Cove Rangers	Deveronvale
2009–10	Buckie Thistle	Cove Rangers
2010–11	Buckie Thistle	Deveronvale
2011–12	Forres Mechanics	Cove Rangers
2012–13	Cove Rangers	Formartine United
2013–14	Brora Rangers	Inverurie Loco Works
2014–15	Brora Rangers	Turriff United
2015–16	Cove Rangers	Formartine United
2016–17	Buckie Thistle	Cove Rangers
2017–18	Cove Rangers	Formartine United
2018–19	Cove Rangers*	Brora Rangers
2019–20	Brora Rangers	Fraserburgh
2020–21	Brora Rangers	Fraserburgh
2021–22	Fraserburgh	Buckie Thistle
2022–23	Brechin City	Buckie Thistle
2023–24	Buckie Thistle	Brechin City
2024–25	Brora Rangers	Brechin City

* Team promoted to Scottish League Two

Source:Scottish Football Historical Archive – Highland League Final Tables

How Many Times Each Club Has Won

This table shows which clubs have won the most Highland League titles. Clubs playing in the league right now are in bold. Clubs that are no longer active are in italics.

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Winning Years
Caledonian	18	21	1895–96, 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1901–02, 1910–11, 1913–14, 1925–26, 1930–31, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88
Clachnacuddin	18	8	1894–95, 1896–97, 1897–98, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1907–08, 1911–12, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1938–39, 1947–48, 1974–75, 2003–04
Elgin City	14	12	1931–32, 1934–35, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1989–90
Buckie Thistle	12	13	1919–20, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1957–58, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17, 2023–24
Inverness Thistle	8	9	1893–94, 1906–07, 1909–10, 1928–29, 1935–36, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1986–87
Keith	7	7	1961–62, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1999–2000, 2006–07
Cove Rangers	7	6	2000–01, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
Huntly	7	5	1929–30, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2004–05
Peterhead	5	6	1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1988–89, 1998–99
Brora Rangers	5	2	2013–14, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2024–25
Fraserburgh	4	7	1932–33, 1937–38, 2001–02, 2021–22
Ross County	3	2	1966–67, 1990–91, 1991–92
Deveronvale	2	3	2002–03, 2005–06
Aberdeen 'A'	2	1	1912–13, 1924–25
Forres Mechanics	2	1	1985–86, 2011–12
Brechin City	1	2	2022–23
Nairn County	1	2	1975–76
Inverness Citadel	1	1	1908–09
Rothes	1	0	1958–59
Inverurie Loco Works	0	4
Formartine United	0	3
Black Watch	0	1
Highland Light Infantry	0	1
Turriff United	0	1