| Full name | Ayr Parkhouse Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Parkies | |
| Founded | 1886 | |
| Dissolved | 1910 | |
| Ground | Ballantyne Drive (1886) Racecourse (1886–1888) Beresford Park (1888–1910) | |
Ayr Parkhouse Football Club were afootball club from the town ofAyr in Scotland. The club was a member of theScottish Football League until 1910, when they merged with neighboursAyr to formAyr United.
Ayr Parkhouse were formed in1886 and took their name from the Parkhouse farmhouse where the club's players trained,William Frew, a centre-forward for Parkhouse, was the son of the farmer who owned it.[1] They initially played their home games at Ballantine Drive, before moving to the Ayr Racecourse ground, now known as the Old Racecourse. In1888Ayr vacated the better developed Beresford Park, and Ayr Parkhouse moved in, where they played for the remainder of their existence, although altering the ground since moving in, . In 1891 they joined theAyrshire Football League, but moved onto theAyrshire Football Combination in 1893, of which they were founder members along withAyr with whom they would develop a healthy rivalry.
However, Ayr Parkhouse decided to remain a faithfullyamateur club, only turningprofessional in1905. Despite the club's amateur status, they competed well in their league and theScottish Cup, reaching the quarter finals of the competition in the1894–95 season, where they fell to thatyear's runners-upRenton.
Local success continued, but the rivalry that was built up withAyr ceased to have a regular outlet when that club were admitted to membership of theScottish Football League in1897. Ayr Parkhouse's ambitions were beginning to outgrow their local successes and the club's earlyamateurness fuelled hostility to membership of the professionalScottish Football League was waning. In1901 they unsuccessfully applied for membership, but, after finishing second in theScottish Amateur Football League they managed to get elected to full league status in1903, just ahead ofSt. Johnstone. Their initial season in theleague was a disaster. They finished bottom ofDivision Two and therefore had to reapply for membership, but they declined to do so.[2]Aberdeen were elected instead.
After two seasons out of theleague, playing instead in theScottish Football Combination, Ayr Parkhouse were accepted back into theSecond Division. This was in1906.[2] The club performed without much distinction in the following four seasons.[2] At the end of the1909–10 season,Ayr and Ayr Parkhouse merged to formAyr United.[2]
