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 ...
club currently playing 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 (, ...
. They are based in the
Cove Bay
Cove Bay, known locally as Cove, is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Today Cove is home to around 8,000 people. It is a popular residential location owing to its village-like status. It is a quiet suburb at the Southern ed ...
area of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
and play their football at
Balmoral Stadium
Balmoral Stadium is a Association football, football ground located in the Cove Bay area of Aberdeen, Scotland. Opened in 2018, it is the home ground of club Cove Rangers F.C., Cove Rangers. From 2021, it is being shared by Scottish Women's Pre ...
, having left their former home at Allan Park in April 2015.
History
Cove were formed in 1922 and played in the local amateur leagues until 1985, when they became a
junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
* ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009
* ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010
* ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019
Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
team. However, the club applied and were accepted to the
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
Highland Football League
The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system
The Scottish football league syst ...
in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, where they played until winning promotion to Scottish Football League division 2 in May 2019, after beating
Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland.
Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...
7–0 on aggregate in the pyramid playoff. They have also racked up a formidable reputation in the lower rounds of the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Highland League,
Aberdeenshire Shield
The Aberdeenshire Shield, like the Aberdeenshire Cup, is a competition for Aberdeenshire Football clubs. The competition was first held in 1990–91 Highland Football League season and the winners were Cove Rangers.
The Aberdeenshire Shiel ...
and
Scottish Qualifying Cup
The Scottish Qualifying Cup was a football competition played in Scotland between 1895 and 2007. During that time, apart from a brief spell in the 1950s, it was the only way for non-league teams to qualify for the Scottish Cup. The Qualifying Cup w ...
.
In the 2007–08 season, Cove reached round four of the Scottish Cup for the first time, beating
Brora Rangers
Brora Rangers Football Club are a Scottish football club from the village of Brora, Sutherland, in the Highland council area of Scotland. They play in the Highland Football League, of which they have been champions four times, having won their ...
away 5–0,
Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Keith (surname)
* Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949)
* Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...
3–0 and
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
1–0 on the way, before losing 4–2 to Ross County.
However, the south
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
side claimed their second ever Highland League Championship with a 3–0 home win against
Lossiemouth
Lossiemouth ( gd, Inbhir Losaidh) is a town in Moray, Scotland. Originally the port belonging to Elgin, it became an important fishing town. Although there has been over 1,000 years of settlement in the area, the present day town was formed over ...
on 3 May 2008.
Cove Rangers were one of the clubs who prepared an application for entry into 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 ...
Spartans
Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...
. Annan Athletic were eventually awarded the place, due to their superior facilities.
One of the club's most famous players is the young Scottish midfielder
Paul Coutts
Paul Alexander Coutts (born 22 July 1988) is a Scottish footballer who plays for League One club Bristol Rovers. A product of the Scottish Highland Football League, Coutts' first senior professional club was his home town club, Cove Rangers who ...
who joined English
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
during the summer of 2008 for a nominal fee. Coutts won the club's ''Young Player of the Year'' award for the 2008–09 season and won eight caps for the Scotland under-21 squad, after being touted for a call up by his former manager
Darren Ferguson
Darren Ferguson (born 9 February 1972) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Championship club Peterborough United. In between his stints with Peterborough, he also managed Preston N ...
.
In
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
the club regained their Highland League crown. Due to the introduction of the 'pyramid system' in Scottish football, Cove elected to say goodbye to their Allan Park home due to the stadium not meeting
SPFL
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 we ...
minimum stadia requirements. This in turn meant the club played all of their games at an away ground with Inverurie Locos,
Formartine United
Formartine United Football Club are a Scottish senior association football club from Pitmedden, Aberdeenshire currently playing in the Highland Football League. They joined the Highland League for the 2009–10 season, having been accepted ...
and Banks O'Dee offering the use of their facilities so the club could compete. Cove went on to win the league and advance to the first play-off game against the winner of the
Lowland League
The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior association football, football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, actin ...
, Edinburgh City. The tie was won by City 4–1 on aggregate who subsequently progressed to
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was ...
after beating
East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish association football club based in the town of Falkirk. The club was founded in 1881 and competes in the , in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. The club's origins ca ...
Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, just south of the border with Scotland.
Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite hailing fr ...
7–0 on aggregate in the League Two play-off.
In their first season in the
SPFL
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 we ...
, they won League Two after the season was terminated early due to the
Coronavirus 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 identified ...
. This resulted in back-to-back promotions for Cove, with the club gaining promotion to SPFL League One for the first time.
Promotion to the Championship
In their first League One campaign, Cove narrowly lost out on promotion by 4 points to eventual winners
Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...
, finishing 3rd in the League and losing 4–3 on aggregate to
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 ...
in the Play-offs.
In the following season, Cove won the League One title by 7 points, only losing 3 league games all season, securing promotion to 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 (, ...
for the first time in their history.
Stadium
From 1948 to 2015, Cove played at Allan Park, which was located in
Cove
A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...
. The ground had a capacity of 2300 spectators, with 200 on seats or benches. Its largest attendance was 2,100, in the league playoff in 2008–09 vs
Deveronvale
Deveronvale Football Club are a senior association football club currently playing the Highland Football League in Scotland. They were founded in 1938 and play their football at the Princess Royal Park in the town of Banff, (formerly Banffs ...
which they won 3–1 to lift the league title for the third year running. Allan Park was named after a local farmer, who sold the club the land on which they built the ground in 1948.
On Friday, 30 July 2010, an article was placed in the local Aberdeen paper, the ''Evening Express'' that Stewart Milne, the chairman of
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the Scottish Premiership and have never been relegated from the top division of the Scottish football league system since they were ...
, had bought Allan Park. This scheme was thrown into doubt, however, when
Aberdeen City Council
gd, Comhairle Cathair Obar Dheathain
, native_name_lang =
, other_name =
, image_skyline = Town House, Municipal Offices and Court Houses in Aberdeen.jpg
, image_caption ...
rejected an application by the two clubs to build a new ground for Cove Rangers that Aberdeen would also have used as a training ground. Nevertheless, on 18 April 2015, Cove Rangers played their final game at Allan Park following progress being made with Aberdeen City Council in terms of planning permission. In this game Cove marked their departure with a 4–0 victory over Fort William. Allan Park had been bought by housing developers for a figure believed to be around the £3m mark. The sale also included a social club, also owned by the football club, which closed its doors the following day.
Cove then began construction of their revised new stadium. The new facility, known as '
Balmoral Stadium
Balmoral Stadium is a Association football, football ground located in the Cove Bay area of Aberdeen, Scotland. Opened in 2018, it is the home ground of club Cove Rangers F.C., Cove Rangers. From 2021, it is being shared by Scottish Women's Pre ...
' is located next to a new secondary school, with the merging of
Kincorth
Kincorth is a suburb located to the south of Aberdeen, Scotland. The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic "Ceann Coirthe", which probably refers to an old pillar or standing stone (''coirthe''). Kincorth is known as the garden estate of ...
and Torry Academies into one larger school. In a clause made by Aberdeen City Council, this new school will have access to the new stadium's artificial pitch.
In July 2018, Cove moved into the Balmoral Stadium, having played home games at
Inverurie Loco Works
Inverurie Loco Works Football Club are a senior semi-professional football club from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who currently play in the Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL).
The club was founded in 1903 by workmen from the Great ...
' ground in the intervening period. The first match at the Balmoral Stadium took place on 16 July 2018, but had to be abandoned after a Cove player was seriously injured.
Honours
;
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 ...
Scottish League Two
The Scottish League Two, known as cinch League Two for sponsorship reasons, is the fourth tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League Two was ...
Highland Football League
The Scottish Highland Football League (SHFL, commonly known as the Highland League) is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system
The Scottish football league syst ...
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Highland League Cup
The Highland League Cup is a knock-out tournament contested since 1946 by football clubs in the Highland Football League.
Brora Rangers are the current holders, while Keith
Keith may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Keith (given ...
Aberdeenshire Cup
The Aberdeenshire Cup is a Scottish football tournament for all senior clubs affiliated to the Aberdeenshire and District Football Association (ADFA), being clubs from the historic counties of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire. The Aberdeenshire C ...
*Winners (3) : 2001–02, 2010–11, 2018–19
;
Aberdeenshire Shield
The Aberdeenshire Shield, like the Aberdeenshire Cup, is a competition for Aberdeenshire Football clubs. The competition was first held in 1990–91 Highland Football League season and the winners were Cove Rangers.
The Aberdeenshire Shiel ...
*Winners (4): 1990–91, 2000–01, 2008–09, 2017–18
; Scottish Qualifying Cup (North)
*Winners (2): 1990–91, 2000–01
; Aberdeenshire League
*Winners (6): 2000–01, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15
;Inter-League Trophy
*Winners: 2001–02
;North Junior League First Division
*Winners: 1985–86
Current squad
''As of 19 January 2023''
On loan
Club officials
Technical staff
*Manager:
Paul Hartley
Paul Hartley (born 19 October 1976) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the manager of Scottish Championship side Cove Rangers.
As a player, Hartley won trophies with both Hearts and ...
Derek Soutar
Derek Soutar (born 4 June 1981, in Dundee) is a Scottish professional football goalkeeper.
Career
Soutar began his career with Dundee and had loan spells with Brechin City and Alloa Athletic.
He signed for Aberdeen in July 2006. Things loo ...
*Fitness Coach: Tam Ritchie
*Head of Youth Development: Gary Hake
*Performance Analyst: Ryan Docherty
*Physiotherapist: Aimee Clark
*Kitman: Adrian Thomson
Management
*Honorary President: Alan McRae
*Chairman: Keith Moorhouse
*Vice Chairman/Finance Director: Graeme Reid
*Director: Darren Anderson
*Director: Grant Moorhouse
*Commercial Manager: Angela Bruce
*Head of Media & Communications: Richard Gordon
*Club Secretary/Stadium Manager: Duncan Little
*Director of Football:
John Sheran
John Sheran (born 8 August 1960, in Torphins) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager.
Sheran made over 300 playing appearances in the Scottish Football League for Montrose F.C., Mon ...
The club's honorary president Alan McRae served as SFA president from 2015 to 2019.