| Clubname: | Gala Fairydean Rovers |
| Upright: | 0.8 |
| Fullname: | Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Club |
| Nickname: | GFR[1] [2] |
| Founded: | 2013 |
| Ground: | Netherdale, Galashiels |
| Capacity: | 4,000[3] |
| Chairman: | Ryan Cass[4] |
| Manager: | Martin Scott |
| Website: | http://www.gfrfc.co.uk/ |
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Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Club are a Scottish association football club based in the town of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. The club competes in the, after joining from the East of Scotland Football League in 2013. At the same time the club changed its name to Gala Fairydean Rovers, following a merger between Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers. The club plays its home matches at Netherdale in Galashiels.[5] [6]
Gala Fairydean won the East of Scotland Football League eight times and finished runners-up on seven occasions. The club reached 15 Scottish Qualifying Cup South finals, winning it 11 times, before the competition was abolished in 2007. Gala Fairydean Rovers qualify automatically for the Scottish Cup as a member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA). The best performance by the club was reaching the third round, done on five occasions.[7] [8] Gala Rovers won the Border Amateur Football League 13 times.
Gala Fairydean Rovers was first formed in 1894. In 1907 the club was separated into two teams, known as Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers. The first Gala Rovers was the reserve team of Gala Fairydean. Both clubs ceased operations in 1914 due to the outbreak of the First World War and the consequent loss of male population in Galashiels. Gala Fairydean resumed in 1919, after the war had ended, and was a founder member of the East of Scotland Football League in 1923.
Gala Rovers were only reformed in 1947 and joined the Border Amateur League. Although the two clubs were separate, they were closely linked through operations such as a joint lottery. Although Gala Fairydean were a semi-professional club and needed funds to pay players, Gala Rovers were amateur and could save some of the funds generated. This helped to fund construction of the 1960s main stand at Netherdale. Gala Fairydean applied to join the Scottish Football League in 1966, 1994, 2000 and 2002, but were unsuccessful on each occasion.
The two clubs merged to form Gala Fairydean Rovers in 2013.[9] The club was admitted into the new Lowland Football League in 2013.
See main article: Netherdale. Gala Fairydean first played its home matches at Eastlands Park in Galashiels between 1909 and 1913, before moving to Mossilee for a spell until the 1920s. The club moved back to Eastlands, and stayed until 1929, when Netherdale was opened. Netherdale has been the club's home since 1929 and is located in the south-east of Galashiels. The ground's main spectator stand was designed by architect Peter Womersley, alongside engineers Ove Arup and built between 1963 and 1965. The stand has a capacity for 750 spectators and the ground as a whole up to 4,000. The cantilevered concrete structure is protected as a Category A listed building.[10] The club bought 300 seats from Newcastle United's St James' Park stadium when it was refurbished, but were replaced in 2006 by wooden benches.[11]
As of 7 August 2024[12]
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pld. | W | D | L | Pts. | Scottish Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gala Fairydean Rovers | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Lowland League | 10th | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 23 | 2nd Round, losing to Clyde | |
| 2014–15 | Lowland League | 8th | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 1st Round, losing to Gretna 2008 | |
| 2015–16 | Lowland League | 11th | 28 | 10 | 2 | 16 | 32 | 1st Round, losing to Linlithgow Rose | |
| 2016–17 | Lowland League | 10th | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 40 | 2nd Round, losing to Elgin City | |
| 2017–18 | Lowland League | 13th | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 31 | 1st Round, losing to Keith | |
| 2018–19 | Lowland League | 8th | 28 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 34 | 3rd Round, losing to East Kilbride | |
| 2019–20 | Lowland League | 11th† | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 2nd Round Replay, losing to Formartine United | |
| 2020–21 | Lowland League | 6th† | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 3rd Round, losing to Annan Athletic | |
† Season curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
B Division
South Cup
Border Cup
Beveridge Cup
Wright Cup
Walls Cup
Waddel Cup
Dudley Cup