East of Scotland Football League

The East of Scotland Football League (EoSFL) is a league of football (soccer) teams from South-East Scotland formed in 1927. It is one of the three 'senior' non-leagues (that is a league that is not the Scottish Football League (SFL), Scottish Premier League (SPL) or one of the Scottish Junior Football Association's leagues) in Scotland (the other two being the Highland Football League (HFL) and the South of Scotland Football League (SoSFL)).

Its clubs are largely drawn from the Edinburgh and Scottish Borders areas, although with a number of clubs having opted to join their ranks from the SoSFL in recent years (Annan Athletic, Threave Rovers, Dalbeattie Star) there are now a few clubs from the Dumfriesshire area too.

The EoSFL is split into two divisions of 12 clubs each, with the top clubs competing in the Premier Division and the smaller clubs in the First Division. Clubs are prmoted and relegated between the two divisions at the end of each season.

Generally not viewed as being as strong as the HFL (with fewer of their club sides defeating SFL sides in the Scottish Cup competition as opposed to the HFL) it is still regarded as being stronger than the SoSFL. A number of the sides in the EoSFL have applied to join the SFL in recent years, with Gala Fairydean applying in 1994, 2000 and 2002, Preston Athletic F.C. applying in 2000 and 2002, Annan Athletic in 2000 and Edinburgh City F.C. attempting to join in 2002.

In 2004, Threave Rovers F.C. pulled out of the League to concentrate their efforts on the South of Scotland Football League. This has left the League with an uneven number of clubs and they are expected to fill the vacancy in the Summer of 2005.

Attendances in the EoSFL are not particularly high as clubs in the Edinburgh area must compete with a number of SFL and SPL clubs and in the Borders area the sport of Rugby Union is more popular.

EoSFL members:

• Annan Athletic F.C.
• Civil Service Strollers F.C.
• Coldstream F.C
• Craigroyston F.C.
• Dalbeattie Star F.C.
• Easthouses Lily F.C.
• Edinburgh Athletic F.C.
• Edinburgh City F.C.
• Edinburgh University F.C.
• Eyemouth United F.C.
• Gala Fairydean F.C.
• Hawick Royal Albert F.C.
• Heriot-Watt University F.C.
• Kelso United F.C.
• Lothian Thistle F.C.
• Ormiston F.C
• Peebles Rovers F.C.
• Preston Athletic F.C.
• Selkirk F.C.
• Spartans F.C.
• Tollcross United F.C.
• Vale of Leithen F.C.
• Whitehill Welfare F.C.

The EoSFL is a full member of the Scottish Football Association.

List of EoSFL championship winners:

1927-28 Berwick Rangers
1928-29 Peebles Rovers
1929-30 Bathgate
1930-31 Bathgate
1931-32 Penicuik Athletic
1932-33 Peebles Rovers
1933-34 Peebles Rovers
1934-35 Peebles Rovers
1935-36 Peebles Rovers
1936-37 Jedburgh Artisans
1937-38 Penicuik Athletic
1938-39 Bo'ness
1939-40 - 1944-45 No league championship for the duration of the Second World War
1945-46 Peebles Rovers
1946-47 Berwick Rangers
1947-48 Hibernian 'B'
1948-49 Hibernian 'B'
1949-50 Heart of Midlothian 'B'
1950-51 Hibernian 'B'
1951-52 Hibernian 'B'
1952-53 Hibernian 'B'
1953-54 unfinished
1954-55 Eyemouth United
1955-56 Eyemouth United
1956-57 Eyemouth United
1957-58 unfinished
1958-59 unfinished
1959-60 unfinished
1960-61 Gala Fairydean
1961-62 Gala Fairydean
1962-63 unfinished
1963-64 Gala Fairydean
1964-65 Gala Fairydean
1965-66 Gala Fairydean
1966-67 Hawick Royal Albert
1967-68 Hawick Royal Albert
1968-69 Gala Fairydean
1969-70 Cowdenbeath 'A'
1970-71 Eyemouth United
1971-72 Spartans
1972-73 Civil Service Strollers
1973-74 Hawick Royal Albert
1974-75 Selkirk
1975-76 Selkirk
1976-77 Selkirk
1977-78 Vale of Leithen
1978-79 Vale of Leithen
1979-80 Whitehill Welfare
1980-81 Whitehill Welfare
1981-82 Whitehill Welfare
1982-83 Whitehill Welfare
1983-84 Spartans
1984-85 Whitehill Welfare
1985-86 Whitehill Welfare
1986-87 Vale of Leithen
1987-88
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Annan Athletic
1988-89
(Premier Division) - Gala Fairydean
(1st Division) - Peebles Rovers
1989-90
(Premier Division) - Annan Athletic
(1st Division) - Coldstream
1990-91
(Premier Division) - Gala Fairydean
(1st Division) - Easthouses Lily
1991-92
(Premier Division) - Easthouses Lily
(1st Division) - Manor Thistle
1992-93
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Civil Service Strollers
1993-94
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Tollcross United
1994-95
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Pencaitland
1995-96
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Edinburgh City
1996-97
(Premier Division) - Spartans
(1st Division) - Lothian Thistle
1997-98
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Peebles Rovers
1998-99
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Easthouses Lily
1999-00
(Premier Division) - Annan Athletic
(1st Division) - Threave Rovers
2000-01
(Premier Division) - Annan Athletic
(1st Division) - Pencaitland & Ormiston
2001-02
(Premier Division) - Spartans
(1st Division) - Preston Athletic
2002-03
(Premier Division) - Whitehill Welfare
(1st Division) - Edinburgh University
2003-04
(Premier Division) - Spartans
(1st Division) - Kelso United

External link

EoSFL Website (http://www.eastofscotlandfa.org/)