Highland Football League

Highland Football League
Founded1893
Country Scotland
Number of teams18
Level on pyramid5
Promotion toScottish League Two
Relegation tomidlands football league
North Caledonian League
North Region Premier League
Domestic cup(s)Scottish Cup
Scottish League Cup (champions)
Scottish Challenge Cup (top 4)
League cup(s)highland league cup
Current championsBrora Rangers (5th title)
(2024–25)
Most championshipsClachnacuddin
Caledonian (18 titles)
Websitehighlandfootballleague.com
Current: 2025–26 highland football league

The Highland Football League (HFL) is a league of football clubs operating not just in the Scottish highlands, as the name may suggest, but also in the north-east lowlands (Moray and Aberdeenshire). It is one of the three 'senior' non-leagues (that is a league that is not the Scottish Football League (SFL), Scottish Premier League or one of the Scottish Junior Football Association's leagues) in Scotland. The HFL is a full member of the Scottish Football Association.

History

Formation

The HFL was formed on 4 August 1893, at the Inverness Workman's Club. The original league consisted of seven teams: Inverness Thistle, Caledonian, Clachnacuddin, Forres Mechanics, Inverness Union, Inverness Citadel and Cameron Highlanders. Ross County were an eighth original member, but resigned membership in November 1893. Of the original teams, two are still playing in the league today (Clachnacuddin and Forres Mechanics), and two merged to become current Scottish Premier League club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Recent History

Many of the member clubs have performed well when competing against SFL clubs in the Scottish Cup. However, from the 1990s onwards, the HFL has been a victim of its own success, with various teams defecting to other leagues. Furthermore it has also had to contend with overexposure of large teams in the area, such as Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, as well as the Old Firm to the South, and to an extent English football. However, the lack of Premier League, and to a lesser extent First Division, teams in the area, has worked in its favour, with some football fans being less willing to travel long distances to games in southern Scotland.

The league has been somewhat weakened in recent years by the departure of many former members who have subsequently joined the SFL. This happened in 1994 when Caledonian, Inverness Thistle and Ross County left. Until then the HFL had operated with 18 clubs; this was reduced by the departure of the three mentioned clubs, but Wick Academy from the North Caledonian Football League were elected, to create a league of 16 clubs. This was the state of affairs till 2000 when Elgin City and Peterhead were elected into the SFL. In 2002 Inverurie Loco Works were elected into the HFL to give it a membership of 15 clubs, with which it continues to operate.

In 2008, North Region Junior League sides Formartine United and Turriff United both submitted bids to join the Highland League, following in the footsteps of past Junior League side Inverurie Locos. If both teams were to join, the Highland League would have a total of 17 teams. An even team league is preferred, so only one club's application was likely to be successful. Whichever team is successful in their application was planned to join in the 2009–10 season. However Banks O' Dee and Strathspey Thistle also applied, giving the potential for an 18 team Highland league in 2009-10 if three of these four clubs were elected. On February 25 2009, Formartine United, Turriff United and Strathspey Thistle were accepted into the league for the following season, with Banks O' Dee being the unsuccessful club.

Results from the HFL and the Highland League Cup have featured on the Press Association vidiprinter since the start of the 1997–98 season.

The Highland League is the subject of a song of the same name by the popular music ensemble I, Ludicrous.[1]

Member clubs

Current clubs

Team Location Stadium Capacity Seats
Banks o' Dee Aberdeen Spain Park 876 122
Brechin City Brechin Glebe Park 4,083 1,519
Brora Rangers Brora Dudgeon Park 2,000 250
Buckie Thistle Buckie Victoria Park 3,000 400
Clachnacuddin Inverness Grant Street Park 2,074 154
Deveronvale Banff princess royal park 2,651 360
Formartine United Pitmedden North Lodge Park 1,800 300
Forres Mechanics Forres mosset park 2,700 502
Fraserburgh Fraserburgh bellslea park 1,865 480
Huntly huntly Christie Park 2,200 270
Inverurie Loco Works Inverurie Harlaw Park 2,500 250
Keith Keith kynoch park 2,362 370
Lossiemouth Lossiemouth Grant Park 2,050 250
Nairn County nairn Station Park 2,250 250
Rothes Rothes Mackessack Park 1,731 167
Strathspey Thistle grantown-on-spey Seafield Park 1,600 150
Turriff United Turriff The Haughs 2,135 135
Wick Academy Wick harmsworth park 2,412 300

Former Members

Team Last season in the Highland League
Cove Rangers 2018–19
Elgin City 1999–2000
Inverness Caledonian Thistle[note 1] 1993–94
Peterhead 1999–2000
Ross County 1993–94

Winners

Season Winner Runner-up
1893–94 Inverness Thistle Caledonian
1894–95 Clachnacuddin Inverness Thistle
1895–96 Caledonian[note 2] Inverness Thistle
1896–97 Clachnacuddin Caledonian
1897–98 Clachnacuddin Caledonian
1898–99 Caledonian Clachnacuddin
1899–1900 Caledonian Clachnacuddin
1900–01 Clachnacuddin Caledonian
1901–02 Caledonian Inverness Thistle
1902–03 Clachnacuddin Inverness Thistle
1903–04 Clachnacuddin Inverness Citadel
1904–05 Clachnacuddin[note 3] Black Watch
1905–06 Clachnacuddin[note 2] Caledonian
1906–07 Inverness Thistle Caledonian
1907–08 Clachnacuddin Highland Light Infantry
1908–09 Inverness Citadel Clachnacuddin
1909–10 Inverness Thistle[note 2] Elgin City
1910–11 Caledonian Buckie Thistle
1911–12 Clachnacuddin[note 2] Caledonian
1912–13 Aberdeen A Buckie Thistle
1913–14 Caledonian Aberdeen A
1914–15 unfinished[note 4]
1919–20 Buckie Thistle Clachnacuddin
1920–21 Clachnacuddin Inverness Thistle
1921–22 Clachnacuddin Buckie Thistle
1922–23 Clachnacuddin Elgin City
1923–24 Clachnacuddin Buckie Thistle
1924–25 Aberdeen A Caledonian
1925–26 Caledonian Inverness Thistle
1926–27 Buckie Thistle Clachnacuddin
1927–28 Buckie Thistle Clachnacuddin
1928–29 Inverness Thistle Elgin City
1929–30 Huntly Elgin City
1930–31 Caledonian Buckie Thistle
1931–32 Elgin City Keith
1932–33 Fraserburgh Elgin City
1933–34 Buckie Thistle Forres Mechanics
1934–35 Elgin City Huntly
1935–36 Inverness Thistle Peterhead
1936–37 Buckie Thistle Peterhead
1937–38 Fraserburgh Clachnacuddin
1938–39 Clachnacuddin Buckie Thistle
1939–40 unfinished[note 5]
1946–47 Peterhead Huntly
1947–48 Clachnacuddin Peterhead
1948–49 Peterhead Clachnacuddin
1949–50 Peterhead Caledonian
1950–51 Caledonian Buckie Thistle
1951–52 Caledonian Huntly
1952–53 Elgin City Buckie Thistle
1953–54 Buckie Thistle Elgin City
1954–55 unfinished[note 6]
1955–56 Elgin City[note 2] Buckie Thistle
1956–57 Buckie Thistle Caledonian
1957–58 Buckie Thistle Elgin City
1958–59 Rothes[note 2] Fraserburgh
1959–60 Elgin City Caledonian
1960–61 Elgin City[note 2] Keith
1961–62 Keith Elgin City
1962–63 Elgin City Caledonian
1963–64 Caledonian Nairn County
1964–65 Elgin City Nairn County
1965–66 Elgin City Caledonian
1966–67 Ross County Elgin City
1967–68 Elgin City Ross County
1968–69 Elgin City Inverness Thistle
1969–70 Elgin City Caledonian
1970–71 Caledonian Inverness Thistle
1971–72 Inverness Thistle Elgin City
1972–73 Inverness Thistle[note 2] Ross County
1973–74 Elgin City Inverness Thistle
1974–75 Clachnacuddin Keith
1975–76 Nairn County[note 2] Fraserburgh
1976–77 Caledonian Peterhead
1977–78 Caledonian Peterhead
1978–79 Keith Caledonian
1979–80 Keith Brora Rangers
1980–81 Keith Fraserburgh
1981–82 Caledonian Peterhead
1982–83 Caledonian Elgin City
1983–84 Caledonian Keith
1984–85 Keith Caledonian
1985–86 Forres Mechanics Elgin City
1986–87 Inverness Thistle Caledonian
1987–88 Caledonian Buckie Thistle
1988–89 Peterhead Cove Rangers
1989–90 Elgin City Caledonian
1990–91 Ross County Caledonian
1991–92 Ross County Caledonian
1992–93 withheld[note 7]
1993–94 Huntly Caledonian
1994–95 Huntly Cove Rangers
1995–96 Huntly Cove Rangers
1996–97 Huntly Keith
1997–98 Huntly Fraserburgh
1998–99 Peterhead Huntly
1999–2000 Keith Fraserburgh
2000–01 Cove Rangers Huntly
2001–02 Fraserburgh Deveronvale
2002–03 Deveronvale Keith
2003–04 Clachnacuddin Buckie Thistle
2004–05 Huntly Inverurie Loco Works
2005–06 Deveronvale Inverurie Loco Works
2006–07 Keith Inverurie Loco Works
2007–08 Cove Rangers Keith
2008–09 Cove Rangers Deveronvale
2009–10 Buckie Thistle Cove Rangers
2010–11 Buckie Thistle Deveronvale
2011–12 Forres Mechanics Cove Rangers
2012–13 Cove Rangers Formartine United
2013–14 Brora Rangers Inverurie Loco Works
2014–15 Brora Rangers Turriff United
2015–16 Cove Rangers Formartine United
2016–17 Buckie Thistle Cove Rangers
2017–18 Cove Rangers Formartine United
2018–19 Cove Rangers* Brora Rangers
2019–20 Brora Rangers[2] Fraserburgh
2020–21 Brora Rangers[3] Fraserburgh
2021–22 Fraserburgh Buckie Thistle
2022–23 Brechin City Buckie Thistle
2023–24 Buckie Thistle Brechin City
2024–25 Brora Rangers Brechin City
2025–26
* Team promoted to Scottish League Two

Performance by club

Clubs that are no longer active are shown in italics.

Club Winners Last win
Caledonian
18
 1987–88
Clachnacuddin
18
 2003–04
Elgin City
14
 1989–90
Buckie Thistle
12
 2023–24
Inverness Thistle
8
 1986–87
Keith
7
 2006–07
Cove Rangers
7
 2018–19
Huntly
7
 2004–05
Peterhead
5
 1998–99
Brora Rangers
5
 2024–25
Fraserburgh
4
 2021–22
Ross County
3
 1991–92
Deveronvale
2
 2005–06
Aberdeen A
2
 1924–25
Forres Mechanics
2
 2011–12
Brechin City
1
 2022–23
Nairn County
1
 1975–76
Inverness Citadel
1
 1908–09
Rothes
1
 1958–59

Linked Competitions

The HFL also administer several other competitions contested by some or all of the clubs. These competitions are:

Notes

  1. ↑ Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. were formed by the merger of Caledonian and Inverness Thistle
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 won after a play-off
  3. ↑ Clachnacuddin were awarded the Championship after Black Watch refused to play-off due to the referee that the League appointed
  4. ↑ Clachnacuddin had most points
  5. ↑ Keith had most points
  6. ↑ Fraserburgh and Clachnacuddin were equal on points
  7. ↑ Elgin City won the league, but were found to have dishonestly requested the bringing forward of their final match in order to avoid two players being unavailable through suspension

References

  1. ↑ "I, Ludicrous - Discography". Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  2. ↑ Smith, Tyrone (21 March 2020). "Highland League brought to an early end with Brora Rangers awarded title". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Brora Rangers & Kelty Hearts champions as Highland & Lowland League seasons end". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.

Other websites

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