kids encyclopedia robot

Ross County F.C. facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Ross County
Ross County FC crest.svg
Full name Ross County Football Club
Nickname(s) The Staggies
Founded 1929; 96 years ago (1929)
Ground Victoria Park, Dingwall
Ground Capacity 6,541
Chairman Roy MacGregor
CEO Steven Ferguson
Manager Don Cowie
League Scottish Premiership
2015–16 Scottish Premiership, 6th

Ross County Football Club is a professional football team from Dingwall, Scotland. They are often called The Staggies. Their team colours are dark blue, red, and white.

The club currently plays in the Scottish Premiership. They were recently relegated after losing in the Scottish Premiership play-offs during the 2024–25 season.

Before the 1994–95 season, Ross County played in the Highland Football League, which they won three times. They have also won the Scottish Championship (which used to be called the Scottish First Division), the Second Division, and the Third Division once each. They have won the Challenge Cup three times. In 2010, they made it to the Scottish Cup Final, and in 2016, they won the Scottish League Cup.

Club History and Achievements

How Ross County Started

The club began in 1929. It was formed after a local team called Dingwall Victoria United joined the Highland Football League. The club then changed its name to Ross County.

They played in the Highland League from 1929 and won the championship three times: in 1967, 1991, and 1992. Ross County also became known for doing well in the early rounds of the Scottish Cup. They upset bigger league teams eight times. A famous win was on January 8, 1994, when they beat Forfar Athletic 4–0. Just three days later, they were chosen to join the Scottish Football League.

Joining the Scottish Football League

RossCountyFC League Performance
Chart showing Ross County's league positions since joining the League.

In the 1994–95 season, the Scottish Football League was reorganised. Ross County was given one of two spots in the new 10-club Division Three. They joined another new club, Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

In the 1998–99 season, Ross County won the Third Division championship. This meant they were promoted to the Second Division. They finished third there, which led to another promotion to the First Division because the Premier League was made bigger. After seven seasons in the First Division, Ross County was relegated back to the Second Division in 2006–07. But they won the Second Division in 2007–08 and were promoted back to the First Division.

Ross County won their first national trophy in November 2006. They won the Scottish Challenge Cup after a penalty shootout. They reached the Challenge Cup final again in 2008 but lost on penalties. In April 2011, they won the Challenge Cup once more, beating Queen of the South 2–0.

Ross County v Livingston - geograph.org.uk - 1083839
Ross County playing a home match against Livingston.

On March 23, 2010, Ross County beat Scottish Premier League club Hibernian 2–1 in a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay at their home ground, Victoria Park. In the semi-final on April 10, 2010, they played Celtic. In a big surprise, Ross County won 2–0 at Hampden Park and reached the Scottish Cup final for the first time ever. Over 7,000 Ross County fans traveled to Glasgow to support their team.

In the 2010 Scottish Cup Final on May 15, 2010, County lost 0–3 to Dundee United at Hampden Park. More than 17,000 Ross County fans watched the match.

Reaching the Top League

Ross County earned promotion to the Scottish Premier League for the first time on April 10, 2012. This happened when their closest rival, Dundee, did not win their match. During this time, Ross County had an amazing 40-game unbeaten run in league football. This streak continued even after they joined the Scottish Premier League. The unbeaten run finally ended on September 22, 2012, when they lost to St Johnstone.

Winning the League Cup

On March 13, 2016, Ross County won their first ever major trophy. They beat Hibernian 2–1 in the final of the 2015–16 Scottish League Cup. After this big win, the team's performance dropped, and they were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season.

However, the club quickly returned to the Scottish Premiership. They secured their promotion after a 4–0 home win against Queen of the South on April 26, 2019, which also saw them win the 2018–19 Scottish Championship.

The Staggies Nickname

The club's nickname is The Staggies. This comes from their badge, which shows a Stag's Head. This image was taken from the badge of the Seaforth Highlanders, a military group where many local people fought in the Great War. The club's mascot is a stag named Rosco, which is a fun play on the nickname.

Highland Derby Rivalry

GlobalEnergyStadiumDingwall
Victoria Park, Dingwall, Ross County's home stadium.

Ross County's main rivals are Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Their matches are called the Highland derby. This rivalry is usually friendly because fans from both teams live and work together in the same area. Many players have played for both clubs over the years, moving between them.

Victoria Park Stadium

Ross County's home ground is Victoria Park. It can hold more people than the entire population of Dingwall! The stadium's biggest crowd ever was about 8,000 people for a Scottish Cup match against Rangers in February 1966. The money from that match helped build part of the stadium.

Current Players

No. Position Player
1 Scotland GK Ross Laidlaw
2 England DF Ben Crompton
3 Republic of Ireland DF Len O'Sullivan
4 England DF Akil Wright
6 England MF Connor Randall (captain)
7 Scotland MF Jay Henderson
8 Scotland MF Dean Cornelius
9 Northern Ireland FW Ronan Hale
10 England MF Noah Chilvers
11 England FW Kieran Phillips
14 Scotland FW Nicky Clark
15 Scotland DF Dylan Smith
No. Position Player
17 Scotland MF Gary Mackay-Steven
18 Scotland MF Andrew Macleod
19 Scotland MF Arron Lyall
20 England MF George Robesten
21 England GK Brad Foster
22 Scotland FW Adam Emslie
23 Scotland MF Ross Docherty (vice-captain)
26 Scotland FW Jordan White
27 Scotland FW Eamonn Brophy
31 Scotland DF Declan Gallagher
43 Scotland DF Josh Reid
-- Scotland MF Jamie Lindsay

Club Staff

Coaching Team

Position Name
Manager Don Cowie
Assistant manager John Robertson
Goalkeeping coach Scott Thomson
Head of recruitment Greg Strong
Chief scout Stuart Millar
Head of performance Jason Moriarty
Physiotherapists Beth MacIver
Fiona Hogg
Academy manager Campbell Money
Head of youth & academy operations Gordon Duff

Club Records

  • First league goal scored: William D Herd in 1994 against Cowdenbeath.
  • Biggest home crowd: About 8,000 people against Rangers in the Scottish Cup on February 28, 1966.
  • Biggest league crowd: 6,590 people against Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on November 18, 2017.
  • Biggest win: 11–0 against St Cuthbert Wanderers in the 1993–94 Scottish Cup.
  • Biggest defeat: 0–7 against Kilmarnock in the 1961–62 Scottish Cup.

Club Trophies and Honours

League Titles

Cup Wins

  • Scottish League Cup:
    • Winners (1): 2015–16
  • Scottish Cup:
    • Runners-up (1): 2009–10
  • Challenge Cup
    • Winners (3): 2006–07, 2010–11, 2018–19
  • North of Scotland Cup
    • Winners (6): 1929–30, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1991–92, 2006–07, 2018–19

Youth Team Success

  • SPFL Development League (Under-20)
    • Winners (1): 2016–17

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ross County Football Club para niños

kids search engine
Ross County F.C. Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.