Dunfermline Athletic F.C.

History

Dunfermline Football Club was formed in 1874, when members of Dunfermline Cricket Club decided to establish a football section, with the intention of maintaining fitness during the winter. A dispute over club membership caused some members to split away from Dunfermline Cricket Club, which resulted in the creation of Dunfermline Athletic Football Club on 2 June 1885. The club became the principal football club in Dunfermline and their first twenty-five years saw them compete primarily as an amateur team, until they turned professional in 1899.

The club first entered into the Scottish Football League in 1912 where they took part in the Scottish Division Two. The fifty years following the club's admittance to the SFL saw little success, with the side most frequently playing in the second tier, with occasional appearances in the top flight. Dunfermline's finest period came during the sixties. After being appointed manager on 14 March 1960 and saving the club from relegation to Scottish Division Two, Jock Stein – in his first managerial appointment – guided the Pars to their first major piece of silverware, winning the Scottish Cup in 1961 after just thirteen months in charge.

The years which followed saw Dunfermline consistently competing in European competitions, reaching the semi-finals of the 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup under George Farm. Although they lost by one goal on aggregate to eventual winners Slovan Bratislava, it remains the greatest achievement in Dunfermline's history. This followed Farm managing Dunfermline to their second Scottish Cup victory, winning the competition in 1968. After a period of decline during the 1970s and much of the 1980s, the club returned to the top tier in 1987 under club legend Jim Leishman, although they were subsequently relegated after just one season.

The following years saw a similar pattern, with a handful of promotions and relegations throughout the 1990s. It was during this period that the club were rocked by the loss of club captain Norrie McCathie, who died on 8 January 1996 by carbon monoxide poisoning. The appointment of John Yorkston as chairman and the involvement of Gavin Masterton in 1999 saw the club enter a period of resurgence, with two Scottish Cup final appearances in 2004 and 2007, a Scottish League Cup final in 2006, as well as two short-lived excursions in the UEFA Cup in 2004 and 2007.

In 2012 it emerged that the club had a number of outstanding tax bills with HMRC following the financial mismanagement of the football club by Yorkston and Masterton. The club were put into administration on 11 April 2013 and after a points deduction, were relegated to the third tier for the first time since 1986. Following relegation to Scottish League One and with a depleted squad, Jim Jefferies remained as manager and achieved a comfortable second-place finish behind a Rangers team climbing the divisions following their own administration and multiple relegations two years prior.

The club were officially taken over by fans owned group Pars United in October 2013, including the full ownership of the club's East End Park. Pars United's Bob Garmory was appointed the club's interim chairman and was joined on the board by Jim Leishman, Ian Hunter, Kip McBay, Craig McWhirter and Margaret Ross. Eventually Ross McArthur would become the club's new long standing chairman. Jefferies' side eventually failed to win promotion through the playoffs and he resigned in December of the following season.

The club stumbled to a 7th-place finish under John Potter but the squad was in a much stronger position and Allan Johnston lead the Pars to the League One title by an 18-point margin in 2015. This period in the club's history saw the arrival of fan favourites such as Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Andy Geggan and a returning Joe Cardle. Club legend and former striker Stevie Crawford was appointed head coach in January 2019 following a restructure that introduced other former players Jackie McNamara as technical consultant and Greg Shields as assistant head coach.

Crawford resigned after two and a half seasons and was replaced by Peter Grant, who would become the manager with the lowest win percentage in the club's long history. John 'Yogi' Hughes replaced Grant after five months and with the club bottom of the Scottish Championship he failed to turn around the team's fortunes, with the Pars once again relegated to League One. In September 2020 and at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, Dunfermline announced that a group of four German investors had agreed to purchase a minority share in the club with the intention to eventually be the majority owners.

The investors, led by former St. Pauli manager Thomas Meggle joined the club's board with Meggle also naming himself Director of Football. Ross McArthur retired as chairman and the German outfit brought in former Manchester City and Nottingham Forest executive David Cook to serve as CEO and eventual chairman. Work started on re-establishing the club's own in-house youth academy and the purchase of the former Rosyth Civil Service Club was made to develop state-of-the-art training facilities.

Work stalled due to pandemic related construction cost increases and a fading interest from the German investors who had still not taken up the commitment to purchase the majority shares they had previously agreed to buy. Relations between the club and the fans began to sour due to a perceived lack of investment in the squad and the manager and in August 2024 the Germans announced their intention to sell their shares in the club after four years in charge.

Dunfermline appointed former Dundee boss James McPake as manager on a two-year deal following relegation to League One, with Dave Mackay joining as assistant. McPake brought instant success with the Pars winning the league by 14 points and losing only one league game all season. After struggling to compete in the Championship amid the ongoing sale of the club, McPake was dismissed at Christmas 2024. January 2025 saw a deal finalised for American-based outfit Park Bench SFC LLC to buy the club, with former poker star James Bord & business partner Evan Sofer named co-owners.

The Las Vegas based duo cited their desire to utilise their backgrounds in data analytics and artificial intelligence to realise the club's 'immense potential'. Already owning a minority stake in Spanish Segunda División side Córdoba CF and Bulgarian outfit PFC Septemvri Sofia, Park Bench LLC acquired 99.84% of Dunfermline. The club's social media profiles quickly replaced the 'Living True Sportsmanship' motto of the previous German owners with tag lines of 'a new era'.

The new owners first act was to fill the head coach vacancy by appointing Fife neighbours Kelty Hearts manager Michael Tidser on a two and a half year deal. With the team failing to score in eight out of eleven games and stuck in ninth place in the Championship, Tidser was sacked on 17 March after only two months in charge. On 21 March 2025, the club appointed former Celtic and Hibernian manager Neil Lennon on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Lennon signed former UEFA Champions League finalist and Kenyan international Victor Wanyama until the end of the season. Wanyama made his debut from the bench against Ayr United on 29 March 2025 and was sent off after 20 minutes following a deliberate handball.

Colours and badge

For most of Dunfermline's history, home colours have been black and white striped shirts with black shorts and socks, though recently white shorts and socks have been worn. It features the initials DAFC and Malcolm Canmore's Tower, adopted from the town's Burgh Arms. The park is depicted by a stormy night scene with a hanging tree, and the green area at the bottom represents East End Park.

Nickname

One theory suggests the name came from the team's parallel striped shirts, their drinking habits, or their style of play, all described as 'paralytic'. Another holds that early footballers were called 'Paralytics' for their bar performances. In the early 1900s the nickname was 'the Dumps', shortened from Dunfermline, reportedly coined by English sailors visiting East End Park. After World War I the club became known as the Pars, possibly due to the parallel black and white stripes. Another theory involves English workers at Crombie and Rosyth Dockyard who formed a Plymouth Argyle supporters club, with banners around the ground giving rise to the name. Some older supporters believe the name derives from 'Parr', a juvenile salmon with dark vertical markings.

Notable managers and players

Jim Leishman, a former player and manager, is the current chairman and also Provost of Fife. Jock Stein managed the club before managing Celtic and the Scotland national team.