TheForfarshire Cup is afootball competition inScotland competed for by teams in the Forfarshire Football Association fromAngus,Dundee andPerth.[1] The name of the competition is often baffling to some, as "Forfarshire" is anarchaic andanglicised name for Angus which became official in the late 19th century around the time ofLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1889 which restructured and renamed many of Scotland's counties, however the name quickly fell into disuse and was very rarely used in everyday conversation and non existent today.
The Forfarshire Football Association was founded in 1883 and comprised eighteen clubs. Twelve from Dundee, two fromArbroath and one each fromBroughty Ferry andLochee (both independent of Dundee at the time),Coupar Angus andMontrose. The association immediately put up a trophy for competition between its member clubs. At that time, cup competitions were the only form of organised football in Scotland. In the early days of Scottish football the county cups were regarded as just as prestigious as theScottish Cup, especially outwith the west of Scotland and theCentral Belt whose teams were most successful in the Scottish Cup, with the result that they often attracted substantial crowds. Even in 1911, several special trains conveyed supporters ofArbroath toDens Park for the final against Dundee Hibs and they contributed to a crowd of more than 7,000.
The competition has continued to be played every season as of 2006, although the Dundee clubs left in the 1980s.Dundee United asked the Forfarshire FA for permission to field theirreserve team, as it had become virtually impossible for United to find suitable dates for their ties due to their regular participation in European competition. When this was refused the club withdrew from the competition and the FFA; shortly afterwards,Dundee followed suit. United re-entered the competition in the 2001–02 season, and the club now fields a mixture of first team and reserve/youth players. Even long before thisDundee played reserve teams in the early 20th century and withdrew from various seasons' competitions.Dundee withdrew completely for a few years in the early 1950s and also in the 1960s due to fixture congestion.[2] From 2011–12 season, the competition was played as an under-19 tournament.
Dundee, to date, have won 28 trophies and as such are the most successful team in the competition's history.
Until October 1923 Dundee United were known as Dundee Hibernian
Lochee United were a senior team not affiliated with theirjunior namesake
1919–1920 competition was replayed after Dundee appealed against an ineligible player[3]
1927–1928 competition was discontinued at the semi-final stage
Stadium info- Rollo's Pier- home of Strathmore (Dundee).[4] Strathmore later merged with Johnstone Wanderers to formDundee Wanderers.[5] East Dock Street- home ofDundee Harp.[6]