Fifeshire Football Association - David Allan

The Association is made up of six clubs Dunfermline Athletic, Raith Rovers, East Fife, Cowdenbeath, Burntisland Shipyard with the recent addition of Kelty Hearts.

In 1874 Dunfermline were the first club to be formed but required teams to play so the next step was a Scottish Cup competition.

More competitions followed - the Edinburgh Cup later the East of Scotland Shield. Dunfermline Athletic making the final in 1890. Charity Cups, Leagues, Wemyss Cup  and Penman Cup were added.

Fife FA was formed in the St Margaret’s Hotel, Dunfermline on 22 April 1882. It’s founder members were Dunfermline, St Leonards, Dunfermline United, Cowdenbeath, Burntisland Thistle, Kirkcaldy Wanderers.  On 10 March 1883 Dunfermline beat Cowdenbeath 4-1 at Ladysmill to win the first Fife Cup.

The Fife Cup is the third oldest Cup competition still played for in Scottish football. 

11 clubs in total have won it

Raith Rovers 33, Dunfermline Athletic 28, Cowdenbeath 24 , East Fife 17, Burntisland Shipyard, Clackmannan, Hearts of Beath, Kirkcaldy United, Alloa Athletic, Lassodie.

49 different clubs have played in the Fife Cup, most in the 1880s.

Initially it was contested by Fife clubs only but was at times extended to clubs from Kinross-shire, Clackmannan and Perth. 

Because the 1960 Final was shared both Raith’s Willie Polland and Pars George Peebles hold the record with five and a half winners medals.

The record crowd for Fife Cup tie was 12,000 at the 1920 Final at East End Park for Dunfermline v Cowdenbeath.

The Association clubs contested two other cup competitions:-Wemyss 1897- 1939 and Penman Cup 1905-1962.

Association was popular because if you had five clubs you got a ‘SFA Blazer’ - various perks as a consequence of being on the SFA Council.

In 2017 a new club became a member, Kelty Hearts, the first new member since 1935.  First Kelty team since 1891

Six other clubs have gone senior:- Hill of Beath Hawthorn, Oakley United, Crossgates Primrose, St Andrews United, Dundonald Bluebell and Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts. 

They would need to become SFA members but SFA are still working out how to handle the voting rights of the junior teams coming in who would have the majority voting rights.

The facts were interesting but it was David’s unrepeatable Association stories that really entertained. This led Vice President Brian Mitchell to sum up - “Truth is funnier than fiction”.