St Bernard's F.C. facts for kids
| Full name | St Bernard's Football Club | |
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| Nickname(s) | St Bernard | |
| Founded | 1878 | |
| Dissolved | 1943 | |
| Ground | The Meadows, Edinburgh Powburn Park, Edinburgh John Hope's Park, Edinburgh Royal Gymnasium Ground, Edinburgh New Powderhall, Edinburgh New Logie Green, Edinburgh Old Logie Green, Edinburgh |
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St Bernard's Football Club was a football team from Edinburgh, Scotland. The club started in 1878 and joined the Scottish Football League. Their biggest win was the 1894–95 Scottish Cup. They played at many different fields. Their main home was the Royal Gymnasium Ground. Sadly, the club closed in 1943 after they had to sell their ground.
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Club History: How St Bernard's Started
Early Days of the Club
St Bernard's was first a rugby club in Edinburgh. They played rugby as early as 1876. Another club, United FC, started playing association football in March 1878. Later that year, St Bernard's and United FC joined together. They formed a new football club.
The club got its name from the famous St Bernard's Well. This well is a local landmark. It sits by the Water of Leith river. The club used the well as its symbol.
At first, the team played at The Meadows. Other famous Edinburgh teams, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian, also played there. St Bernard's then moved to their own fields. These included Powburn Park and John Hope's Park. John Hope's Park was near Edinburgh Academy. This helped the club gain many fans.
Moving to The Gymmie
In 1880, the club moved to the Royal Gymnasium Ground. Fans called it 'The Gymmie'. This place was built in 1864 for sports. It had a huge spinning boat for 60 rowers. It also had equipment for stilts, quoits, and bowls. In winter, people could even ice-skate there.
William Lapsley was one of the club's founders. He became the owner of the Gymnasium. He let St Bernard's use its football pitch only. Lapsley became the club's Honorary President. He was also the main person who funded the club.
However, the ground was too small for fans and players. So, St Bernard's moved again. They played at Powderhall from 1883. Later, they moved to New Logie Green in 1889. Both Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian had also used New Logie Green. After a year back at Powderhall in 1900, they returned to the Royal Gymnasium by 1901.
Joining the Scottish League
St Bernard's helped start the Scottish Football League (SFL) in 1890. But they were not chosen to play in the first season. In September 1890, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) removed St Bernard's. They said the club was paying players secretly.
The club members quickly formed a new team called "Edinburgh Saints." They planned a friendly game against Renton. The SFA said no, but the clubs played anyway. This made the SFA angry. They removed both clubs and stopped their players from playing for the rest of the 1890–91 season.
After a year of playing friendly games across Britain, they rejoined the SFA in 1892. They played in the non-league Scottish Football Alliance. A year later, St Bernard's joined the SFL. They were put into the First Division.
Amazingly, St Bernard's finished third in their first SFL season. They beat St Mirren 8–0. They also beat both Hearts and Rangers on their home grounds.
Scottish Cup Winners: The 1895 'Edinburgh Slam'
By the summer of 1895, all three Edinburgh clubs were doing very well. Heart of Midlothian won the Scottish League for the first time. Hibernian won the Second Division and moved up. St Bernard's won the Scottish Cup.
They beat Hearts in the semi-final. Then, they played a very young Renton team in the final. Most of Renton's players were under 20. St Bernard's won 2–1 at Ibrox on April 20, 1895.
William Lapsley, the club's Honorary President, lifted the trophy. He had told the team to drink from St Bernard's Well before the game. About 12,000 fans watched. A bigger crowd greeted the team when they returned to Edinburgh.
The club won the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1908 and 1915. These were their only other big cup wins.
Challenges and Decline
Even with great training facilities, St Bernard's struggled. Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian were more popular in Edinburgh. St Bernard's had fewer regular fans. Some Hearts and Hibs fans would watch St Bernard's if their own teams were playing away.
Fewer fans meant less money for player wages. So, English clubs could easily buy St Bernard's best players. In the 1896 cup semi-final, only five players from their cup-winning team were left. They lost 1–0 to Hearts.
St Bernard's even hosted the 1896 Scottish Cup Final. Hibernian was one of the finalists. The SFA allowed the game to be played at New Logie Green. This was the only time the Scottish Cup Final was held outside Glasgow.
In 1900, the club was moved down to the Second Division. They lost a special game to St Mirren. St Bernard's won the Second Division the next year. But other clubs did not vote them back into the First Division.
A big problem happened in 1903. Their financial supporter, William Lapsley, died in a cab accident. In 1907, they won the Second Division again. But they still could not get back into the First Division. In 1915, they finished tied for first place. But they lost special games and were not promoted.
The Years After World War I
In 1916, the club stopped playing. The Royal Gymnasium was used by the War Department. When the club got it back, the field was ruined. It took until 1922 and a long legal fight to get money for repairs. The Royal Gymnasium was ready to play in again only on November 15, 1924. Meanwhile, the club used Old Logie Green.
The Scottish League did not want them back at first. St Bernard's joined a new league called the "Central League." This league was for teams that were not allowed in the SFL. In 1921, the Scottish League changed. St Bernard's became part of the new Second Division.
Tom "Brandon" Ross helped St Bernard's a lot during this time. He was the trainer and groundsman. He even won a famous race at age 46. Heart of Midlothian also helped. They let St Bernard's play at Tynecastle. In 1931, a former Hearts player even gave St Bernard's maroon socks for their kit!
During the Great Depression, St Bernard's was very smart. They gave jobs to unemployed players. These jobs were at the Royal Gymnasium or with companies owned by the club's directors. This helped them get talented players.
In 1928, they got a great goalkeeper named Leonard Small. He was an Edinburgh University student. People called him "The Holy Goalie." Later, his church made him stop playing. He became a very important person in the Church of Scotland.
The Final Years of the Club
In the 1934–35 season, St Bernard's was still in the Second Division. But they became a strong team. They focused on attacking football. This meant they scored many goals. It also meant they let in goals. But it made games exciting and brought in more fans. They scored 100 goals that season. They did this again for the next two seasons.
In 1938, they reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals. They lost to East Fife after two replay games. A huge crowd of 35,264 people watched at Tynecastle Park. This was the biggest crowd ever for a St Bernard's match.
When Second World War started, the Scottish League changed. It was split into regional leagues. At first, this was good for St Bernard's. They could play local rivals like Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. But the league was later shut down.
When the Eastern league started again in 1942, St Bernard's was banned in 1943. Their last game was on May 16, 1942. They lost 3–2 at home to East Fife. With no league to play in, the club decided to pause until the war ended. Many other Scottish clubs did this too.
But then, a director named Cooper died. He was a coal merchant. His family asked for a loan he had given the club to be paid back right away. The club had no money. They had to sell their only valuable thing: the Royal Gymnasium ground. This left St Bernard's with nothing.
The club tried to enter the Scottish Qualifying Cup in 1946. But the game never happened. The club sold their 1,200-seat stand to Leith Athletic. St Bernard's hoped they could play at Leith's ground. But Leith Athletic said no once they had the stand.
The St Bernard's Supporters Club started a successful boys' club in 1947. But all other tries to restart the club failed. In 1951, the Supporters Club voted to close. Their money was used to create an annual competition. It was called the St Bernard's Cup. It was for local primary schools in Edinburgh.
The St Bernard's Cup and the St Bernard's Boys Club still exist today. St Bernard's has also had teams in local amateur leagues. In the 2017/18 season, the amateur team won the East of Scotland Cup. This is a very important trophy in amateur football.
International Players from St Bernard's
Eight players from St Bernard's played for the Scotland national team. This happened between 1887 and 1897. These players were:
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Team Colors
The team wore different uniforms over the years. These included all blue, white with blue shorts, and pink and gold hoops. They also wore blue and white hoops. Today, the boys' and amateur clubs use all four of these colors for their teams.
Club Achievements
- Winners: 1894–95
Scottish Football League Division Two
- Winners: 1900–01, 1906–07
Scottish Qualifying Cup
- Winners: 1907, 1914
East of Scotland Shield
- Winners: 1875–76, 1896–97
- Winners: 1907–08, 1914–15, 1930–31, 1937–38
Dunedin Cup
- Winners: 1909–10
See also
In Spanish: St. Bernard%27s Football Club para niños
