 | ||||
| Full name | Hibernian Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Hibs,[1] The Hibees,[1] The Cabbage[2] | |||
| Founded | 6 August 1875; 150 years ago (1875-08-06) | |||
| Ground | Easter Road,Edinburgh | |||
| Capacity | 20,421[3] | |||
| Owner | Bydand Sports[4] | |||
| Chairman | Ian Gordon | |||
| Head coach | David Gray | |||
| League | Scottish Premiership | |||
| 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership, 3rd of 12 | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
Hibernian Football Club (/hɪˈbɜːrniən/), commonly known asHibs, is a professionalfootball club inEdinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in theScottish Premiership, the top division ofScottish football. The club was founded in 1875 by members of Edinburgh'sIrish community, and the name is derived fromthe Latin for Ireland.[5] The Irish heritage of Hibernian is reflected in the name, colours and badge of the club.[5][6][7][8] The green main shirt colour is usually accompanied by white sleeves and shorts. Their local rivals areHeart of Midlothian, with whom they contest theEdinburgh derby.
Home matches are played atEaster Road, which has been in use since 1893,[9] when the club joined theScottish Football League.[10] The name of the club is regularly shortened toHibs,[1] with the team also being known asThe Hibees[1] (pronounced/ˈhaɪbiːz/) and supporters known asHibbies. Another nickname isThe Cabbage, derived from the shortenedrhyming slang for Hibs ("Cabbage and Ribs").[2]
Hibernian have won theScottish league championship four times, most recently in1952. Three of those four championships were won between 1948 and 1952, when the club had the services ofThe Famous Fiveforward line.[11] The club have won theScottish Cup three times, in1887,1902 and2016, with the latter victory ending a notorious drought. Hibs have also won theScottish League Cup three times, in1972,1991 and2007. Hibernian reached the semi-final of the first everEuropean Cup in1955–56, becoming the first British side to participate in European competition. They reached the same stage of theInter-Cities Fairs Cup in1960–61.[12]
The club was founded in 1875 by Irishmen living in theCowgate area ofEdinburgh.[13] The nameHibernian (deriving fromHibernia, an ancient name for Ireland[5]), the colour green, theCeltic harp and theIrish language phraseErin go bragh (meaningIreland Forever) were adopted as symbols early on.[14] Founder Fr.Edward Joseph Hannan was the first president of the club and Michael Whelahan its first team captain.[15]James Connolly, the famoussocialist andIrish Republican leader, was a Hibs fan,[16][17] while the club were "closely identified" with theIrish Home Rule movement during the 1880s.[10] There was somesectarian resistance initially to an Irish club participating inScottish football,[13] but Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s.[5][10][16] Hibs were the first club from the east coast of Scotland to win a major trophy, the1887 Scottish Cup. They went on to defeatPreston North End, who had reached the semi-finals of the1887 FA Cup, in afriendly match described as theAssociation Football Championship of the World Decider.[18][19][20] Despite advertising the match as 'The Association Football Championship of the World', Preston had lost in the FA Cup semi-finals to West Bromwich Albion and were not the 'best' English side that year.
Mismanagement over the next few years led to Hibs becoming homeless and the club temporarily ceased operating in 1891.[10] A lease on theEaster Road site was acquired in late 1892 and Hibs played its first match at Easter Road on 4 February 1893.[21] Despite this interruption, the club today views the period since 1875 as one continued history and therefore counts the honours won between 1875 and 1891, including the 1887 Scottish Cup.[22][23] The club were admitted to theScottish Football League in 1893, although they had to win the Second Division twice before being elected into the First Division in 1895.[10]
A significant change at this time was that players were no longer required to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society.[16][24] Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish orRoman Catholic institution, as it was in the early years of its history.[25][6] For instance, theIrish harp was only re-introduced to the club badge when it was last re-designed in 2000. This design reflects the three pillars of the club's identity: Ireland, Edinburgh (thecastle) andLeith (the ship). Geography as well as ethnicity and religion shapes the modern fan base of the club, with Hibs drawing most of their support from the north and east of Edinburgh.[7][8][26]
Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the1902 Scottish Cup and their firstleague championship a year later. After this, however, the club endured a long barren spell. The club lost its placing in the league and wererelegated for the first time in 1931, although they were promoted back to the top division two years later. The notorious Scottish Cup drought[27] began as they reached three cup finals, two in consecutive years, but lost each of them.
Hibs' most successful era was in the decade following the end of theSecond World War, when it was "among the foremost clubs in Britain".[11] Theforward line ofGordon Smith,Bobby Johnstone,Lawrie Reilly,Eddie Turnbull andWillie Ormond, collectively known asthe Famous Five, was "regarded as the finest ever seen in Scottish football".[11] Each of the Famous Five scored more than 100 goals for Hibs.[11] The north stand atEaster Road is now named in their honour. Smith was signed by Hibs in 1941, while Ormond, Turnbull, Reilly and Johnstone were all signed during 1946. Of the five, only Ormond cost Hibs a transfer fee,£1200 fromStenhousemuir.[28] Reilly, Johnstone, Smith and Turnbull were all signed from youth or junior leagues.[11][29]
In the first season of competitive football after the Second World War, Hibs reached the1947 Scottish Cup final. They took an early lead in the match, but went on to lose 2–1 toAberdeen. With Reilly added to the first team in1947–48, Hibs won theScottish league championship for the first time since 1903. This was achieved despite the death of team managerWillie McCartney in January 1948.[29] McCartney was succeeded byHugh Shaw,[29] who added Johnstone to the first team during 1948. Hibs finished third in the league in1948–49. In afriendly match againstNithsdale Wanderers on 21 April 1949, Hibs included all of the famous five players in the same team for the first time.[29] They then made their collective competitive debut on 15 October 1949, in a 2–0 win againstQueen of the South.[30] They improved on their season from the year before, by finishing second in the league to Rangers by one point.
1950–51 was the high point of the Famous Five era. With other internationalists such asTommy Younger andBobby Combe, Hibs won the league by 10 points (when two points were awarded for each win). They reached the1950 Scottish League Cup final. Turnbull had scored a hattrick in the semi-final but was unavailable for the final.Jimmy Bradley started at left wing with Ormond moved to inside left. Motherwell beat them 3–0. Hibs retained the league championship in1951–52, this time winning by four points. Hibs were narrowly denied a third consecutive title in1952–53 on the last day of the season. A late Rangers equaliser against Queen of the South took the title to Ibrox ongoal average. The Famous Five forward line remained in place until March 1955, when Johnstone was sold toManchester City.[11]
Despite only finishing fifth in the Scottish League in 1955, Hibs were invited to participate in the first season of theEuropean Cup, which was not strictly based on league positions at that time.[12] Eighteen clubs who were thought would generate interest across Europe and who also had thefloodlights necessary to play games at night, were invited to participate.[12] Floodlights had been used atEaster Road for the first time in afriendly match against Hearts on 18 October 1954.[31] Hibs became the first British club in Europe because theEnglish Football League secretaryAlan Hardaker persuadedChelsea, theEnglish champions, not to enter.[32]
Hibs played their first match againstRot-Weiss Essen, winning 4–0 in theGeorg-Melches-Stadion[12] and drawing 1–1 at Easter Road. They defeatedDjurgårdens IF to reach the semi-final,[12] but in that clash they were defeated 3–0 onaggregate byStade de Reims,[12] who had the famousFrance international playerRaymond Kopa in their side.[12] Reims lost 4–3 toReal Madrid in thefinal.[12]
Hibs frequently participated in theFairs Cup during the 1960s, winning matches againstBarcelona[33] andNapoli.[34] However, the club achieved little domestically until former playerEddie Turnbull was persuaded to return to Easter Road asmanager in 1971. The team, popularly known asTurnbull's Tornadoes, finished second in the league in 1974 and 1975 and won theLeague Cup in 1972. The club also won theDrybrough Cup in 1972 and 1973,[35] and recorded a 7–0 win overEdinburgh derby rivals Hearts atTynecastle on 1 January 1973.
Performances went into decline after the mid-1970s, as Hibs were replaced by theNew Firm ofAberdeen andDundee United as the main challengers to theOld Firm. Turnbull resigned as manager and Hibs wererelegated, for the second time in their history, in 1980. They were immediatelypromoted back to theScottish Premier Division in 1981, but the club struggled during the 1980s, failing to qualify for European competition until 1989.[35]
After mismanagement during the late 1980s, Hibs were on the brink of financial ruin in 1990.[36]Wallace Mercer, the chairman of Hearts, proposed a merger of the two clubs,[36] but the Hibs fans believed that the proposal was more like ahostile takeover.[37] They formed theHands off Hibs group to campaign for the continued existence of the club.[37][38] This succeeded when a prominent local businessman,Kwik Fit owner SirTom Farmer, acquired a controlling interest in Hibs.[39] The fans were able to persuade Farmer to take control despite the fact that he had no great interest in football.[39] Farmer was persuaded in part by the fact that a relative of his had been involved in the rescue of Hibs from financial ruin in the early 1890s.[21] After the attempted takeover by Mercer, Hibs had a few good years in the early 1990s, winning the1991 Scottish League Cup final and finishing in the top five in the league in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Soon afterAlex McLeish was appointed asmanager in 1998, Hibs wererelegated to theFirst Division,[40] but immediately won promotion back to theSPL in 1999.[41]
Hibs enjoyed a good season in 2000–01 as they finished third in the league and reached the2001 Scottish Cup final, which was lost 3–0 toCeltic.[42] ManagerAlex McLeish departed for Rangers in December 2001;[43] teamcaptainFranck Sauzée was appointed as the new manager, despite the fact that he had no previous coaching experience.[44] A terrible run of form followed and Sauzée was fired after being in charge for 69 days.[45][46]
Kilmarnock managerBobby Williamson was then hired, but he proved to be unpopular with Hibs supporters.[47] However, a "golden generation" of exciting young players emerged, includingGarry O'Connor,Derek Riordan,Kevin Thomson andScott Brown.[48] These players featured heavily as Hibs eliminated both halves of theOld Firm[49] to reach the2004 Scottish League Cup final, only to lose 2–0 toLivingston.[47] Williamson departed near the end of that season to managePlymouth Argyle and was replaced byTony Mowbray.[47][50] Hibs finished third in his first season as manager, while Mowbray won theSFWA Manager of the Year award.[51]
Mowbray left Hibs in October 2006 to manageWest Bromwich Albion,[52] and was replaced by former playerJohn Collins.[53] The team won the2007 Scottish League Cup final under his management,[54] but the club soldKevin Thomson,Scott Brown andSteven Whittaker for fees totalling more than£8 million.[55] Collins resigned later that year, frustrated by the lack of funds provided to sign new players.[55] Former Hibs playerMixu Paatelainen was hired to replace Collins, but he left after the end of his first full season.[56]
Another former Hibernian player,John Hughes, was soon appointed in place of Paatelainen.[57] Hughes, who made high-profile signings such asAnthony Stokes[58] andLiam Miller,[59] led Hibs to a good start to the 2009–10 season.[60]
Hibs finished fourth in 2010 and qualified for theEuropa League,[61] but a poor start to the 2010–11 season led toJohn Hughes leaving the club.[62] Hughes was replaced byColin Calderwood, who was himself sacked a year later.[63] The club avoided relegation in2011–12 and reached the2012 Scottish Cup final under new managerPat Fenlon, but this was lost 5–1 to Hearts.[64] Fenlon largely rebuilt the team after this defeat.[65] This resulted in an improved league position in2012–13 and the team reaching the2013 Scottish Cup final, which was lost 3–0 to league champions Celtic.[66] Hibs qualified for the2013–14 UEFA Europa League, but they suffered a Scottish record defeat in European competition (9–0 on aggregate againstMalmö).[67] Fenlon resigned on 1 November and was replaced byTerry Butcher.[68] A run of 13 games without a win to finish the2013–14 Scottish Premiership season meant that Hibs fell into a relegation play-off,[69] which was lost after apenalty shootout againstHamilton Academical.[70]
Butcher was sacked in June 2014[71] and was replaced byAlan Stubbs. He was unable to lead the team to promotion, but the 2015–16 season saw considerable cup success. The team reached theLeague Cup final, which was lost toRoss County.[72] This was followed by victory in theScottish Cup for the first time since 1902 with a3–2 win in the final against Rangers.[73] As well as ending the unwanted long-term cup record, the result helped shake off a reputation of Hibs building up expectations of success only to fail, popularised among opposing supporters and in Scottish media as having 'Hibsed it';[74][75][76][77] the club's own fans then adopted the phrase as a positive reference to the occasion[78] though it would still be repeated in future when the club was seen as underachieving.[79][80][81] Soon after the cup win, Stubbs resigned as Hibs manager to take charge atRotherham United[82] and was replaced byNeil Lennon, who led the team to promotion by winning the2016–17 Scottish Championship.[83] In their first season back in the top flight, Hibs finished fourth in thePremiership and qualified for theEuropa League.[84] Lennon left the club in January 2019[85] and was replaced byPaul Heckingbottom, who only held the post for seven months.[86]Jack Ross was appointed on 15 November 2019.[87]
Hibs finished seventh in a 2019–20 league season that was curtailed by theCOVID-19 pandemic. In the following season they finished third in the league and reached the2021 Scottish Cup final, but this was lost 1–0 toSt Johnstone.[88] Ross guided Hibs to theLeague Cup final later that year, but was sacked 10 days before the final after a run of seven defeats in nine league games.[89]Shaun Maloney was appointed as manager in December 2021,[90] but was himself sacked four months later, having won six games out of nineteen.[91] His successor,Lee Johnson, was appointed manager on 19 May 2022.[92] Hibs finished fifth and qualified for European competition under Johnson, but his "rollercoaster" 15-month spell was ended when the team lost three consecutive games to start the2023–24 league season.[93]
Following a fourth stint as caretaker manager,David Gray was appointed on a permanent basis in June 2024.[94] After a bad start to the2024–25 season that had Hibs bottom of the Premiership table in early December, they went on a 17-game unbeaten run that lifted them into a third-place finish and European qualification.[95][96]
On 1 August 2025, Dan Barnett became Chief Executive Officer of Hibernian FC, succeeding Ben Kensell.[97] Barnett, formerly Commercial Director atLeicester City and involved in international sporting events including UEFA competitions and theAmerica’s Cup, was appointed to support the club’s commercial growth and strategic development.[98]
The predominant club colours are green and white, which have been used since the formation of the club in 1875.[99] Thestrip typically has a green body, white sleeves and a white collar.[99] The shorts are normally white, although green has been used in recent seasons.[99] The socks are green, usually with some white detail.[99] Hibs have used yellow, purple, black, white and a dark green in recent seasons for their alternate kits.[100] In 1977, Hibs became the first professional club in Scotland to bear sponsorship on their shirts, afterBellshill Athletic did so in 1975.[101] This arrangement prompted television companies to threaten a boycott of Hibs games if they used the sponsored kit, which resulted in the club using an alternate kit for the first time.[99][102]
Hibs wore green and white hooped shirts during the 1870s,[99] which was the inspiration for the style later adopted byCeltic.[103] Hibs then wore all-green shirts from 1879 until 1938, when white sleeves were added to the shirts.[99] This was similar in style toArsenal, who had added white sleeves to their red shirts earlier in the 1930s.[104] The colour of the shorts was changed to a green which matched the shirts in 2004, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of afriendly win in October 1964 againstReal Madrid.[105] Green shorts were used in that match to avoid a colour clash with the all-white colours of Real Madrid. Hibs also used green shorts in the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons.[99] For the 2012–13 season, Hibs changed the primary colour of the shirts to a darker "bottle" green, instead of the normal emerald green.[106] A darker green had been used until the 1930s.[106] For the 2014–15 season, Hibs removed the traditional white sleeves from their home kit, as they changed to a darker green shirt in commemoration of theFamous Five forward line.[107]
The badge used to identify the club has changed frequently over the years, which has reflected an ongoing debate about its identity. This debate has centred on whether its Irish heritage should be proudly displayed, or ignored for fear of being accused ofsectarianism.[16] TheIrish harp was first removed in the 1950s, then re-introduced tothe club badge when it was last re-designed in 2000.[16]Scottish Football Museum director Ged O'Brien said in 2001, that the current design shows that Hibs "are comfortable with all the strands of their tradition – it has Leith, Edinburgh and Ireland in it."[16] As well as the harp representing Ireland, the present badge includes a ship (for theport of Leith) and a castle (as inEdinburgh Castle).[16]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–1977 | Bukta | No sponsor | No sponsor |
| 1977–1980 | Bukta | ||
| 1980–1981 | Umbro | No sponsor | |
| 1981–1984 | Fisher's Alfa Romeo | ||
| 1984–1985 | No sponsor | ||
| 1985–1986 | Insave | ||
| 1986–1987 | P&D Windows | ||
| 1987–1988 | Adidas | ||
| 1988–1991 | Frank Graham Group | ||
| 1991–1992 | No sponsor | ||
| 1992–1994 | Bukta | Macbean Protective Coating | |
| 1994–1996 | Mitre | Calor | |
| 1996–1998 | Carlsberg | ||
| 1998–2004 | Le Coq Sportif | ||
| 2004–2009 | Whyte & Mackay | ||
| 2009–2010 | McEwan Fraser | ||
| 2010–2011 | Puma | ||
| 2011–2013 | Crabbie's | ||
| 2013–2014 | Nike | ||
| 2014–2017 | Marathon Bet | ||
| 2017–2019 | Macron | ||
| 2019–2020 | Hibernian Community Foundation | ||
| 2020–2021 | Thank YouNHS | ||
| 2021–2023 | Joma | Utilita | |
| 2023–2024 | Bevvy.com[108][109] | ||
| 2024– | SBK[110] |
Hibs played onThe Meadows for the first two years of their history,[111] before moving to grounds inNewington (Mayfield Park)[111] and Bonnington Road,Leith (Powderhall),[112] in different spells between 1877 and 1879. After the lease on Mayfield Park expired, Hibs moved to a ground known asHibernian Park,[113] on what is now Bothwell Street in Leith. Hibs failed to secure the ground lease and a builder started constructing houses on the site in 1890.[114] Hibs obtained a lease on a site that is now known asEaster Road in 1892 and have played their home matches there since February 1893.[115]
Before theTaylor Report demanded that the stadium be all-seated, Easter Road had vast banks of terracing on three sides, which meant that it could hold crowds in excess of 60,000.[116] The record attendance of 65,860, which is also a record for a football match played in Edinburgh,[117] was set by an Edinburgh derby played on 2 January 1950.[116][118] Such vast crowds were drawn by the success ofthe Famous Five.[118]
The pitch had a pronounced slope, but this was removed in 2000.[118][119] The ground is currently all-seated and has a capacity of 20,421.[3][120] Easter Road is a modern stadium, with all four of its stands having been built since 1995.[118] The most recent redevelopment was the construction of a new East Stand in 2010.[118]
Scotland have played seven of theirhome matches at Easter Road, between 1998 and 2017.[121]Scotland women played their first match at Easter Road in August 2019, aEuro 2022 qualifying match againstCyprus.[122] The ground has hosted one international not involving the Scotland teams, a friendly played betweenGhana andSouth Korea preceding the2006 FIFA World Cup.[123] Easter Road has also sometimes been used as a neutral venue forScottish League Cup semi-final matches[124][125][126][127] and once hosted aScottish Challenge Cup final.[128]
Hibs have a traditional local rivalry inEdinburgh withHearts; the derby match between the two clubs is one of the oldest rivalries in world football.[129]Graham Spiers has described it as "one of the jewels of the Scottish game".[8] The clubs first met on Christmas Day 1875, when Hearts won 1–0 in the first match ever contested by Hibs. The two clubs became distinguished in Edinburgh after a five-game struggle for theEdinburgh Football Association Cup in 1878, which Hearts finally won with a 3–2 victory after four successive draws.[130] The clubs have met each other in twoScottish Cup finals, in1896 and2012, both of which were won by Hearts.[131] The 1896 match was the only Scottish Cup final to be played outsideGlasgow.[131]
Hearts have the better overall record in derby matches,[132] but Hibs recorded the biggest derby win in a competitive match when they won 7–0 atTynecastle on New Year's Day 1973.[133] While it has been noted that religious, ethnic or political background lies behind the rivalry, that aspect is "muted" and is a "pale reflection" of thesectarianism in Glasgow.[134][135][136] Although the clubs are inescapable rivals, the rivalry is mainly "good-natured" and has had beneficial effects.[137]
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Hibernian are one of only two full-time professional football clubs in Edinburgh, which is the capital of and second largest city in Scotland.[138] The club had the fourth largest average attendance in the Scottish leagues during the2022–23 season (17,469).[139][140] In the period after the Second World War, Hibs attracted average attendances in excess of 20,000, peaking at 31,567 in the1951–52 season.[140] SinceEaster Road was redeveloped into anall-seater stadium in the mid-1990s, average attendance has varied between a high of 18,124 in2017–18 and a low of 9,150 in2003–04.[141][140] There has been a significant increase in recent seasons, inspired by the Scottish Cup victory in 2016 and promotion in 2017.[141] In the 1980s and 1990s, a minority of the club's supporters had a reputation as one of Britain's most prominentcasuals groups, known as theCapital City Service.[142] Hibernian’s ultra group, founded in 2021, is called Block Seven.[143]
The works of authorIrvine Welsh, particularlyTrainspotting, contain several references to Hibernian.[144] The team is often mentioned in casual conversation and is the team many of his characters support.[145] Visual references to Hibs are noticeable inDanny Boyle's film adaptation ofTrainspotting;[146] Francis Begbie wears a Hibs shirt while he playsfive-a-side football, while many Hibs posters and pictures can be seen on the walls of Mark Renton's bedroom.
In the final short story of Welsh'sThe Acid House, Coco Bryce, a boy from the "Hibsfirm"Capital City Service, is struck by lightning while under the influence ofLSD in aPilton park. His soul is then transferred to the body of an unborn child from one of the more affluent areas of Edinburgh.[147] The appearances by Hibs in the2012 and2016 Scottish Cup finals are described in Welsh's novelsA Decent Ride andDead Men's Trousers respectively.[148][149]
Hibernian are also frequently referred to in theInspector Rebus series ofdetective novels byIan Rankin. Rankin has stated that Rebus is aRaith Rovers supporter[150] but he is a Hibs fan in the 2000stelevision adaptation of the series.[151][152] That version of Rebus is played by aHearts supporter,Ken Stott.[152] DSSiobhan Clarke, his colleague in the later books, is a "loyal supporter" of Hibs.[153]
The Hibs anthem "Glory, Glory to the Hibees" was written and performed by the Scottish comedian,Hector Nicol.[154] FormerMarillion singerFish is a Hibs fan;[155]Easter Road is mentioned in the song "Lucky", from the albumInternal Exile.The Proclaimers are lifelong Hibs fans and were heavily involved with the 'Hands off Hibs' campaign to save the club in 1990.[37]Sunshine on Leith has become a Hibs anthem,[156] which is traditionally played after big victories atEaster Road and the finals of cup competitions.[157] In their song "Cap in Hand", from theSunshine on Leith album, The Proclaimers make a reference to the Hibs playerAndy Goram:[158]
I can understand whyStranraer lie so lowly
They could save a lot of points by signing Hibs'goalie
The song "Joyful Kilmarnock Blues", from thefirst Proclaimers' album, is about a Hibs victory away from home.[37]
I'd never been toAyrshire
Ihitched down one Saturday
Sixty miles toKilmarnock
Just to see Hibernian play
Hibs are featured in the TV seriesSuccession, during episodeDundee in the second series, whenRoman Roy (Kieran Culkin) purchasesHearts believing them to be his father's favourite football team. Upon receiving the giftLogan Roy reveals he is a Hibs supporter.[159]
Although the football club was formed in 1875, it was not incorporated until 1903.[note 1] The club remained a private company until 1988, when it was publicly listed on theLondon Stock Exchange.[160][161] This public listing, combined with poor financial performance, made Hibs vulnerable to an attempted takeover in 1990 byHearts chairmanWallace Mercer.[161][162][163] This attempt was averted when Mercer was unable to acquire the 75% shareholding needed to liquidate the company.[161][163] The club's parent company, Forth Investments plc, entered receivership in 1991[35][164] and SirTom Farmer acquired control of the club from the receiver for £3 million.[39][164] Farmer funded redevelopments ofEaster Road and financial losses made by Hibs, although he delegated control to other figures such asRod Petrie.[39][165][166][164][167]
In December 2014, the club said it intended to sell up to 51% ownership of the club to its supporters.[168] By November 2017, supporters had increased their shareholding in the club to 34%.[169] The majority ownership of the club was sold in July 2019 to Peruvian-born US-based businessman Ronald Gordon, who became the executive chairman.[170] On 21 February 2023 Hibernian announced that Gordon had died of cancer at the age of 68,[171] and his majority shareholding was passed to his family.[172]
Theagm held in February 2024 ratified a deal with Black Knight, the majority shareholder of English clubAFC Bournemouth.[173] The Gordon family retained majority control (60%), with Black Knight acquiring 25% for a £6 million investment.[173] Minority shareholders, such as fans group Hibernian Supporters Limited, saw their holdings diluted.[173] Black Knight sold their holding to the Gordon family in November 2025, with "philosophical differences" cited for the partnership breaking down.[174]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The club that became the Hibernian women's team was founded in 1997 by Iain Johnston and Paul Johnston, but for the initial two seasons of its existence the club was under the auspices ofPreston Athletic.[180] The name changed to Hibernian Ladies in 1999 and they became one of the leading women's teams in Scotland.[181]
Hibernian won theScottish Women's Cup in 2010, for the fifth time in eight years.[182] Their success in the national cup competition was contrasted to the male affiliate,[183] who went over a century without winning the equivalent competition until their victory in2016. Hibernian Ladies won domestic cup doubles in 2016, 2017[184] and 2018.[185]
Ahead of the 2020 season, the club was rebranded asHibernian Women and players were offered their first part-time professional contracts.[186] The women's first team was fully integrated into the men's club in July 2022, with the youth sides still being run by the Hibernian Community Foundation.[187]
First team coaching staff[edit]
Board of directors[edit]
| Backroom staff[edit]
Source:[175]
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Lewis Stevenson holds the record for most league appearances for Hibs, passing 450 in 2023, taking the place ofArthur Duncan who made 446.[22] All ofthe Famous Five –Gordon Smith,Eddie Turnbull,Lawrie Reilly,Bobby Johnstone andWillie Ormond – scored more than 100 league goals for Hibs.[11]
Hibernian players have beencapped at full international level for 33 different national teams, with 70 Hibernian players appearing forScotland.[203] Hibernian rank fifth amongst all clubs in providing players for Scotland, behind theOld Firm,Hearts andQueen's Park.[204]James Lundie andJames McGhee were the first Hibs players to play for Scotland, in an1885–86 British Home Championship match againstWales.[205]Lawrie Reilly holds the record for most international caps earned while a Hibs player, making 38 appearances for Scotland between 1949 and 1957.[205] In 1959, Hibs forwardJoe Baker became the first player who had not previously played for an English club to win a cap forEngland.[205]
To mark the club's 135th birthday, the club created aHall of Fame in 2010.[206] The first group of nominees, including 13 former players, were inducted at a dinner later that year.[206][207]
From 1875 until 1903, Hibs were managed by acommittee,[208] althoughDan McMichael, who also acted as treasurer, secretary and physiotherapist, was effectively the manager when the club won the1902 Scottish Cup and the1903 league championship.[209]Willie McCartney took charge of part of the league-winning 1947–48 season, but he collapsed and died after a Scottish Cup match in January 1948.[29][210]Hugh Shaw inherited that team and went on to win three league championships in the late 1940s and early 1950s.Alan Stubbs won theScottish Cup in2015–16, ending a 114-year drought in that competition.[73][211]Eddie Turnbull,Alex Miller andJohn Collins all won oneScottish League Cup each.Bobby Templeton,Bertie Auld,Alex McLeish andNeil Lennon all wonsecond tier championships.
Even though Hibs were founded by Irish–Catholic immigrants, this connection to their sectarian origins has faded significantly in the Protestant-dominated Edinburgh of the twentieth century.
Sectarian bigotry may not be completely absent from this relationship, but it has always been less important than identification with territory. Hibs supporters tend to belong to the north and east of Edinburgh, whileHearts supporters (who outnumber their city rivals by a ratio of approximately two to one) are more usually found in the south and west.
In August 1887,Scottish Cup holders Hibernian took onFA Cup winnersPreston North End in afriendly at Hibs'Easter Road ground. Posters appeared all overEdinburgh billing the encounter as 'The Association Football Championship of the World'. Hibernian won the match 2–1 and therefore had the right (whichever way you look at it, as nobody else had bothered to stage such an event) to call themselves the first world champions, beatingUruguay to it by 43 years.
Edinburgh Hibernians were founded as the firstcatholic club in 1875. In its first incarnation, only catholics were permitted to play for Hibernian, but when the club was reconstituted in 1893 the ban on protestants was lifted.
Hibs, in fact, were the first Scottish club to carry a shirt sponsor, that of Bukta in 1977 (Kettering Town were the first south of the border, in 1976).
Sectarian loyalties became articulated in club support for, respectively, Glasgow'sCeltic andRangers, Edinburgh's Hibs andHearts and, early on, for Dundee's Hibs (from 1923United) andDundee F.C.
Other rivalries such as betweenHeart of Midlothian and Hibernian in Edinburgh or theDundee andDundee United divide were but pale reflections of this fiercer and peculiarly Scottish rivalry.
Sectarianism of a more muted kind also lay beneath the Hearts and Hibs split in Edinburgh
Since both Hearts and Hibs originated in theOld Town, rivalry between the clubs was always inescapable. But in the main it is a fairly good-natured rivalry and, in fact, has not been without its productive aspects.
Welsh, a lifelong Hibernian fan, is notoriously partisan in this regard, and in the novels beforeGlue, few of his positive characters followHeart of Midlothian. Welsh uses the traditions of Edinburgh's football clubs to discuss the difficult subjects of community identity and contemporary conflict
Like his main group of friends, a fan of Hibernian Football Club
She [Siobhan Clarke] is single, fiercely independent and is fond of both music and football, being a loyal supporter of Hibernian FC.
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