Gala Fairydean Rovers

Full name	Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)	GFR[1][2]
Founded	2013
Ground	Netherdale, Galashiels
Capacity	4,000[3]
Chairman	Ryan Cass[4]
Manager	Martin Scott
League	Lowland League
2023–24	Lowland League, 16th of 18
Website	http://www.gfrfc.co.uk/
Home colours Away colours

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 Lowland League, 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.^[1] The first Gala Rovers was the reserve team of Gala Fairydean.^[1] Both clubs ceased operations in 1914 due to the outbreak of the First World War and the consequent loss of male population in Galashiels.^[1] 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.

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.^[1] Netherdale has been the club's home since 1929 and is located in the south-east of Galashiels.^[5][6] 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.^[3] 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 28 November 2024^[12] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SCO Jay Cantley — GK  SCO Reece Murray — DF  SCO Aidan Cassidy — DF  SCO Ben Reilly — DF  SCO Blair Sneddon — DF  SCO Calan Ledingham — DF  SCO Ciaran Greene — DF  SCO Liam Hoggan (on loan from Dunfermline Athletic) — DF  SCO Logan Sinclair (on loan from Falkirk) — DF  SCO Ben Herdman — DF  SCO Logan Boyle — MF  SCO Jake Nicholson (on loan from Raith Rovers) — MF  SCO Joe Wylie

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  RSA Keaghan Jacobs — MF  SCO Ethan Dougal — MF  SCO Danny Galbraith — MF  SCO Lewis Hall — MF  SCO Liam Watt — MF  SCO Michael Beagley — MF  SCO Tommy Sharp (on loan from Livingston) — FW  SCO Che Reilly (on loan from Livingston) — FW  SCO David Maskrey — FW  NGA Gospel Ocholi — FW  SCO Jamie Semple — FW  SCO Jared Lyons — FW  SCO Kieran Dolan — FW  SCO Reegan Stisi

† Season curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Eastern League:^[13]
  • Winners (1): 1921–22
• East of Scotland League (1923 to 1987) and East of Scotland Premier Division (after 1987):^[13]
  • Winners (8): 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1988–89, 1990–91
  • Runners-up (7): 1925–26, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1994–95, 1995–96
• East of Scotland First Division (after 1987):^[13]
  • Runners-up (1): 1999–00

• Scottish Qualifying Cup South:^[14]
  • Winners (11): 1961, 1965, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991
  • Runners-up (4): 1981, 1988, 1992, 1996
• King Cup:
  • Winners (11): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1929–30, 1946–47, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1988–89
• East of Scotland Qualifying Cup:
  • Winners (10): 1926–27, 1946–47, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1994–95
• East of Scotland (City) Cup:
  • Winners (3): 1960–61, 1987–88, 2021–22
• East of Scotland League Cup:
  • Winners (2): 1968–69, 1993–94

• Winners (13): 1951, 1953, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1978, 1987, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2013

B Division

• Winners (1): 1995

South Cup

• Winners (4):1954, 1963, 1964, 2007

Border Cup

• Winners (6): 1963, 1968, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003

Beveridge Cup

• Winners (6): 1954, 1967, 1978, 1996, 2003, 2013

Wright Cup

• Winners (4):1963, 1966, 1985, 1995

Walls Cup

• Winners (1): 1995

Waddel Cup

• Winners (3): 1988, 2001, 2003

Dudley Cup

• Winners (4): 1949, 1950, 1953, 2013

General

• Dean Unveil Dream Team
• Fairydean legend Notman slams Youth Coaching
• Row over Gala player Gass explodes
• Latest Gala Fairydean Committee unveiled

• Official website
• Gala Fairydean at Soccerbase