Arbroath Victoria F.C.

History

The original Arbroath Victoria were formed in 1882 and disbanded in 1895. They were re-formed in 1904 as a 2nd Class Junior side, essentially a Juvenile club, before becoming full Juniors in 1910 and joining the Arbroath & District Junior League. On 1 November 1890 the Vics defeated Burnside Athletic 15–0, which is believed to be the club's largest victory. That same year they won the Forfar and District Junior Cup.

After playing on local public playing fields and at Gayfield Park during the Second World War, the Vics moved to Ogilvy Park in 1951. They were unbeaten at home from 25 October 1952 to 4 June 1955 and won the Angus League four times between 1952 and 1956. In 1971 the Vics reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, losing to Cambuslang Rangers; this remains their best performance in that competition. Three players—Brian Goodall, Eric Martin and Gus Malone—were selected for the Scottish Junior team in the 1980s.

The club celebrated its centenary on 8 August 1982 with a friendly against Arbroath F.C., in which former Manchester United and Northern Ireland international George Best scored twice in a 4–3 win. Until the 1990s the Vics won numerous honours, including the Angus League 12 times. The club nearly folded in 1999 but was revived by a new committee and management team. At the start of the 2002–03 season, after a restructuring of Junior regions, the Vics won promotion to the Tayside Premier Division for the first time in ten years. They started the season well but tailed off and were relegated back to the First Division.

Stadium

Ogilvy Park has been the Vics' home since 1951. Before that they played on local public playing fields and, during the Second World War, at Gayfield, the home of Arbroath F.C. Club secretary Jimmy Smith secured a piece of waste land in the Cairnie area, which the committee converted into a pitch. The park was named after Lord Ogilvy, who owned the land.