Gala Fairydean Rovers

Full name	Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Club
Nickname	GFR[1][2]
Founded	2013
Ground	Netherdale,Galashiels
Capacity	4,000[3]
Chairman	Ryan Cass[4]
Manager	Martin Scott
League	Lowland League
2024–25	Lowland League, 17th of 18
Website	http://www.gfrfc.co.uk/
Home colours Away colours

Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Club are a Scottishassociation football club based in the town ofGalashiels in theScottish Borders. The club competes in theLowland League, after joining from theEast of Scotland Football League in 2013. At the same time the club changed its name to Gala Fairydean Rovers, following a merger betweenGala Fairydean andGala Rovers. The club plays its home matches atNetherdale inGalashiels.^[5][6]

Gala Fairydean won theEast of Scotland Football League eight times and finished runners-up on seven occasions. The club reached 15Scottish Qualifying Cup South finals, winning it 11 times, before the competition was abolished in2007. Gala Fairydean Rovers qualify automatically for theScottish Cup as a member of theScottish 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 asGala Fairydean andGala Rovers.^[1] The first Gala Rovers was thereserve team of Gala Fairydean.^[1] Both clubs ceased operations in 1914 due to the outbreak of theFirst 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 theEast 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 atNetherdale. Gala Fairydean applied to join theScottish 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 newLowland Football League in 2013.

Gala Fairydean first played its home matches at Eastlands Park in Galashiels between 1909 and 1913, before moving toMossilee 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 ofGalashiels.^[5][6] The ground's main spectator stand was designed by architectPeter Womersley, alongside engineersOve 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] Thecantilevered concrete structure is protected as a Category Alisted building.^[10] The club bought 300 seats fromNewcastle United'sSt James' Park stadium when it was refurbished, but were replaced in 2006 by wooden benches.^[11]

As of 12 September 2025^[12]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SCO Jay Cantley — GK  SCO Reece Murray — GK  SCO Shea Dowie — DF  COD Arnie Kasa — DF  SCO Brannan McDermott — DF  SCO Kieran Moyles — DF  SCO Liam Fagan — DF  SCO Owen Calder(on loan fromHibernian) — DF  SCO Scott Boyd — MF  SCO Joe Wylie — MF  RSA Keaghan Jacobs — MF  SCO Ethan Dougal — MF  SCO Danny Galbraith — MF  SCO Jamie McMurdo(on loan fromHibernian)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  SCO Gregor Lamb — MF  SCO Mackenyze Campbell — MF  SCO Michael Beagley — FW  SCO Che Reilly — FW  SCO Lennon Connelly(on loan fromArbroath) — FW  NGA Gospel Ocholi — FW  SCO Jamie Semple — FW  SCO Jared Lyons — FW  SCO Kieran Dolan — FW  SCO Reegan Stisi — FW  SCO Michael Foley

† Season curtailed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

• Eastern League:^[13]
  • Winners (1): 1921–22
• East of Scotland League (1923 to 1987) andEast 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^{[permanent dead link]}
• Latest Gala Fairydean Committee unveiled^{[permanent dead link]}

• Official website
• Gala Fairydean atSoccerbase

• Gala Fairydean Rovers F.C.
• Association football clubs established in 2013
• Football clubs in Scotland
• 2013 establishments in Scotland
• East of Scotland Football League teams
• Lowland Football League teams
• Galashiels
• Football clubs in the Scottish Borders

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