Jock Stein Friendship Cup Explained
| Jock Stein Friendship Cup |
| Number Of Teams: | 2 |
| Current Champions: | Celtic |
| Most Successful Club: | Celtic (9) |
Jock Stein Friendship Cup is an exhibition football match held in Cliftonhill Stadium, Coatbridge, Scotland.
This competition was started to recognise the contribution of Jock Stein to both contestants, Albion Rovers and Celtic[1] Stein began his senior footballing career with Albion Rovers in 1942, and in the 1950s played for several years with Celtic, captaining the side to a league & cup double in 1954.[2] He is of course most famous for his managerial career later on at Celtic.
While the principal aim of the Jock Stein Friendship Cup is to honour Stein's memory, the annual challenge match is also one of several initiatives aimed at raising awareness of Albion Rovers in the club's home town of Coatbridge. The club and the Albion Rovers Supporters Trust have engaged with Coatbridge youths and families in various ways; notably through summer coaching sessions and a Christmas Party for local children, and the promotion of awareness-raising initiatives such as the Kick-Out Bigotry campaign.
Celtic usually play its XI team, often composed mainly of reserves or U19 players, and have won each of the nine challenge matches held to date, although two finals were drawn at full-time and went to penalty kicks.
Winners
| Year | Champions | Runner-up | Score | Refs |
|---|
| 2006 | | | 3–2 | [3] |
| 2007 | | | 1–1
4–2 (ps) | [4] |
| 2008 | | | 4–1 | [5] |
| 2009 | | | 0–0
5–4 (ps) | [6] |
| 2010 | | | 3–3
5–4 (ps) | [7] |
| 2016 | | | 1–0 | [8] |
| 2017 | | | 7–0 | [9] |
| 2018 | | | 8–0 | [10] |
| 2019 | | | 3–0 | [11] | |
Notes and References
- Web site: McKay. Kenny. Rovers welcome Celtic for the Jock Stein Friendship Cup. STV Coatbridge. 7 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111009052008/http://local.stv.tv/coatbridge/sport/41-rovers-welcome-celtic-for-the-jock-stein-friendship-cup/ . 9 October 2011.
- Book: MacPherson. Archie. Jock Stein: The Definitive Biography. 2007. Highdown. 978-1-905156-37-5. 69.
- Web site: Jock Stein Friendship Cup – Albion Rovers 2 Glasgow Celtic select 3 . Celtic Football Programmes Online. 15 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20141202205442/http://www.celticprogrammesonline.com/PROGRAMME%20COVERS/0607/albionrovers/albionrovers0607a.htm. 2 December 2014.
- Web site: Jock Stein Friendship Cup – Albion Rovers 2 Glasgow Celtic 1 . Celtic Football Programmes Online. 15 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20141202230337/http://www.celticprogrammesonline.com/PROGRAMME%20COVERS/0708Celtic/AlbionRovers/AlbionRovers0708a.htm. 2 December 2014.
- Web site: Jock Stein Friendship Cup – Albion Rovers 1 Celtic XI 4 . Celtic Football Programmes Online. 15 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129062212/http://www.celticprogrammesonline.com/PROGRAMME%20COVERS/0809Celtic/JockStein/AlbionRovers0809a.htm. 29 November 2014.
- Web site: Jock Stein Friendship Cup – Albion Rovers 0 Celtic XI 0 . Celtic Football Programmes Online. 15 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20141202220539/http://www.celticprogrammesonline.com/PROGRAMME%20COVERS/0910Celtic/jock_stein/albion_rovers_2009.htm. 2 December 2014.
- News: Friendship cup is more than just football. 15 February 2017. STV News. 14 September 2010.
- News: Dalziel. Martin. Johnston strike seals Jock Stein Friendship Cup win for Celtic. 15 February 2017. Celtic FC. 9 August 2016.
- News: Magnificent Seven as Celtic win Jock Stein Friendship Cup. 3 October 2019. Celtic FC. 1 August 2017.
- News: Emilio Izaguirre’s homecoming, almost time for Church. 3 October 2019. The Celtic Star. 8 August 2018.
- News: Jackson. Rory. Celtic youngster Jonathan Afolabi shines alongside Karamoko Dembele as young Hoops retain Friendship Cup. 3 October 2019. Evening Times. 2 October 2019.
