North Caledonian Football League
| Country | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1896 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Current champions | Halkirk United |
 2015–16 North Caledonian Football League | |
The North Caledonian Football League is an amateur football league operating in the Highlands of Scotland, which is officially classed as a Senior League due to its affiliation with the Scottish Football Association. The league has regularly contained a number of reserve teams of Highland Football League clubs alongside local amateur teams.[1] As these HFL clubs are full members of the SFA, disciplinary procedures in the league are handled directly by the SFA - a unique situation in Scottish amateur football. Golspie Sutherland are themselves SFA full members and as of season 2007–08, obtain direct entry to the Scottish Cup. Prior to this they entered the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) each season. Founded in 1896 initially to accommodate the reserve teams of the Highland League, the North Caledonian League (NCL) is a league which has existed under a number of different names. The league mostly consists of amateur clubs that play on public parks, although Golspie Sutherland have full membership of the SFA, while the long defunct Thurso Pentland were also a senior club in the NCL that competed in the Scottish Cup in the 19th century. The present amateur side which plays in the Caithness County League were formed in 1918. During the 1920s, a number of clubs also competed in the Scottish Junior Cup. From 1948 the league was known variably as the North of Scotland 2nd XI League or Highland Reserve League, and the Highland League reserve teams which had dominated the championship continued to do so until the late 1960s. Gradually, one by one, the Highland League clubs found it was not a viable proposition to run second teams. The clubs in the League felt that the name Second Eleven had a certain stigma about it mainly the inference second best, and it would be in everybody's interest if the name was dropped once and for all. At the 1984 annual general meeting of the 2nd XI Football Association held in Bonar, the clubs in the League voted unanimously to change the name of the Association to the North Caledonian Football Association and the League to the North Caledonian League.
The NCFL is characterised by the number of clubs who use it as a 'stepping-stone' to join the Highland League or join the Junior grade of football. Previous NCFL members include Wick Academy and Fort William who both left to join the Highland Football League and the reserve teams of the Scottish Football League clubs Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County.
Member clubs for the 2015–16 season
| Team | Location | Home ground | Capacity | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alness United | Alness | Dalmore Park | 1,000 | [2] |
| Golspie Sutherland | Golspie | King George V Park | 1,000 | [3] |
| Halkirk United | Halkirk | Morrison Park | 1,000 | [4] |
| Invergordon | Invergordon | Recreational Park | 1,000 | [5] |
| Orkney | Kirkwall | The Pickaquoy Centre | 500 | [6] |
| Thurso | Thurso | Sir Georges Park | 1,000 | [7] |
Recent history
At the start of season 2003–04 the league was due to consist of 11 clubs when Inverness City were elected to replace Alness United who had applied to join the Scottish Junior Football Association's North Region. However Alness' application was unsuccessful and they returned to the NCFL. The league returned to 10 clubs when Inverness City withdrew at the last minute owing to their failure to secure a viable ground at which to play their home fixtures.
The start of the 2005–06 season saw the withdrawal from the league of Tain St. Duthus due to financial problems, reducing the league to only nine teams. It was hoped that this would be a mere season's abeyance, but they did not re-enter the following season, and have now gone out of existence entirely. They are succeeded by Tain Thistle, who joined the league in 2008–09.
Inverness City finally joined in 2006–07 season having found a home ground at North Kessock. However, the league was left with the uneven number of nine clubs as Bonar Bridge withdrew from the competition. The league title was won by Golspie Sutherland.
In 2007–08, Bonar Bridge returned from a year's abeyance, and were joined by Muir of Ord Rovers in an 11 team league.
The 2008–09 season started with ten teams due to the withdrawal of Dornoch and Inverness City joining the Junior leagues. The league was also joined by newcomers, Tain Thistle.
Fort William entered a reserve side in the league for season 2009–10, the first reserves to compete since 1999. Bunillidh Thistle withdrew, and Alness United took a year out, but Dingwall Thistle joined to complete a ten-team league.
Season 2010–11 saw Alness United return after a one-year absence while Tain Thistle dropped out.
Clachnacuddin again entered a reserve side for season 2011–12, whilst Fort William Reserves dropped out due to problems with pitch availability.[8] Before the season started, both Bonar Bridge and Invergordon withdrew, leaving just eight teams in the league.
Further withdrawals have resulted in the league, presently (2015–16), operating with just six clubs.
Previous champions
- 1896–97 Inverness Celtic
- 1897–98 Inverness Citadel reserves
- 1898–99 Nelson FC
- 1899–00 Nelson FC
- 1900–01 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1901–02 Inverness Citadel reserves
- 1902–03 Inverness Citadel reserves
- 1903–04 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1904–05 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1905–06 Nelson FC
- 1906–07 Nelson FC
- 1907–08 Nelson FC
- 1908–09 Nelson FC
- 1909–10 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1910–11 Inverness Citadel reserves
- 1911–12 Nelson FC
- 1912–13 Nelson FC
- 1913–14 Albert FC
- 1914–19 No competition
- 1919–20 Dingwall Victoria United
- 1920–21 Nelson FC
- 1921–22 Inverness Citadel reserves
- 1922–23 Caledonian reserves
- 1923–24 Fortrose Union
- 1924–25 Catch-My-Pal FC
- 1925–26 Nelson FC
- 1926–27 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1927–28 Dingwall Victoria United
- 1928–29 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1929–30 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1930–31 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1931–32 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1932–33 Inverness District Asylum FC
- 1933–34 Inverness District Asylum FC
- 1934–35 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1935–36 Nairn County reserves
- 1936–37 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1937–38 No competition
- 1938–39 Highland Light Infantry FC
- 1939–46 No competition
- 1946–47 Invergordon
- 1947–48 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1948–49 Caledonian reserves
- 1949–50 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1950–51 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1951–52 Caledonian reserves
- 1952–53 Caledonian reserves
- 1953–54 Elgin City reserves
- 1954–55 Nairn County reserves / Buckie Thistle reserves (shared)
- 1955–56 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1956–57 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1957–58 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1958–59 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1959–60 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1960–61 Competition incomplete
- 1961–62 Competition incomplete
- 1962–63 Inverness Thistle reserves
- 1963–64 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1964–65 Avoch Rovers
- 1965–66 Ross County reserves
- 1966–67 Brora Rangers reserves
- 1967–68 Brora Rangers reserves
- 1968–69 Dingwall Thistle
- 1969–70 Caledonian reserves
- 1970–71 Dingwall Thistle
- 1971–72 Dingwall Thistle
- 1972–73 Alness United
- 1973–74 Alness United
- 1974–75 Golspie Sutherland
- 1975–76 Golspie Sutherland
- 1976–77 Invergordon
- 1977–78 Dingwall Thistle
- 1978–79 Wick Academy
- 1979–80 Wick Academy
- 1980–81 Wick Academy
- 1981–82 Wick Academy
- 1982–83 Bunillidh Thistle
- 1983–84 Muir of Ord
- 1984–85 Fort William
- 1985–86 Muir of Ord
- 1986–87 Wick Academy
- 1987–88 Invergordon
- 1988–89 Bunillidh Thistle
- 1989–90 Balintore
- 1990–91 Balintore
- 1991–92 Clachnacuddin reserves
- 1992–93 Golspie Sutherland
- 1993–94 Halkirk United
- 1994–95 Inverness Caledonian Thistle reserves
- 1995–96 Fearn Thistle
- 1996–97 Ross County reserves
- 1997–98 Inverness Caledonian Thistle reserves
- 1998–99 Golspie Sutherland
- 1999–00 Thurso
- 2000–01 Alness United
- 2001–02 Invergordon
- 2002–03 Thurso
- 2003–04 Golspie Sutherland
- 2004–05 Alness United
- 2005–06 Balintore
- 2006–07 Golspie Sutherland
- 2007–08 Golspie Sutherland
- 2008–09 Golspie Sutherland
- 2009–10 Thurso
- 2010–11 Halkirk United
- 2011–12 Halkirk United
- 2012–13 Thurso
- 2013–14 Halkirk United
- 2014–15 Golspie Sutherland
- 2015–16 Halkirk United
Club Performance
- As of end of season 2015–16
| Club | Winners |
|---|---|
| Clachnacuddin reserves | |
| Nelson FC | |
| Golspie Sutherland | |
| Inverness Thistle reserves | |
| Caledonian reserves | |
| Inverness Citadel reserves | |
| Wick Academy | |
| Halkirk United | |
| Invergordon | |
| Alness United | |
| Dingwall Thistle | |
| Thurso | |
| Balintore | |
| Muir of Ord | |
| Inverness District Asylum FC | |
| Dingwall Victoria United | |
| Nairn County reserves | |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle reserves | |
| Bunillidh Thistle | |
| Brora Rangers reserves | |
| Ross County reserves | |
| Catch-My-Pal FC | |
| Highland Light Infantry FC | |
| Fortrose Union | |
| Elgin City reserves | |
| Inverness Celtic | |
| Avoch Rovers | |
| Buckie Thistle reserves | |
| Fearn Thistle | |
| Albert FC | |
References
- ↑ http://scottish-football-historical-archive.com/reserves.htm
- ↑ Alness United, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Golspie Sutherland, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Halkirk United, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Invergordon, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ↑ Orkney, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Thurso, nonleaguescotland.org.uk, Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Clach back in North Caledonian League Highland News, Retrieved 23 July 2011.
External links
- Scottish Football Historical Archive
- Balintore FC Official Website
- Halkirk United FC Official Website
- Invergordon FC Official Website
- Tain Thistle FC Official Website
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||