Edinburgh City F.C.

Did You Know?

• The original Edinburgh City was founded in 1928 with the aim of becoming the Edinburgh equivalent of Glasgow club Queen's Park.
• The club was renamed 'Football Club of Edinburgh' in June 2022 without supporter consultation, before reverting to Edinburgh City in June 2023.
• In the 2025–26 season, Edinburgh City won a play-off against Highland League champions Brora Rangers 3–1 on aggregate, with all three goals from on-loan Airdrie forward Divine Iserhienrhien.

Foundation and early history (1928–2016)

The original Edinburgh City was founded in 1928 with amateur status, aiming to be Edinburgh's equivalent of Queen's Park. It joined the Scottish Football League in 1931, played in the Lothian Amateur League during the Second World War, and was admitted to the C Division in 1946 after turning professional. The club left the SFL in 1949, switched to junior football, and ceased activity in 1955 when its lease on City Park was not renewed. A club called Postal United was founded in 1966 and joined the East of Scotland League. In 1986, with approval from the Edinburgh City social club, Postal United adopted the Edinburgh City name. Edinburgh City became a full SFA member in the mid-1990s and defeated SFL club East Stirlingshire in the 1997–98 Scottish Cup. The club applied to join the SFL in 2002 and 2008 but lost to Gretna and Annan Athletic respectively.

Promotion to SPFL (2016–2022)

Edinburgh City's promotion made them the first non-league club to reach the professional league via the new pyramid system. In their first League Two season (2016–17) they finished seventh; Ross Allum scored the club's first SPFL goal in a cup tie, and Craig Beattie scored their first league goal. Under James McDonaugh, they avoided relegation in 2018 and, after investment from Tom Tracy, finished third in 2018–19 but lost to Clyde in the play-off semi-finals. The truncated 2019–20 season saw City second when it ended early. In 2020–21 they again finished second on goal difference and lost the play-off final to Dumbarton.

League One, 'FC Edinburgh' and financial troubles (2022–2024)

Shortly after promotion, owner Tom Tracy and the board renamed the club FC Edinburgh in June 2022, citing insufficient permission from the social club to use the Edinburgh City name. The change, made without supporter consultation, was deeply unpopular; the club later asked to be known simply as Edinburgh. Despite the turmoil, City finished sixth in League One in 2022–23. The move back to the redeveloped Meadowbank Stadium drew criticism because the multi-purpose design, favouring track and field, left the main stand distant from the pitch with poor elevation.

In June 2023, ownership transferred to a fan-based consortium led by John Dickson, and the club reverted to Edinburgh City after SFA approval. The 2023–24 season was challenging: Michael McIndoe became head coach, the club received a six-point deduction for failing to pay players on time, and a depleted squad of youth players and loanees saw City relegated to League Two after a 5–2 defeat to Alloa Athletic on 16 March 2024.

League Two, licensing issues and insolvency event (2024–present)

After relegation, Edinburgh City faced difficulties obtaining a bronze licence under stricter SFA criteria, raising the possibility of losing SPFL status. The licence was granted on 29 June 2024, and the club signed 16 players in three days on a limited budget. Despite being favourites for relegation, City impressed with attacking football, including back-to-back home wins over local rivals Spartans (2–0 and 5–0). They finished third in 2024–25 but lost 3–1 on aggregate to East Fife in the play-offs, remaining in League Two.

Early in the 2025–26 season, the SPFL imposed a fifteen-point deduction for an insolvency event involving a provisional liquidator; the club appealed but the deduction stood, along with a five-point penalty for the following season. City clawed back the points after a win at Spartans, but a poor run followed. A 2–0 home loss to Clyde on 11 April 2026 confirmed City as 'Club 42', requiring a play-off against Highland League champions Brora Rangers.

Edinburgh City won 3–1 on aggregate, with all three goals from on-loan Airdrie forward Divine Iserhienrhien, retaining their SPFL place for 2026–27.