Before the
South of Scotland Football League
The South of Scotland Football League (SoSFL) is a senior football league based in south-west Scotland. The league sits at level 6 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Founded in 1946, it i ...
was formed in 1946, there had been previous attempts to introduce league competitions in the
Dumfries and Galloway region of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
since the 1890s. These early attempts invariably foundered because of the very small townships in the area and a tendency for the clubs to concentrate on the myriad of cup competitions that were in operation.
The various leagues are detailed below.
South of Scotland League
This league ran in 1892–93. The member clubs were:
5th Kirkcudbrightshire Rifle Volunteers,
Queen of the South Wanderers,
Mauchline
Mauchline (; gd, Maghlinn) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial.
Location
The town lies by the Glasgow and South West ...
,
Cronberry Eglinton,
Lugar Boswell,
Springbank and
Lanemark. The competition was abandoned without being completed.
Stewartry Football League
A
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative count ...
based league, this competition was formed in 1894–95 by
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Barholm Rovers,
6th Galloway Rifle Volunteers,
Vale of Fleet and
Douglas Wanderers. The first season's competition was once again unfinished.
In 1895–96
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Douglas Wanderers and
Barholm Rovers were the sole entrants and finished in that order.
The league's last season, 1896–97, saw
Barholm Rovers replaced by the returning
6th Galloway Rifle Volunteers, who duly won the St Cuthbert's Cup.
Kirkcudbrightshire Football League
In 1920–21 this competition is known to have included
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Dalbeattie Star,
Creetown
Creetown (, sometimes ) is a small seaside town in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Galloway in the Dumfries and Galloway council area in south-west Scotland. Its population is about 750 people. It is situated near the head of Wigtown Bay, ...
and
Douglas Wanderers.
In 1921, it was renamed the Stewartry Football League, with
Vale of Fleet replacing
Dalbeattie Star.
Southern Counties Football League
Clubs known to have competed in this league are as follows:
*1897–98:
Newton Stewart Athletic,
Dumfries,
Nithsdale
Nithsdale (''Srath Nid'' in Scottish Gaelic), also known as Strathnith, Stranith or Stranit, is the strath or dale of the River Nith in southern Scotland. Nithsdale was one of the medieval provinces of Scotland. The provinces gradually lost the ...
,
Douglas Wanderers,
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Dumfries Hibernians,
Border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
and
6th Galloway Rifle Volunteers.
Moffat
Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town.
...
,
Thornhill and
Vale Of Dryfe all resigned.
*1910–11:
Douglas Wanderers,
5th King's Own Scottish Borderers,
Dalbeattie Star,
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Mid-Annandale and
Dumfries Amateurs.
*1914–15:
5th King's Own Scottish Borderers,
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Solway Star,
Thornhill,
Dumfries,
Dumfries Amateurs,
Mid-Annandale and
Dalbeattie Star.
*1921–22:
Mid-Annandale,
Solway Star,
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Thornhill,
Dalbeattie Star and
Queen of the South 'A'.
*1922–23:
Mid-Annandale,
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Thornhill and
Dalbeattie Star.
*1924–25:
Dalbeattie Star,
St Cuthbert Wanderers,
Stranraer,
Newton Stewart
Newton Stewart ( Gd: ''Baile Ùr nan Stiùbhartach'') is a former burgh town in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.
The town is on the River Cree with most of the town to the west of the river, and ...
and
Douglas Wanderers.
Champions 1892–93 to 1924–25
''Key: SoS - South of Scotland League, Stew - Stewartry League, SCos - Southern Counties League, Wig - Wigtownshire League, Kirk - Kirkcudbrightshire League''
Southern Counties League (2nd incarnation)
In 1927, the Southern Counties Football League was re-formed.
Member clubs
*
Creetown
Creetown (, sometimes ) is a small seaside town in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, in Galloway in the Dumfries and Galloway council area in south-west Scotland. Its population is about 750 people. It is situated near the head of Wigtown Bay, ...
*
Dalbeattie Star
*
Douglas Wanderers
*
Garlieston
*
Mid-Annandale
*
Newton Stewart
Newton Stewart ( Gd: ''Baile Ùr nan Stiùbhartach'') is a former burgh town in the historical county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland.
The town is on the River Cree with most of the town to the west of the river, and ...
*
Nithsdale Wanderers
*
Queen of the South
*
St Cuthbert Wanderers
*
Solway Star
*
Stranraer
*
Stranraer 'A'
*
Tarff Rovers
*
Thornhill
*
Whithorn
Whithorn ( ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christia ...
*
Wigtown & Bladnoch
Champions
References
{{Reflist
Dumfries
Football in Dumfries and Galloway
History of football in Scotland