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Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team in
Airdrie, North Lanarkshire Airdrie (; sco, Airdrie; gd, An t-Àrd Ruigh) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It lies on a plateau roughly 400 ft (130 m) above sea level, and is approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of Glasgow city centre. , the town had a ...
, who are members of the
Scottish Professional Football League The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As ...
(SPFL) and play in
Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United Football Club following the liquidation of the original Airdrieonians club, formed in 1878. The club's official name was changed in 2013 with the approval of the
Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (also known as the SFA and the Scottish FA; sco, Scots Fitba Association; Scottish Gaelic: ''Comann Ball-coise na h-Alba'') is the Sport governing body, governing body of association football, football in Scot ...
to the traditional name of Airdrieonians. As with the previous club, this is often colloquially shortened to simply "Airdrie". The club have won two trophies in their short history – the
Scottish Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...
in 2003–04 and the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
in 2008–09. Once described as "the luckiest team in the Scottish League", the club have benefited in league division placements due to other club's misfortunes on three occasions (2008, 2009 and 2012).


History


Formation as Airdrie United

The club was formed in 2002 as Airdrie United, following the bankruptcy of the original
Airdrieonians Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
. Airdrieonians had finished runners-up in the
Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as t ...
in the 2001–02 season but went out of business with debts approaching £3 million. The collapse of "The Diamonds", as they were known due to their distinctive kits, created a vacancy in the
Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
(in the
Scottish Third Division The Scottish Football League Third Division was the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system between 1994 and 2013. History The Scottish football league system had operated with three divisions in the Scottish Football League (SFL) fro ...
). Accountant and Airdrieonians fan
Jim Ballantyne Jim Ballantyne was the chairman of Scottish association football team Airdrieonians, from 2002 until June 2015 and from June 2017 until Jan 2018. He also served as president of the Scottish Football League, and served on the board of the Scottish ...
attempted, with the help of others, to gain entry with a club called "Airdrie United" who were essentially to be a reincarnation of Airdrieonians. Their application however was rejected as the then English
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...
side Gretna were preferred by league members over the new Airdrie United. Airdrie United then went on to complete a buy-out of the ailing
Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
side
Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...
and with SFL approval the club was relocated to Airdrie, the strips were transformed to resemble that of Airdrieonians, and the name was changed to Airdrie United. While this means that the club is therefore officially a legal continuation of Clydebank, it is almost universally accepted as a reincarnation of Airdrieonians, with a new version of Clydebank being reformed by supporters' groups and entering into the West Region Junior League.


Early years – league title & new manager (2002–2006)

Managed by Sandy Stewart, Airdrie United's first match took place at
New Broomfield The Excelsior Stadium, is a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the home ground of Airdrieonians of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Since the 2021–22 season it has also been used by Celtic for the ...
against
Forfar Athletic Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...
in August 2002, with captain
Stephen Docherty Stephen Docherty (born 18 February 1976) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He previously played in the Scottish Football League for Partick Thistle and Clydebank. He also played for both Airdrieonians and their re-inacarnation Ai ...
scoring the only goal of the game with Airdrie United winning 1–0. Their debut season saw the club only narrowly fail to achieve promotion by one point due to a late injury-time goal from
Brechin City Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club w ...
which saw them promoted instead. The club reached the second round of the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
, the third round of the
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, and the third round of the
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
having beaten
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side
Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
in the second round. During the rest of Stewart's tenure the club reached the final of the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
in 2003 (losing 2–0 to
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club, commonly known as Caley Thistle, is a professional football club based in Inverness, Scotland. The team currently competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional F ...
), and won the Second Division title in 2003–04 season. Having started poorly Airdrie went on a run that saw them unbeaten in the last 18 games of that season, including the final game of the league campaign which saw a crowd of over 5,700 at New Broomfield to watch Airdrie defeat
Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...
2–0 and lift the League Championship trophy, the club having been confirmed champions the previous week following their 1–0 victory away to
Alloa Athletic Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a ...
at Recreation Park. In November 2006, Stewart was sacked and replaced by former Airdrieonians player and Airdrie United coach
Kenny Black Kenneth George Black (born 29 November 1963) is a Scottish football manager and former player who spent most of his career with Heart of Midlothian and Airdrieonians. Playing career A left-sided defender or midfielder, Black began his playi ...
, his first management post.


Mixed fortunes – play-offs, cup win & club changes (2006–2013)

Under
Kenny Black Kenneth George Black (born 29 November 1963) is a Scottish football manager and former player who spent most of his career with Heart of Midlothian and Airdrieonians. Playing career A left-sided defender or midfielder, Black began his playi ...
the club suffered four successive play-off defeats: * In the 2006–07 season as relegation play-off finalists (losing 5–4 on aggregate to
Stirling Albion Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...
). * In the 2007–08 season as promotion play-off finalists (losing 3–0 on aggregate to
Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
). However the enforced relegation of Gretna to the Third Division, after being put into
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
, prompted a restructuring of the leagues, and Airdrie were promoted to the First Division as the losing play-off finalists. * In the 2008–09 season as relegation play-off finalists (losing 3–2 on aggregate to Second Division runners up
Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is ...
). Again Airdrie were given a reprieve as the continued uncertainty over the future of
Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...
meant that the West Lothian club were relegated to the Third division, so Airdrie were reinstated to the First Division as losing play-off finalists. * In the 2009–10 season as relegation play-off semi-finalists (losing 3–1 on aggregate to
Brechin City Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club w ...
). Unlike the previous two seasons there was no reprieve. The club won the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
in 2008, defeating Ross County 3–2 on penalties after a 2–2 draw, and after this success manager Kenny Black signed a long-term contract (until 2012). A club decision to focus on developing youth was vindicated in January 2011, as
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
signed teenager
Tony Watt Anthony Paul Watt (born 29 December 1993) is a Scottish professional association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for Scottish Premiership club Dundee United F.C., Dundee United. He was a product of th ...
for a sum of £80,000 plus add-ons. The first league game between Airdrie United and local rivals
Albion Rovers Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scotti ...
took place at New Broomfield on 10 September 2011, with Airdrie winning 4–0. After another play-off defeat by 6–2 on aggregate to
Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...
in the promotion play-off final at the end of 2011–12 season Airdrie were lucky again as the liquidation of the company that operated
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...
side
Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
and the decision by Scottish Football League clubs that Rangers should play in the
Scottish Third Division The Scottish Football League Third Division was the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system between 1994 and 2013. History The Scottish football league system had operated with three divisions in the Scottish Football League (SFL) fro ...
, meant that an additional team from each tier of Scottish football was promoted for the 2012–13 season. As Airdrie were runners up in the previous season's Second Division promotion play-offs, they were promoted to the
Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as t ...
. A season in the First Division came to an end in May 2013, with the club finishing bottom of the league and relegated to Division Two.


Airdrieonians name returns (2013–2015)

In June 2013, the club officially changed its name from Airdrie United Football Club to Airdrieonians Football Club. The name change revived the name of the club it was formed to replace in 2002, following the liquidation of the original Airdrieonians. The Airdrieonians all red club crest was also revived, with an alternate black and red version used for the away kits.


New ownership at the club (2015–2018)

In June 2015
Jim Ballantyne Jim Ballantyne was the chairman of Scottish association football team Airdrieonians, from 2002 until June 2015 and from June 2017 until Jan 2018. He also served as president of the Scottish Football League, and served on the board of the Scottish ...
sold control of the club to Tom Wotherspoon, a Lanarkshire businessman and owner o
M & H Logistics
(who had previously sponsored
Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish association football, football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championshi ...
, East Fife and BSC Glasgow). Wotherspoon became chairman and Ballantyne vice-chairman, appointing former
Scottish Sun ''The Sun'' is a British Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper, published by the News UK#News Group Newspapers Ltd, News Group Newspapers division of News UK, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. It was found ...
newspaper Head of Sport Iain King as Chief Executive (King left the club in June 2016). In December 2016 the Airdrieonians Supporters Trust became the first fans group in the world t
sponsor
their team's home kit, with the strip paying tribute to Airdrie fa
Mark Allison
Despite retaining his majority shareholding Tom Wotherspoon resigned as chairman and director of Airdrieonians on 5 June 2017, with former chairman
Jim Ballantyne Jim Ballantyne was the chairman of Scottish association football team Airdrieonians, from 2002 until June 2015 and from June 2017 until Jan 2018. He also served as president of the Scottish Football League, and served on the board of the Scottish ...
taking Wotherspoon's place as chairman.


Takeover, COVID-19 & play-off disappointments (2018–2022)

In January 2018, it was announced that a consortium of various businessmen (including former Airdrieonians manager
Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...
) had taken control of Tom Wotherspoon's controlling shares, bringing to an end a tumultuous period for the club. The majority of the previous board was replaced, including
Jim Ballantyne Jim Ballantyne was the chairman of Scottish association football team Airdrieonians, from 2002 until June 2015 and from June 2017 until Jan 2018. He also served as president of the Scottish Football League, and served on the board of the Scottish ...
, and subsequently Director of Football
Gordon Dalziel Gordon Dalziel (born 16 March 1962) is a Scottish football player and manager. Dalziel spent most of his playing career with Raith Rovers, scoring 170 goals in 360 league appearances, and winning the 1994–95 Scottish League Cup. He also play ...
(appointed Oct 2016) departed. With Excelsior Stadium representation on the new board the club also indicated that they would be abandoning Ravenscraig Sports Complex in Motherwell and returning to training at the stadium. Manager Ian Murray led the club to 5th, 3rd and two 2nd place
Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
finishes in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
,
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
and
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
respectively, with the club missing out on play-off games (due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
) in 2020, losing to
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
side
Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...
over a 2 legged play-off final in May 2021, and losing to
Scottish League One The Scottish League One, known as cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was e ...
side Queen's Park over a 2 legged play-off final in May 2022. After this defeat Murray departed the club for
Raith Rovers Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leag ...
in the
Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland Scotland (, ...
.


Stadium

Airdrie play their home fixtures at
Excelsior Stadium The Excelsior Stadium, is a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the home ground of Airdrieonians of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Since the 2021–22 season it has also been used by Celtic for t ...
, also unofficially known as New Broomfield. For sponsorship reasons the venue was originally known as The Shyberry Excelsior Stadium (after Shyberry Design Ltd. who had sponsored the construction) and from 2018 to 2022 as The Penny Cars Stadium. The ground was built when now defunct
Airdrieonians Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
' previous home,
Broomfield Park Broomfield Park was a association football, football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, home of Airdrieonians F.C. (1878), Airdrieonians from 1892 until it was closed after the 1993–94 in Scottish football, 1993–94 football season. Aird ...
, was sold to
supermarket chain A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limit ...
Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...
, who were given permission to build a new store on the site. This transaction has been cited as being the cause of the financial ruination of the club, as their old ground was demolished several years before they acquired planning permission for the new stadium. In the intervening years the club ground-shared
Broadwood Stadium Broadwood Stadium is a multi-use community stadium and sports complex in the Westfield area of Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. The stadium is currently the home of Cumbernauld Colts and Open Goal Broomhill of the Scottish Lowland Football Lea ...
, in
Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; gd, Comar nan Allt, meeting of the streams) is a large town in the historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth most-populous locality in Scotland and the most populated t ...
, the home of
Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
. Excelsior Stadium has an all-seated capacity of . At the end of the 2009–10 season a new 3G artificial surface was installed. This was replaced at the end of the 2021–22 season. The main pitch and adjoining small-sided facilities are all made available for local community use. In 2003 a ground share was proposed with
Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...
as their ground did not meet SPL requirements; this was later refused as Falkirk could not prove the SPL fixtures would have priority. Queen of the South played their
Uefa Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
tie in 2008 at the stadium, as did
Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...
in 2009. Queen's Park utilised the stadium for their "home" games from December 2013 until May 2014, due to the redevelopment of
Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...
for the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
.


Colours and crest


Colours

Airdrie United inherited
Airdrieonians Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...
' distinctive playing colours of a white shirt with a red
diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
. The design was the basis of Airdrieonians' nickname, ''The Diamonds'', which has also been adopted by Airdrie.


Crest

When Airdrie United were formed, they used a blue double-headed eagle device on a white shield for their badge, with a red scroll below the shield that read "Airdrie United F.C.", amended to bearing "Airdrie F.C." when the club rebranded in 2012. The eagle recalled the Airdrie town arms. When the club inherited the Airdrieonians name in 2013, they also restored the badge worn by their predecessors: the original AFC bore this emblem from 1974 until their demise in 2002, excepting the 2000–01 season. This badge featured a cockerel sitting atop a shield containing two
lions passant The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Christia ...
and the club's initials. The club were informed by the
Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
in March 2015 that as their badge features a shield, it constitutes a heraldic device, and heraldic devices are not permitted to carry lettering. On 19 June 2015, Airdrieonians unveiled a new crest, removing the shield and instead using a
chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * ''Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...
–representing the "Airdrie Diamond"–to separate the scroll from the remainder of the badge.


Current squad


On loan


Club officials


Managers

* Sandy Stewart (2002–2006) *
Kenny Black Kenneth George Black (born 29 November 1963) is a Scottish football manager and former player who spent most of his career with Heart of Midlothian and Airdrieonians. Playing career A left-sided defender or midfielder, Black began his playi ...
(2006–2010) * Jimmy Boyle (2010–2013) *
Gary Bollan Gary Bollan (born 24 March 1973) is a Scottish professional football player and coach. He played for Dundee United (two spells), Rangers, Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan), St Johnstone, Livingston, Motherwell, Clyde, Brechin City and Carnou ...
(2013–2015) *
Eddie Wolecki Black Edward Wolecki Black (born 13 March 1965) is a Scottish football player and manager. He was director of football at West of Scotland Football League club Gartcairn Juniors and has also previously managed Forfar West End, Lochee United, Montr ...
(22 December 2015 – 31 October 2016) *
Danny Lennon Danny Lennon (born 6 April 1969) is a Scottish football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Scottish League One club Clyde. In his playing career he is best known for his spells at Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle. H ...
(10 March 2016 – June 2016) **Lennon was appointed Acting Head Coach from March 2016 until May 2016, whilst manager Wolecki Black recovered from an illness. *
Kevin McBride Kevin Martin McBride (born 10 May 1973) is an Irish former professional boxerMcBr ...
(June 2016–30 October 2016) **McBride was originally appointed Acting Head Coach from June 2016 until such time as Eddie Wolecki Black was fit and able to return to work after suffering from a stroke (away to Cowdenbeath in March 2016). * Mark Wilson (31 October 2016 – 17 June 2017) * Willie Aitchison (4 August 2017 – 20 August 2017) *
Stevie Findlay Stevie Findlay is a Scottish football manager who was first-team coach of Airdrieonians. Airdrieonians Following coaching experience of the under-20s at the club, Findlay was appointed First-Team Coach of Scottish League One side Airdrieonian ...
(29 September 2017–8 October 2018) * Ian Murray (19 October 2018 – 24 May 2022) *
Rhys McCabe Rhys McCabe (born 24 July 1992) is a Scottish footballer and coach who plays as a central midfielder, and is the player-manager for Airdrieonians. McCabe started his senior career with Rangers. McCabe has also played for Dunfermline Athletic ...
(26 May 2022–)


Coaching staff

*Manager:
Rhys McCabe Rhys McCabe (born 24 July 1992) is a Scottish footballer and coach who plays as a central midfielder, and is the player-manager for Airdrieonians. McCabe started his senior career with Rangers. McCabe has also played for Dunfermline Athletic ...
*Assistant Manager:
Callum Fordyce Callum Fordyce (born 23 June 1992) is a Scottish people, Scottish professional association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back, and is a Player-coach, player-assistant manager for Airdrie ...
*First Team Coach:
Bryan Prunty Bryan Prunty (born 12 January 1983) is a Scottish former footballer who is currently on the backroom staff at Scottish Championship club Airdrieonians. Career Club Prunty began his career with Celtic, but he failed to make a senior appearance. ...
*Goalkeeping Coach: David Hutton *Logistics Manager: Gordon Thomson *Head of Academy:
Alan Gow Alan Gow (born 9 October 1982) is a Scottish former footballer. As a player he played as either a striker or an attacking midfielder. Gow started his senior career with his hometown club Clydebank, and continued with Airdrie United after th ...


Boardroom

*Chairman: Martin Ferguson *Directors: Sam Greene, Paul Hetherington, David McArthur, Scott Russell, Gordon Watson *Honorary President: Ian McMillan


Club honours & records


Honours

*
Scottish League Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SF ...
: Winners: 2003–04 Runners up: 2007–08 *
Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2008–09 Runners up: 2003–04 * North Lanarkshire Cup: Winners: 2022 * Meldrum Cup: Winners: 2015


Records


Official club awards


Player of the Year


Hall of Fame

A ''Hall of Fame'' was established by the new club in 2002 to honour noted players of the previous entity (some of whom also played for the new club), with more entrants added each year. *
Evan Balfour Evan Balfour (born 9 September 1965) is a Scottish footballer, who played in the Scottish Football League for Airdrieonians and Ayr United. Balfour played for Airdrieonians in the 1992 Scottish Cup Final The 1992 Scottish Cup Final was playe ...
*John Ballantyne *Rose Ballantyne *
Jim Black Jim Black is an American jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas. He attended Berklee College of Music. Career His band AlasNoAxis includes Hilmar Jensson on electric guitar, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clarine ...
* Jimmy Boyle *
Drew Busby Andrew Douglas Busby (8 December 1947 – 1 July 2022) was a Scottish footballer who played for Third Lanark, Airdrieonians, Hearts, Toronto Blizzard and Morton. Busby also served Queen of the South as their player-manager. Career Busby st ...
* Antonio Calderon *
Sandy Clark Alexander "Sandy" Clark (born 28 October 1956) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently manager of Lowland League side East Stirlingshire. Career Clark played for several clubs in his playing career inclu ...
* Sammy Conn * James Connor * Steve Cooper * Jimmy Crapnell *Jack Dalziel *
Tommy Duncan Thomas Elmer Duncan (January 11, 1911 – July 25, 1967), was an American Western swing vocalist and songwriter who gained fame in the 1930s as a founding member of The Texas Playboys. He recorded and toured with bandleader Bob Wills on and o ...
*
Stephen Docherty Stephen Docherty (born 18 February 1976) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He previously played in the Scottish Football League for Partick Thistle and Clydebank. He also played for both Airdrieonians and their re-inacarnation Ai ...
* Bobby Flavell * John Flood *Tom Forsyth *
Hughie Gallacher Hugh Kilpatrick Gallacher (2 February 1903 – 11 June 1957) was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 goals, playing senior league football for Airdrieonians, Newcastle United, Chelsea, ...
*
Sam Goodwin Samuel Gourlay Goodwin (14 March 1943 – 9 March 2005) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Airdrieonians, Crystal Palace, Motherwell and Clydebank. He was later manager of Albion Rovers Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professi ...
*
Stevie Gray Stephen "Stevie" Gray (born 7 February 1967 in Glasgow;Paul Jack Paul Jack (born 15 May 1965) is a former professional footballer, best known for playing for the Airdrieonians teams of the 1990s. Managerial career He was appointed manager of Bathgate Thistle in June 2009, but was sacked after 6 months in ch ...
*
Drew Jarvie Andrew Jarvie (born 5 October 1948 in Annathill, North Lanarkshire) is a Scottish former footballer, known mostly for his time with Aberdeen At Aberdeen he made 386 appearances (53 as substitute) and scored 131 goals as well winning the Scottish ...
* Paul Jonquin *Jackie Keenan *
Walter Kidd Walter Kidd (born 10 March 1958) is a Scottish former professional football player, who played most of his career as right-back for Heart of Midlothian In total, he represented Hearts as a player for 15 years. Known for his tough tackling a ...
*
John Lapsley Air Marshal Sir John Hugh Lapsley, (24 September 1916 – 21 November 1995) was a British fighter pilot of the Second World War and, later, a senior Royal Air Force commander. RAF career Lapsely joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Appr ...
* Alan Lawrence *
Lawrie Leslie Lawrence Grant Leslie (17 March 1935 – 4 June 2019) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Hibernian, Airdrie, West Ham United, Stoke City, Millwall and Southend United. Internationally, he represented Scotlan ...
* Paul Lovering * Alex MacDonald *
Roddy McKenzie Roderick McKenzie (born 8 August 1975) is a Scottish retired professional association footballer who played as goalkeeper. He is currently a coach at Thorniewood United in the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region after leaving Q ...
*
Jim March Jim March (born 21 April 1954) is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Airdrieonians and Ayr United in the Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football ...
* John Martin * Kevin McCann *
Willie McCulloch Willie McCulloch (born 2 April 1973 in Baillieston, Glasgow) is a Scottish professional football goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a ...
*
Brian McKeown Brian McKeown (born 31 October 1956) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a central defender for Fauldhouse United, Airdrieonians, Queen of the South and Shotts Bon Accord. See also * List of footballers in Scotland by number of lea ...
*
Stephen McKeown Stephen James McKeown (born 17 July 1981) is a Scottish retired Association football, footballer who played as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder. Career McKeown was raised in the Fernhill, South Lanarkshire, Fernhill dis ...
* Ian McMillan *
Brian McPhee Brian McPhee (born 23 October 1970 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish retired footballer who last played for Wishaw Juniors. He had a long career as a striker in the Scottish Football League with several clubs. Career McPhee joined Queen's ...
* Tommy Murray * Frank O'Rourke *Bobby Ramsey *
Jimmy Reid James Reid (9 July 1932 – 10 August 2010) was a Scottish trade union activist, orator, politician and journalist born in Govan, Glasgow. His role as spokesman and one of the leaders in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in between June 1971 a ...
*John Reid *Jim Rodger *Joey Rowan *
Willie Russell William Fraser Russell (born 6 December 1901 in Falkirk) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside right. He scored both goals for Airdrieonians in the 1924 Scottish Cup Final. Playing career Airdrieonians He formed part o ...
*
Jimmy Sandison Jimmy Sandison (born 22 June 1965) is a Scottish former footballer best known for his time spent at Heart of Midlothian and Airdrieonians. Career Sandison was brought up in the Pennywell area of Edinburgh and attended school locally. He sign ...
* Bob Scott * Matt Scott * Andy Smith * Sandy Stewart *
Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...
*Jimmy Welch *
Derek Whiteford David "Derek" Whiteford (born 13 May 1947 in Salsburgh) was a Scottish football player and manager. He played for Hibernian, Airdrieonians, Dumbarton and Falkirk.
* Billy Wilson


See also

*
Section B Section B are a group of football supporters who follow Airdrieonians F.C., and before the current club's formation in 2002, followed the original Airdrieonians. The group, formed in 1977, have been well known throughout Scottish football for ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Football clubs in Scotland Football in North Lanarkshire Association football clubs established in 2002 2002 establishments in Scotland Scottish Football League teams Scottish Challenge Cup winners Scottish Professional Football League teams Phoenix clubs (association football) Sports team relocations Airdrie, North Lanarkshire