East of Scotland Football League

History

Original EoSFL

An earlier East of Scotland League existed between 1896 and 1906, when the supplementary Edinburgh Football League changed its name, after accepting Dundee as a member. There is no connection between the two incarnations of the league.

Eastern League, 1921-22

The forerunner of the EOSL was the amateur Eastern League, one of two such leagues this season that had the name, the other being professional and based in the North-East of Scotland. The membership would include subsequent EOSL members; Gala Fairydean, Peebles Rovers, Vale of Leithen, Edinburgh Civil Service, Selkirk and Civil Service Strollers. Gala were league champions with 17 points from their 10 matches.

21st century

The EoSFL was traditionally one of Scotland's three "senior" non-leagues which sat outside the Scottish Football League (SFL), the other two being the Highland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League (SoSFL). It was generally viewed as being weaker than the Highland League (with fewer of their club sides defeating SFL sides in the Scottish Cup competition as opposed to the HFL), but was still regarded as being stronger than the South of Scotland League.

Some SoSFL clubs opted to join the EoSFL, including Annan Athletic before they were elected to the SFL in 2008. Dalbeattie Star and Threave Rovers also joined however both subsequently left to rejoin the SoSFL and then later the Lowland League.

A number of the sides in the EoSFL applied to join the SFL in the past when vacancies arose. Annan Athletic were successful in 2008 (after a previous application in 2000), while Edinburgh City (2002, 2008), Gala Fairydean (1994, 2000, 2002), Preston Athletic (2000, 2002, 2008), and The Spartans (2008) were unsuccessful.

In 2004, Threave Rovers pulled out of the league to concentrate their efforts on the South of Scotland Football League. This left the league with an uneven number of clubs, and they were expected to fill the vacancy in the summer of 2005, with Gala Rovers widely touted as likely candidates. However, this did not happen. The only change that happened at that year's AGM of the league, was that Tollcross United announced that they would be competing as Tynecastle from the 2005–06 season.

In 2006, Peebles Rovers merged with several local amateur sides to become Peebles, who took Rovers' place in the league. At the 2007 AGM, agreement was reached to admit the reserve side of Berwick Rangers as the twelfth member of the First Division. They also entered the League Cup, but no other cups during the 2007–08 season. However, the reserves lasted only one season following Berwick Rangers' relegation to the fourth tier of Scottish football. They were replaced by Stirling University, but returned for the 2010–11 season.

Gretna 2008 entered the league in 2008, formed in the wake of the financial disaster that befell Gretna's former club, Gretna F.C. They initially had to play home matches in the nearby town of Annan, the club that took their place in the SFL.

The admission of Duns prior to the 2011–12 season, and then Burntisland Shipyard in 2012–13 brought the number of sides in the EoSFL to 26, the highest it had ever been up to that point.

Lowland League and decline

In 2013, the Lowland Football League was formed to act as a direct feeder to the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), covering an area of Scotland south of the Tay Road Bridge. Nine EoSFL clubs gained entry to the Lowland League, reducing the EoSFL to 20 teams. Hibernian entered a reserve team into the league at the start of the 2013–14 season, but withdrew after one season due to their first team being relegated. Further departures saw the league merged into a single division of 16 teams in 2015–16, which was then reduced to just 11 teams during 2016–17 as more clubs moved to the Lowland League, back to the Juniors or resigned.

Influx of Junior clubs

Beginning in 2017 the league experienced a resurgence with SJFA East Superleague champions Kelty Hearts joining from the Juniors. In April 2018, thirteen clubs — most of them from the East Juniors — were accepted into the league for the 2018–19 season, doubling the league's membership. When the window for applications was extended to the league's AGM in June, even more clubs quit the Junior grade, bringing the total membership up to 39 clubs, split over three conferences. The following season Glenrothes made the same switch. In 2020 a further ten clubs, including the return of Eyemouth United after a year out, boosted the league's membership to 49 clubs ahead of the 2020–21 season. All of the remaining East Region junior clubs south of Tayport (most from West Lothian) joined the league for 2021–22, giving the league a total of 59 members.

East of Scotland Football Association

While the EoSFL oversees the leagues and League Cup competitions; the East of Scotland Football Association (EoSFA) is a technically independent body, which organises all of the other cups. It was founded in 1875 as the "Eastern Branch of the Scottish FA", a title that was vetoed by the Scottish FA. Taking the title Edinburgh FA, it was renamed the East of Scotland FA in 1889. Most of the officials sit on both bodies, and the Executive Committee is a joint organisation. The current President of the EoSFA is Andy McDonald (of Edinburgh City), while the President of the EoSFL is John Greenhorn (of Ormiston).

There are 71 members of the East of Scotland Football Association (EoSFA).

• Five members play in the SPFL:
  • Edinburgh City ()
  • Heart of Midlothian ()
  • Hibernian ()
  • Kelty Hearts ()
  • The Spartans ()
• 9 members play in the Lowland League:
  • Berwick Rangers, Bo'ness United,Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic,Broxburn Athletic, Civil Service Strollers, Gala Fairydean Rovers, Linlithgow Rose, Tranent Juniors, and University of Stirling.

The first teams of the members in the SPFL have little involvement in EoSFA competitions. Youth teams of Hearts and Hibernian formerly contested the East of Scotland Shield, while Bonnyrigg Rose, Edinburgh City, Kelty Hearts and The Spartans participate in the East of Scotland (City) Cup. Berwick Rangers, Hibernian, and The Spartans have all previously fielded reserve teams in the EoSFL.

The EoSFL and EoSFA are full members of the Scottish Football Association.

Member clubs

Main article: 2025–26 East of Scotland Football League

The EoSFL's two-tier format, which began in 1987–88, was abolished for the 2015–16 season due to dwindling numbers, and replaced with a single division. To cope with the influx of new members in 2018–19, the league consisted of three conferences running in parallel. For 2019–20, the EoSFL was reorganised back into a two-tier setup, with a 16-team Premier Division and two First Division conferences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no relegation in 2020; so the Premier Division was temporarily increased to 18 clubs. It reverted back to 16 clubs following the 2021–22 season while the top 7 in the two First Division conferences formed a First and Second Division, with Conference X being renamed the Third Division.

Listed below are the 59 clubs in the EoSFL for the 2024–25 season. Since 2022–23 the EoSFL setup has featured Premier, First, Second, and Third Divisions, with three clubs promoted and relegated between each division.

Cup competitions

Current

• Scottish Cup (sponsored by Scottish Gas): For clubs with an SFA licence and the Premier Division winners, who all enter at the preliminary round stage. Knock-out tournament without no replays.
• SFA South Region Challenge Cup: Introduced in 2007–08 as a replacement for the Scottish Qualifying Cup (South) which was abolished under the new Scottish Cup format. It is for all senior non-league clubs in the south of Scotland and has 163 entrants for the 2023–24 season – 16 from the Lowland League, 56 from the EoSFL, 11 from the SoSFL, and 80 from the WoSFL. Reserve teams do not take part.
• East of Scotland League Cup: All 59 EoSFL teams enter this competition. Straight knock-out tournament without replays. Between 2011–12 and 2018–19, only the group winners and runners-up from the Qualifying Leagues competed in this tournament.
• King Cup: Open to the 42 clubs below the Premier Division but originally for all members of the EOSFA. Straight knock-out tournament without replays. The King Cup final is traditionally the last game of the season.
• Alex Jack Cup (also formerly known as the East of Scotland Consolation Cup): Competition for the 28 EoSFL clubs who are not already competing in the Scottish Cup or Scottish Junior Cup, usually played on the same weekends as Scottish Cup matches. Straight knock-out tournament, without replays. The winner goes on to play in the East, South and West of Scotland Cup-Winners Shield against the Southern Counties FA's Alba Cup winner and the West's Strathclyde Cup winner for a place in the following season's Scottish Cup.
• East of Scotland Qualifying Cup: Competition for the 66 EoSFA members outwith the SPFL. Straight knock-out tournament without replays. The competition was originally the preliminary phase of the EOS Shield.
• East of Scotland (City) Cup: The winner of the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup joins the EoSFA members playing in SPFL in the semi-finals. The four EoSFA members in the national leagues (Hearts, Hibernian, Livingston, and formerly Berwick Rangers) used to all enter, but now the Hearts and Hibernian reserve teams contest the East of Scotland Shield – albeit intermittently.

Inactive

• East of Scotland Shield: since the mid-1980s, this tournament has become a one-off match for youth/reserve teams of Hearts and Hibernian, however it was last held in 2015–16.
• East of Scotland Qualifying Leagues: Removed for 2019–20 due to the increase in league fixtures. Added in 2011–12, this was a pre-season warm-up competition where clubs were split into ten groups and each played the others within their group once, with the group winners and runners-up progressing to the League Cup.

Holders

2024–25 winners unless stated.

• South Region Challenge Cup: East Kilbride (non-EoSFL club)
• East of Scotland League Cup: Musselburgh Athletic
• Alex Jack Cup: Whitburn
• Cup Winners Shield: Whitburn
• King Cup: Bo'ness Athletic
• East of Scotland Qualifying Cup: Linlithgow Rose
• East of Scotland (City) Cup: Kelty Hearts (non-EoSFL club) (2023–24)

Seasons

*** Team promoted to the Lowland League**

Total titles won

Clubs currently playing in the league are shown in bold. Clubs no longer active are shown in italics.

References

References

1. Brown, Anthony. (6 June 2014). "Hibs quit East of Scotland League set-up". Johnston Publishing.
2. McLauchlin, Brian. (8 June 2018). "East of Scotland League vote signals exodus of 24 junior clubs". BBC.
3. "Nine newcomers to East of Scotland League are approved".
4. "Club directory – East of Scotland Football Association & League".
5. (7 June 2013). "Hibs secure berth in East of Scotland League". Johnston Publishing.
6. (28 June 2013). "East Seniors agree on a new setup". Johnston Publishing.