Football

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Football has been played in Scotland for many years. 

The Scottish Cup is said to be the oldest trophy within Association football and the oldest national football trophy in the world. The Scottish Football Association began in 1873.  By 1895 so many Scottish clubs were taking part in the Scottish Cup competition that a qualifying tournament had to be established to cope with the demand. The success of the tournament therefore spans across 135 years with the First and Second World Wars being the main cause of disruption to the competition.

The Scottish national team play at Hampden Park, which is in Glasgow.  They have reached the World Cup finals nine times, though they have only played in the finals eight times.  The team qualified for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil but as Scotland were not the British Champions, the Scottish FA opted not to take part.

Football in Lewis must have begun around 1893 as that was when Stornoway Athletic was formed.

There were many visitors to Stornoway at that time, from soldiers, sailors, fishermen and tradesmen who must have taken the game to the islands.

In 1903 Stornoway Athletic won the first League, there were three other teams in the league in 1904, Ramblers, Caberfeidh and Thistle.   In the country there were inter-district tournaments around 1900.  There were excellent competitions in Ness, Back, the West Side and Point in 1931 and after that.

In 1933 The Glasgow Lewis and Harris Association gave the West Side the Eilean an Fhraoich cup and asked them to organise a tournament for the districts of Lewis and Harris.  In that year, Wet Side, Ness, Carloway, Back, Point, Uig, North Lochs and South Lochs participated, with Harris and Tolsta joining later.  The town teams weren’t and still aren’t allowed to play for the Eilean an Fhraoich cup.  West Side won the cup the first year, when they beat Uig in the final.  

In Lewis and Harris the teams play for five cups in the islands; the Jock Stein Cup, the Moldova Lewis Cup, the Acres Boys’ Club Cup and the Co-op Cup, which is played by all Western Isles teams.  They also play for the Highland Amateur Cup, in which they play against mainland teams.  This cup has been won by Ness F.C. four times, Point F.C. once, Lochs F.C. twice and Back once.

Women’s football has also become a major sport in the islands, with the Nicolson Institute Girls Under 18 football team winning the North of Scotland and also the Scottish Schoolgirls Cup on a number of occasions.

In the present day, football is still very healthy in the Western Isles. 

Currently eight teams play in the Lewis and Harris senior league, Lochs being the current holders.  These teams also have junior teams who play at Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 level, and they also have development clubs, which work with youngsters, training them, entering them for tournaments and developing their skills.

 


Timeline


Timeline

Activities

  1. Research the trophies played for in my area (Eilean an Fhraoich, Jock Stein, Lewis Cup) and create a leaflet/ fact file displaying my findings.
  2. Find out if anyone in your family (grandparent, parent, uncle, cousin) played for their local team.  Write a report and try and gather pictures of them to compile a report.
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Collège de Samatan Département du Gers ACPPG Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Sgoil an Taobh Siar Comunn na Gàidhlig Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg


Erasmus+ This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.