Aberdeen University F.C.

History

The University Club was founded in 1872 and joined the SFA in 1904. On three occasions, the team reached the main draw of the Scottish Cup. In 1907, they lost 5–1 to Raith Rovers in Kirkcaldy, and in 1925, a trip to Dundee United ended in another 5–1 defeat in the first round. Their only home tie after qualifying came in 1913, when Peebles Rovers visited and won 3–0 in front of 2,000 spectators.

For the 1954–55, 1955–56, and 1956–57 seasons, the SFA removed the qualifying rounds, putting all entrants straight into the first round. The university lost in the first round each time, though in 1954–55 they forced Girvan F.C. into a replay. In 1963–64, the club won the Bowie Cup, a local amateur knockout competition, for the first time. The next season, they entered the Scottish Amateur Cup for the first time but lost in the first round to Doune Castle.

Their Bowie Cup defence ended against Cove Rangers, with whom they shared a strong rivalry at the time. The 1960s were a productive period under coach Tudar Hale, who later moved to England. In 1969, Dr Eric Farr took over as coach and led the team to more success at SUSF and amateur levels. Key players included captain John McGrory, vice-captain Dave McWilliam, Alex Ingram, Phil Williams, Roy Pilgrim, Norrie Stuart, and Robin Mitchell, all of whom represented the university internationally.

That same year, the club received the Allender Memorial Trophy as the Athletic Association’s most outstanding club. In the early 1980s, the university came close to reclaiming the Queen’s Park Shield, but the highlight was an Aberdeenshire Cup replay victory over Deveronvale, which set up a match against a strong Aberdeen side. That year, Aberdeen went on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, and nearly 1,000 spectators saw the university lose narrowly 2–0 at Kings.

The Aberdeen lineup included Bryan Gunn, Willie Falconer, and Andy Watson. The previous year, the university had lost narrowly to Peterhead, whose team featured Joe Harper. In 1982–83, the second team won the Paterson Trophy for the first time. In 1987–88, under captain Rab Adams and coaches Craig Graham and Mark Stewart, the club won the Queen’s Park Shield as SUSF champions.

Four players—Mark Thomson, Dave Lewis, Ali Bryce, and Gavin Dennis—represented Scottish Universities, with Bryce and Dennis also earning caps for the British Universities team. The following season, Steve Laing was selected for the SUSF team. The final decade of the 20th century saw mixed fortunes. The club regained its place in Amateur League Division 1 with promotion in 1996–97, while the second XI won the Paterson Trophy and promotion to Division 4.

The club was awarded the Allender Trophy for only the second time. In January 2000, a strong Aberdeen side were held to a 0–0 draw in a friendly at Cameron Barracks, with Dons players including Gary Smith, Jim Hamilton, Ricky Gillies, Darren Mackie, Dennis Wyness, and Kevin Rutkiewicz. In the 1999–2000 season, the university won the BUSA Shield, defeating De Montfort University 2–1 in the final at Warwick. Brendan Hanke scored both goals.

The team was coached by Mike Ross and captained by Andrew 'Taz' Johnson. In June 2014, the club were accepted as members of the Scottish Junior Football Association and joined the SJFA North Region from the 2014–15 season. In 2019, a match was abandoned after an 'extremely offensive racial slur' was used against a player for the 2nd team, but the next year the footballer who was accused was cleared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Ground

The first team matches are played at the Hillhead Centre in the north of the city of Aberdeen, close to the historic campus at Old Aberdeen and to the main halls of residence. The centre has a full sized grass pitch with seating for 300, floodlights, a pavilion and a full-sized synthetic training pitch. Other teams' matches are played at the Balgownie Playing Fields, north of the city in Bridge of Don and at King's College.

Teams

The club's first team competes in the North Region of the SJFA. They also run a team in the Aberdeenshire League, three teams in the local amateur leagues as well as four in the university leagues.

Honours

Senior: Aberdeenshire Cup Winners 1920–21. Amateur: Aberdeenshire AFA Division Two Champions 1976–77; Aberdeenshire AFA Division Two (East) Champions 2003–04; North of Scotland Amateur Cup Winners: 1950–51, 1958–59, 1967–68; Aberdeen F.C. Trophy Winners: 1966–67, 2008–09; Aberdeenshire AFA Premier Trophy Winners: 2003–04. University: BUCS Scottish Division 2A Champions 2011–12, 2018–19; BUSA Shield Winners 1999–00; Queen's Park Shield Winners 1921–22, 1922–23, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1940–41, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1987–88, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1987–88; Conference Cup Winners 2018-19.