Leith Athletic F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Leith Athletic Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Leithers | ||
| Founded | 1887; reformed 1996 | ||
| Ground | Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh | ||
| Capacity | 500 | ||
| Chairman | Leighton Jones | ||
| Manager | John Robertson | ||
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Leith Athletic Football Club is a football team from Leith, a part of Edinburgh, Scotland. They play in the East of Scotland Football League, First Division. Their home games are held at Meadowbank Stadium.
The club you see today is a continuation of the original Leith Athletic F.C. That team started way back in 1887. They played in the Scottish Football League at different times between 1897 and 1953. Sadly, the original club closed down in 1955. The name was brought back in 1996 for local youth teams. In 2008, Leith Athletic returned to senior football. They joined with Edinburgh Athletic and took their spot in the East of Scotland League.
Contents
Club History
The Early Days (1887-1916)
Leith Athletic was founded in 1887 in the Port of Leith. In 1891, Leith joined the Scottish Football League. They had a good start, finishing fourth in 1892. However, they struggled later and were moved to the Second Division in 1895.
In the Second Division, Leith did better. They finished second three times but couldn't get enough votes to return to the top league. In 1905, the original Leith Athletic club was closed down. A new company was formed to take over its assets.
Some Leith players even played for their country! In 1891, Robert Clements and Matt McQueen played for Scotland. Matt McQueen had also played for Scotland a year earlier. Other players like Geordie Anderson, James Blessington, and Robert Laing played for the Scottish Football League team. James Blessington later moved to Celtic in 1893. He played for Scotland four times.
The team, now called Leith F.C., won the Scottish Second Division in 1906. But they were still not promoted to the First Division. In 1910, Leith and Raith Rovers were joint champions. Raith Rovers got promoted, but Leith did not. The club stayed in the league until it was paused in 1915. They then joined the Eastern League.
After the Wars (1919-1955)
Leith Athletic stopped playing during the First World War in 1916. When the club started again in 1919, they used the old name, Leith Athletic. They joined the Western League. After playing in the Scottish Alliance for a season, Leith joined the Third Division in 1924.
Leith won the Third Division championship in 1926. But they still couldn't get into the Second Division. It seemed that the big Edinburgh clubs, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian, were making it hard for Leith to move up.
The Third Division was later removed. Leith had to rejoin the Scottish Alliance. But in 1927, they were allowed back into the Scottish League. The club's luck changed! They won the Second Division championship in 1930. This meant they were promoted to the First Division. Leith stayed in the top division for one season but were relegated in 1932. They remained a mid-table Second Division team until the league stopped in 1939. This was due to the Second World War.
In 1946, Leith became founding members of the new Division C. This was the third level of football. The Second Division expanded in 1947, and Leith was elected to a spot. However, they were relegated in 1948. Leith then joined Division C (North & East).
Division C mostly had reserve teams. Leith wanted the non-reserve teams to be in the Second Division. They were not successful. In August 1953, Leith was removed from the league. They refused to play any more games in Division C. It was too late for them to join another competition. The club went out of business in 1955. Interestingly, the C Divisions were stopped that summer. Just as Leith had wanted, the non-reserve teams were then allowed into the Second Division.
The Modern Club (1996-Present)
A new Leith Athletic club was started in 1996. It began mainly as a club for boys' football. They had teams for different age groups, from 5 to 21 years old. The adult team joined the Central Scottish Amateur Football League.
In 2005, a Leith player, Paul Lee, played for the Scottish amateur international team. In the same year, Danny Swanson, Douglas Thom, and Shaun Woodburn played for the Scottish Youth Football Association under-19 team.
Leith Athletic joined with Edinburgh Athletic in 2008. They took Edinburgh Athletic's place in the East of Scotland Football League. Leith was promoted to the East of Scotland Premier Division in 2011. They were relegated after one season. They got back into the Premier Division in 2013. Later, they won the league when it became a single division in 2016.
Home Stadiums
When Leith Athletic first joined the Scottish Football League in 1891, they played at Bank Park. This ground was later renamed Beechwood Park in 1895. After the 1898–99 season, the club moved to St Bernard's' New Logie Green. They played two games there before moving to Hawkhill for the rest of the 1899–1900 season.
Between 1900 and 1904, Leith played at Chancelot Park. Then they moved to Old Logie Green. During World War I, the club played some games at Chancelot Park and Wardie Park. When the club returned to the Scottish Football League in 1924, they went back to Old Logie Green. After the 1925–26 season, the club moved again to New Powderhall.
After only one season at New Powderhall, the club moved to Marine Gardens. They stayed there until 1936, when they moved to Meadowbank. After World War II, the ground needed to be rebuilt. Leith played the 1946–47 season at the nearby New Meadowbank. When the original Meadowbank reopened, it was called Old Meadowbank. In the early 1950s, a special floodlit match was played there.
The reformed club played at Leith Links and Muirhouse Playing Fields. In 2013, they moved to the Meadowbank 3G pitch, next to Meadowbank Stadium. When Meadowbank closed for rebuilding in December 2017, games were moved to Peffermill 3G.
Famous Players
Two players from the original Leith Athletic team played for Scotland. Matt McQueen played twice, in 1890 and 1891. Robert Clements played once in 1891.
Club Records
- Highest Attendance: 18,079 fans watched Leith Athletic play East Fife on March 29, 1930. This game was at Marine Gardens.
Club Honours
Here are some of the championships and cups Leith Athletic has won:
East of Scotland Football League
- Winners: 2015–16
East of Scotland Qualifying Cup
- Runners-up: 2014–15
East of Scotland League Cup
- Winners: 2014–15, 2016–17
- Runners-up: 2015–16, 2017–18
King Cup
- Winners: 2015–16, 2016–17
Alex Jack Cup
- Winners: 2009–10, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Runners-up: 2017–18
Original Club Honours
Scottish Football League Division Two
- Winners: 1905–06, 1909–10, 1929–30
- Runners-up: 1895–96, 1896–97, 1898–99, 1914–15
Scottish Football League Division Three
- Runners-up: 1925–26, 1948–49
Scottish Qualifying Cup
- Winners: 1905, 1909, 1925, 1948, 1949
East of Scotland Shield
- Winners: 1900–01
- Winners: 1890–91, 1898–99, 1931–32, 1938–39
King Cup
- Winners: 1922–23
See also
In Spanish: Leith Athletic Football Club para niños
