Hibernian Football Club (), commonly known as Hibs, is a 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 ...

club based in the

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

area of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland. The club plays in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

, the top tier 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). The club was founded in 1875 by members of Edinburgh's Irish community, and named after the Roman word for Ireland. Nowadays, while the Irish heritage of Hibernian is still reflected in the name, colours and badge, support for the club is now based more on geography than ethnicity or religion. Their local rivals are Heart of Midlothian, with whom they contest the

Edinburgh derby The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian (Hibs), the two oldest professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce r ...

. Home matches are played at

Easter Road Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian (Hibs). The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of , which makes it the fifth-larges ...

, which has been in use since 1893, when the club joined 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 ...

. The name of the club is regularly shortened to ''Hibs'', with the team also being known as ''The Hibees'' (pronounced ) and supporters known as ''Hibbies''. Another nickname is ''The Cabbage'', derived from the shortened

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...

for Hibs (" Cabbage and Ribs"). Hibernian have won the

Scottish league championship The Scottish League Championship (currently the Tennents League Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic rugby union league system within Scotland. Operated by the Scottish Rugby Union, the championship was founded in 1973 as the fi ...

four times, most recently in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. Three of those four championships were won between 1948 and 1952, when the club had the services of

The Famous Five ''The Famous Five'' is a series of children's Adventure fiction, adventure novels and short stories written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, ''Five on a Treasure Island'', was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures ...

, a notable

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

line. The club have won the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

, and

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 ...

, with the latter victory ending a notorious drought. Hibs have also won 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 ...

three times, in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, and

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. Hibernian reached the semi-final of the first ever

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

in 1955–56, becoming the first British side to participate in European competition; they reached the same stage of the

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European Association football, football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecess ...

in 1960–61.

History

Foundation and early history (1875–1939)

The club was founded in 1875 by Irishmen living in the

Cowgate The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...

area of

. The name ''Hibernian'' (deriving from

Hibernia ''Hibernia'' () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (c. 320 BC), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). ...

, an ancient name for Ireland), the colour green, the

Gaelic harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great ...

and the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

phrase ''

Erin Go Bragh Erin go Bragh ( ), sometimes Erin go Braugh, is the anglicisation of an Irish language phrase, , and is used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is most often translated as "Ireland Forever." Origin ''Erin go Bragh'' is an anglicisation of ...

'' (meaning ''Ireland Forever'') were adopted as symbols early on. Founder Fr.

Edward Joseph Hannan Canon Edward Joseph Hannan (Irish: ''Éamonn Seosamh Ó hAnnáin'') (1836–1891) was an Irish-born priest, mainly remembered as the founder of Hibernian Football Club in Edinburgh. Life He was born in Ballingarry, County Limerick on 21 June 1 ...

was the first president of the club and Michael Whelahan its first team captain.

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

, the famous

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and

Irish Republican Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The develop ...

leader, was a Hibs fan, while the club were "closely identified" with the

Irish Home Rule Movement The Irish Home Rule movement was a movement that campaigned for self-government (or "home rule") for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was the dominant political movement of Irish nationalism from 1870 to the e ...

during the 1880s. There was some

sectarian Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...

resistance initially to an Irish club participating in

Scottish football Association football ( sco, fitbaa, gd, ball-coise) is one of the national sports of Scotland and the most popular sport in the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scot ...

, but Hibs established themselves as a force in Scottish football in the 1880s. Hibs were the first club from the east coast of Scotland to win a major trophy, the 1887 Scottish Cup. They went on to defeat

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

, who had reached the semi-finals of the 1887 FA Cup, in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

described as the '' Association Football Championship of the World Decider''. Mismanagement over the next few years led to Hibs becoming homeless and the club temporarily ceased operating in 1891. A lease on the

site was acquired in late 1892 and Hibs played its first match at Easter Road on 4 February 1893. 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. The club were admitted to the

in 1893, although they had to win the Second Division twice before being elected into the First Division in 1895. A significant change at this time was that players were no longer required to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society. Hibs are not seen today as being an Irish or

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

institution, as it was in the early years of its history. For instance, the

Irish harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring great ...

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 (the

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

) and

(the ship). Geography rather than ethnicity or religion is now seen as the primary reason for supporting Hibs, who draw most of their support from the north and east of Edinburgh. Hibs had some success after being reformed, winning the 1902 Scottish Cup and their first league championship a year later. After this, however, the club endured a long barren spell. The club lost its placing in the league, and were

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

for the first time in 1931, although they were promoted back to the top division two years later. The notorious Scottish Cup drought began as they reached three cup finals, two in consecutive years, but lost each of them.

The Famous Five (1939–1959)

Hibs' most successful era was in the decade following the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when it was "among the foremost clubs in Britain". The

line of

Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...

Bobby Johnstone Robert Johnstone (7 September 1929 – 22 August 2001) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Selkirk, Hibernian, Manchester City, Oldham Athletic and Witton Albion. Johnstone also represented Scotland and the Scottish League. Johnstone ...

Lawrie Reilly Lawrance Reilly (28 October 1928 – 22 July 2013) was a Scottish footballer. He was one of the " Famous Five", the Hibernian forward line during the late 1940s and early 1950s, along with Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Eddie Turnbull, and W ...

Eddie Turnbull Edward Hunter Turnbull (12 April 1923 – 30 April 2011) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He played as a forward for Hibernian and Scotland, forming part of the Hibs " Famous Five" forward line. He then had successful sp ...

and

Willie Ormond William Esplin Ormond (23 February 1927 – 4 May 1984) was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s an ...

, collectively known as

the Famous Five ''The Famous Five'' is a series of children's Adventure fiction, adventure novels and short stories written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, ''Five on a Treasure Island'', was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures ...

, was "regarded as the finest ever seen in Scottish football". Each of the Famous Five scored more than 100 goals for Hibs. The north stand at

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 from

Stenhousemuir Stenhousemuir (; gd, Featha Thaigh nan Clach) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies within the Falkirk (council area), Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town is north-northwest of Falkirk and directly adjoins to Larbert in ...

. Reilly, Johnstone, Smith and Turnbull were all signed from youth or junior leagues. In the first season of competitive football after the Second World War, Hibs reached the 1947 Scottish Cup Final. They took an early lead in the match, but went on to lose 2–1 to

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 ...

. With Reilly added to the first team in 1947–48, Hibs won the

for the first time since 1903. This was achieved despite the death of team manager

Willie McCartney Willie McCartney (date of birth unknown — 24 January 1948) was a Scotland, Scottish association football, football referee and manager (association football), manager. He managed both of the Edinburgh derby rivals, Heart of Midlothian F.C ...

in January 1948. McCartney was succeeded by

Hugh Shaw Hugh Shaw may refer to: * Hugh Shaw (British Army officer) (1839–1904), recipient of the Victoria Cross * Hugh Shaw (footballer, born 1896) (1896–1976), Scottish football player and manager (Hibernian) * Hugh Shaw (footballer, born 1929), S ...

, who added Johnstone to the first team during 1948. Hibs finished third in the league in 1948–49. In a

against Nithsdale Wanderers on 21 April 1949, Hibs included all of the famous five players in the same team for the first time. They then made their collective competitive debut on 15 October 1949, in a 2–0 win against Queen of the South. 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 as

Tommy Younger Thomas Younger (10 April 1930 – 13 January 1984) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Hibernian, Liverpool, Falkirk, Leeds United, Stoke City and the Scotland national team. Career Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Younger s ...

and

Bobby Combe James Robert Combe (29 January 1924 – 19 January 1991) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Hibernian and was player/manager of Dumbarton for one season. He also represented Scotland and the Scottish Football League XI. A schoolboy inter ...

, Hibs won the league by 10 points (when two points were awarded for each win). They reached the

1950 Scottish League Cup Final The 1950 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 28 October 1950, at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the fifth Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Hibernian and Motherwell. Motherwell won the match 3–0 t ...

. Turnbull had scored a hattrick in the semi-final but was unavailable for the final.

Jimmy Bradley Jimmy Bradley (21 March 1927 – 26 November 2008) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Hibernian, Third Lanark, Shrewsbury Town, Headington United, Gravesend & Northfleet and Dumbarton. Bradley made only first team appearance for Hibern ...

started at left wing with Ormond moved to inside left. Motherwell beat them 3–0. Hibs retained the league championship in 1951–52, this time winning by four points. Hibs were narrowly denied a third consecutive title in 1952–53 on the last day of the season. A late Rangers equaliser against Queen of the South took the title to Ibrox on

goal average A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...

. The Famous Five forward line remained in place until March 1955, when Johnstone was sold to

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

. Despite only finishing fifth in the Scottish League in 1955, Hibs were invited to participate in the first season of the

, which was not strictly based on league positions at that time. Eighteen clubs who were thought would generate interest across Europe and who also had the

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is Night game, being held during low-li ...

necessary to play games at night, were invited to participate. Floodlights had been used at

for the first time in a

against Hearts on 18 October 1954. Hibs became the first British club in Europe because the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

secretary

Alan Hardaker Alan Hardaker OBE (29 July 1912Biographical details
such as date of birth, wife's ...

persuaded

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, the English champions, not to enter. Hibs played their first tie against

Rot-Weiss Essen Rot-Weiss Essen is a German association football club based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, at the Stadion an der Hafenstraße. The team won the DFB-Pokal in 1953, and the German championship in 195 ...

, winning 4–0 in the

Georg-Melches-Stadion Georg-Melches-Stadion was a stadium in Essen, Germany. It was built in 1923, renovated to the former state in 1939, 1948 and 1954 and had a capacity of 30,000. Due to safety reasons this was reduced to 15,000 from 1994 onwards. It was used, mo ...

and drawing 1–1 at Easter Road. They defeated

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Name The club is named ...

to reach the semi-final, but in that tie they were defeated 3–0 on

aggregate Aggregate or aggregates may refer to: Computing and mathematics * collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...

Stade Reims Stade de Reims () is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2018. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Aug ...

, who had the famous France international player

Raymond Kopa Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three Eu ...

in their side. Reims lost 4–3 to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Turnbull's Tornadoes (1960–1989)

Hibs frequently participated in the

Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup (no ...

during the 1960s, winning ties against

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. However, the club achieved little domestically until former player

was persuaded to return to Easter Road as

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

in 1971. The team, popularly known as ''Turnbull's Tornadoes'', finished second in the league in 1974 and 1975, and won the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

in 1972. The club also won the

Drybrough Cup The Drybrough Cup was a Scottish annual football tournament. It was held from 1971 until 1974, and was revived from 1979 to 1980. It was open to the four highest-scoring teams from Division 1, and the four highest-scoring teams from Division 2. Th ...

in 1972 and 1973, and recorded a 7–0 win over

rivals Hearts at Tynecastle on 1 January 1973. Performances went into decline after the mid-1970s, as Hibs were replaced by the New Firm of

and

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

as the main challengers to the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...

. Turnbull resigned as manager and Hibs were

, for the second time in their history, in 1980. They were immediately

promoted Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

back to the

Scottish Premier Division The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system. It lay above the Scottish Football League First, Second and (from 1994) Th ...

in 1981, but the club struggled during the 1980s, failing to qualify for European competition until 1989.

1990s: Attempted takeover by Hearts

After mismanagement during the late 1980s, Hibs were on the brink of financial ruin in 1990.

Wallace Mercer Alexander Wallace Mercer (4 June 1946 – 17 January 2006) was chairman of the Scottish football club Heart of Midlothian from 1981 to 1994. Hearts Mercer became chairman on 25 May 1981 when he bought a controlling interest in Hearts for £265,00 ...

, the chairman of Hearts, proposed a merger of the two clubs, but the Hibs fans believed that the proposal was more like a

hostile takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...

. They formed the ''Hands off Hibs'' group to campaign for the continued existence of the club. This succeeded when a prominent local businessman,

Kwik-Fit Kwik Fit is a car servicing and repair company in the United Kingdom, specialising in tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT testing, car servicing, air conditioning recharge, oil changes. As of , there are over six hundred Kwik Fit locations in the Uni ...

owner Sir

Tom Farmer Sir Thomas Farmer, (born 10 July 1940) is a Scottish entrepreneur. Early life One of seven siblings in a devoutly Catholic family, in 1964 Farmer founded his own tyre retailing business which he sold in 1969 for £450,000. Farmer retired to ...

, acquired a controlling interest in Hibs. The fans were able to persuade Farmer to take control despite the fact that he had no great interest in football. 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. After the attempted takeover by Mercer, Hibs had a few good years in the early 1990s, winning the 1991 Scottish League Cup Final and finishing in the top five in the league in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Soon after

Alex McLeish Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for ...

was appointed as

in 1998, Hibs were

to the First Division, but immediately won promotion back to the

SPL SPL may refer to: Association football * Saudi Professional League * Scottish Premier League * SportPesa Premier League, Kenya * Singapore Premier League * RoboCup Standard Platform League, matches between autonomous robots Computing Program ...

in 1999.

2000s: "Golden generation"

Hibs enjoyed a good season in 2000–01 as they finished third in the league and reached the 2001 Scottish Cup Final, which was lost 3–0 to

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 ...

. Manager

departed for Rangers in December 2001; team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Franck Sauzée Franck Gaston Henri Sauzée (born 28 October 1965) is a French former professional footballer and manager. He played 39 times for the France national team between 1988 and 1993, scoring nine goals and captaining the team several times. He achiev ...

was appointed as the new manager, despite the fact that he had no previous coaching experience. A terrible run of form followed and Sauzée was fired after being in charge for 69 days.

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. ...

manager

Bobby Williamson Robert Williamson (born 13 August 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish football player and manager. Williamson played as a striker for Clydebank, Rangers, West Bromwich Albion, Rotherham United and Kilmarnock. He then became a manager at Kilma ...

was then hired, but he proved to be unpopular with Hibs supporters. However, a " golden generation" of exciting young players emerged, including

Garry O'Connor Garry Lawrence John O'Connor (born 7 May 1983) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He played for Hibernian, Peterhead, Lokomotiv Moscow, Barnsley, Tom Tomsk, Birmingham City, Greenock Morton and represented Scotland. O'Connor began ...

Derek Riordan Derek George Riordan (born 16 January 1983) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker. He has been capped three times by the Scotland national team. Riordan started his career with Hibernian in 2001 and had a brief spell o ...

Kevin Thomson Kevin Thomson (born 14 October 1984) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. Thomson played as a midfielder for Hibernian (three spells), Rangers, Middlesbrough and Dundee and represented Scotland. Thomson began his car ...

and

Scott Brown Scott Brown may refer to: Sportsmen *Scott Brown (American football), American college football coach of Kentucky State * Scott Brown (baseball) (born 1956), former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds *Scott Brown (footballer, bor ...

. These players featured heavily as Hibs eliminated both halves of the

to reach the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final, only to lose 2–0 to

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 ...

. Williamson departed near the end of that season to manage

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

and was replaced by

Tony Mowbray Anthony Mark Mowbray (born 22 November 1963) is an English former professional footballer who is currently the manager of Sunderland. Mowbray played for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich Town as a defender. He began his coaching career with Ip ...

. Hibs finished third in his first season as manager, while Mowbray won the

SFWA Manager of the Year The Scottish Football Writers' Association Manager of the Year (often called the SFWA Manager of the Year, or simply the Scottish Manager of the Year) award is given to the manager in Scottish football who is seen to have been the best manager of ...

award.

Mowbray left Hibs in October 2006 to manage

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

, and was replaced by former player John Collins. The team won the 2007 Scottish League Cup Final under his management, but the club sold

and

Steven Whittaker Steven Gordon Whittaker (born 16 June 1984) is a Scottish former professional footballer and coach, who is currently an assistant manager with Fleetwood Town. He played as a defender. Whittaker began his career with Hibernian and made over 17 ...

for fees totalling more than £8 million. Collins resigned later that year, frustrated by the lack of funds provided to sign new players. Former Hibs player

Mixu Paatelainen Mika-Matti Petteri Paatelainen (born 3 February 1967) is a Finnish former professional football player and the head coach of Veikkausliiga club HIFK. He scored 18 goals in 70 appearances for the Finnish national team, which makes him Finland's ...

was hired to replace Collins, but he left after the end of his first full season. Another former Hibernian player, John Hughes, was soon appointed in place of Paatelainen. Hughes, who made high-profile signings such as

Anthony Stokes Anthony Christopher Stokes (born 25 July 1988) is an Irish professional footballer, who plays as a striker. He was also an Irish international, having played at the under-21, team B and Republic of Ireland national football team. He began hi ...

and

Liam Miller Liam William Peter Miller (13 February 1981 – 9 February 2018) was an Irish professional footballer. Miller began his career with Celtic and was later loaned to Aarhus in 2001. He returned to Celtic Park and broke into the first-team squa ...

, led Hibs to a good start to the 2009–10 season.

2010s: Scottish Cup success

Hibs finished fourth in 2010 and qualified for the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

, but a poor start to the 2010–11 season led to John Hughes (footballer, born 1964), John Hughes leaving the club. Hughes was replaced by Colin Calderwood, who was himself sacked a year later. The club avoided relegation in 2011–12 Scottish Premier League, 2011–12 and reached the 2012 Scottish Cup Final under new manager Pat Fenlon, but this was lost 5–1 to Hearts. Fenlon largely rebuilt the team after this defeat. This resulted in an improved league position in 2012–13 Scottish Premier League, 2012–13 and the team reaching the 2013 Scottish Cup Final, which was lost 3–0 to league champions Celtic. Hibs qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, but they suffered a Scottish record defeat in European competition (9–0 on aggregate against Malmö FF, Malmö). Fenlon resigned on 1 November and was replaced by Terry Butcher. A run of 13 games without a win to finish the 2013–14 Scottish Premiership season meant that Hibs fell into a relegation play-off, which was lost after a penalty shootout (association football), penalty shootout against Hamilton Academical F.C., Hamilton Academical. Butcher was sacked in June and was replaced by Alan Stubbs. He was unable to lead the team to promotion, but the 2015–16 season saw considerable cup success. The team reached the 2016 Scottish League Cup Final (March), League Cup final, which was lost to Ross County F.C., Ross County. This was followed by victory in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, Soon after the cup win, Stubbs resigned as Hibs manager to take charge at Rotherham United F.C., Rotherham United and was replaced by Neil Lennon, who led the team to promotion by winning the 2016–17 Scottish Championship. In their first season back in the top flight, Hibs finished fourth in the 2017–18 Scottish Premiership, Premiership and qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, Europa League. Lennon left the club in January 2019 and was replaced by Paul Heckingbottom, who only held the post for seven months. Jack Ross (footballer, born 1976), Jack Ross was appointed on 15 November 2019.

2020s

Hibs finished seventh in a 2019–20 league season that was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, COVID-19 pandemic. In the following season they finished third in the league and reached the 2021 Scottish Cup Final, but this was lost 1–0 to St Johnstone F.C., St Johnstone. Ross guided Hibs to the 2021 Scottish League Cup Final (December), League Cup final later that year, but was sacked 10 days before the final after a run of seven defeats in nine league games.

Colours and badge

The predominant club colours are green and white, which have been used since the formation of the club in 1875. The Football strip, strip typically has a green body, white sleeves, and a white collar. The shorts are normally white, although green has been used in recent seasons. The socks are green, usually with some white detail. Hibs have used yellow, purple, black, white, and a dark green in recent seasons for their alternate kits. In 1977, Hibs became the first club in Scotland to bear sponsorship on their shirts. 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. Hibs wore green and white hooped shirts during the 1870s, which was the inspiration for the style later adopted by

. Hibs then wore all-green shirts from 1879 until 1938, when white sleeves were added to the shirts. This was similar in style to Arsenal F.C., Arsenal, who had added white sleeves to their red shirts earlier in the 1930s. The colour of the shorts was changed to a green which matched the shirts in 2004, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of a friendly match, friendly win in October 1964 against

. 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. For the 2012–13 season, Hibs changed the primary colour of the shirts to a darker "bottle" green, instead of the normal emerald green. A darker green had been used until the 1930s. 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 the Famous Five (football), Famous Five forward line. 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 of

ism. The

was first removed in the 1950s, then re-introduced to Graphic design, the club badge when it was last re-designed in 2000. 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." As well as the harp representing Ireland, the present badge includes a ship (for the port of Leith) and a castle (as in Edinburgh Castle).

Stadium

Hibs played on The Meadows (park), The Meadows for the first two years of their history, before moving to grounds in Newington, Edinburgh, Newington (Mayfield Park) and Bonnington Road,

(Powderhall), in different spells between 1877 and 1879. After the lease on Mayfield Park expired, Hibs moved to a ground known as Hibernian Park, 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. Hibs obtained a lease on a site that is now known as

in 1892 and have played their home matches there since February 1893. Before the Taylor 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. The record attendance of 65,860, which is also a record for a football match played in Edinburgh, was set by an Edinburgh derby played on 2 January 1950. Such vast crowds were drawn by the success of the Famous Five (football), the Famous Five. The pitch was noted for its pronounced slope, but this was removed in 2000. The ground is currently all-seated and has a capacity of . Easter Road is a modern stadium, with all four of its stands having been built since 1995. The most recent redevelopment was the construction of a new East Stand in 2010. Scotland national football team, Scotland have played seven of their Scotland national football team home stadium, home matches at Easter Road, between 1998 and 2017. Scotland women's national football team, Scotland women played their first match at Easter Road in August 2019, a UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qualifying, Euro 2021 qualifying match against Cyprus women's national football team, Cyprus. The ground has hosted one international not involving the Scotland teams, a friendly played between Ghana national football team, Ghana and Korea Republic national football team, South Korea preceding the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Easter Road has also sometimes been used as a neutral venue for

semi-final matches and once hosted a Scottish Challenge Cup final.

Rivalry

Hibs have a traditional local rivalry in

with Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hearts; the derby match between the two clubs is one of the oldest rivalries in world football. Graham Spiers has described it as "one of the jewels of the Scottish game". 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 the East of Scotland Shield, Edinburgh Football Association Cup in 1878, which Hearts finally won with a 3–2 victory after four successive draws. The clubs have met each other in two List of Scottish Cup finals, Scottish Cup finals, in 1896 Scottish Cup Final, 1896 and 2012 Scottish Cup Final, 2012, both of which were won by Hearts. The 1896 match is also notable for being the only Scottish Cup Final to be played outside Glasgow. Both clubs have been List of Scottish football champions, champions of Scotland four times, although Hearts have the better record in derby matches. Hibs recorded the biggest derby win in a competitive match when they won 7–0 at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973. While it has been noted that religious background lies behind the rivalry, that aspect is "muted" and is a "pale reflection" of the sectarianism in Glasgow. Although the clubs are inescapable rivals, the rivalry is mainly "good-natured" and has had beneficial effects.

Supporters and culture

Hibernian are one of only two full-time professional football clubs in Edinburgh, which is the capital of and second largest city in Scotland. The club had the fourth largest average attendance in the Scottish leagues during the 2019–20 Scottish Professional Football League, 2019–20 season (16,728). In the period after the Second World War, Hibs attracted average attendances in excess of 20,000, peaking at 31,567 in the 1951–52 season. Since

was redeveloped into an all-seater stadium in the mid-1990s, average attendance has varied between a high of 18,124 in 2017–18 in Scottish football, 2017–18 and a low of 9,150 in 2003–04 in Scottish football, 2003–04. There has been a significant increase in recent seasons, inspired by the Scottish Cup victory in 2016 and promotion in 2017. In the 1980s and 1990s, a minority of the club's supporters had a reputation as one of Britain's most prominent Casual (subculture), casuals groups, known as the Capital City Service.

Literature

The works of author Irvine Welsh, particularly ''Trainspotting (novel), Trainspotting'', contain several references to Hibernian. The team is often mentioned in casual conversation and is the team many of his characters support. Visual references to Hibs are noticeable in Danny Boyle's film adaptation of ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting''; Francis Begbie wears a Hibs shirt while he plays five-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's ''The Acid House'', Coco Bryce, a boy from the "Hibs hooligan firm, firm" Capital City Service, is struck by lightning while under the influence of LSD in a Pilton, Edinburgh, Pilton park. His soul is then transferred to the body of an unborn child from one of the more affluent areas of Edinburgh. The appearances by Hibs in the 2012 Scottish Cup Final, 2012 and 2016 Scottish Cup Final, 2016 Scottish Cup finals are described in Welsh's novels ''A Decent Ride'' and ''Dead Men's Trousers'' respectively. Hibernian are also frequently referred to in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by Ian Rankin. Rankin has stated that Rebus is a Raith Rovers F.C., Raith Rovers supporter but he is a Hibs fan in the 2000s Rebus (TV), television adaptation of the series. Ironically, that version of Rebus is played by a Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hearts supporter, Ken Stott. DS List of Inspector Rebus characters#Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke, Siobhan Clarke, his colleague in the later books, is a "loyal supporter" of Hibs.

Music

The Hibs anthem "Glory Glory (football chant)#History, Glory, Glory to the Hibees" was written and performed by the Scottish comedian, Hector Nicol. Former Marillion singer Fish (singer), Fish is a Hibs fan;

is mentioned in the song "Lucky", from the album ''Internal Exile (Fish album), Internal Exile''. The Proclaimers are lifelong Hibs fans, and were heavily involved with the 'Hands off Hibs' campaign to save the club in 1990. ''Sunshine on Leith (song), Sunshine on Leith'' has become a Hibs anthem, which is traditionally played after big victories at

and the finals of cup competitions. In their song "Cap in Hand", from the Sunshine on Leith (album), ''Sunshine on Leith'' album, The Proclaimers make a reference to the Hibs player Andy Goram: The song "Joyful Kilmarnock Blues", from the This Is the Story, first album released by The Proclaimers, is about a Hibs victory away from home.

Ownership and finances

Although the football club was formed in 1875, it was not incorporated until 1903.Hibernian FC was registered on 11 April 1903 with Companies House as The Hibernian Football Club Limited, company number SC005323. The club remained a private company until 1988, when it was publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange. This public listing, combined with poor financial performance, made Hibs vulnerable to an attempted takeover in 1990 by Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hearts chairman

. This attempt was averted when Mercer was unable to acquire the 75% shareholding needed to liquidate the company. The club's parent company, Forth Investments plc, entered receivership in 1991 and Sir

acquired control of the club from the receiver for £3 million. Farmer funded redevelopments of

and financial losses made by Hibs, although he delegated control to other figures such as Rod Petrie. In December 2014, the club said it intended to sell up to 51% ownership of the club to its supporters. By November 2017, supporters had increased their shareholding in the club to 34%. The majority ownership of the club was sold in July 2019 to Peruvian-born US-based businessman Ronald Gordon, who became the executive chairman.

Players

First team squad

On loan

Academy squads

Women's team

The club that became the Hibernian women's team was first founded in 1997 by Iain Johnston and Paul Johnston, but for the initial two seasons of its existence the club was under the auspices of Preston Athletic F.C., Preston Athletic. The name changed to Hibernian Ladies in 1999 and they became one of the leading women's teams in Scotland. Hibernian won the Scottish Cup (women's), Women's Scottish Cup in 2010, for the fifth time in eight years. Their success in the national cup competition was contrasted to the male affiliate, who went over a century without winning the equivalent competition until their victory in 2016 Scottish Cup Final, 2016. Hibernian Ladies won domestic cup doubles in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Ahead of the 2020 season, the club was rebranded as Hibernian Women and players were offered their first part-time professional contracts. 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.

Club officials

First team coaching staff

Board of directors

Backroom staff

Noted players

Arthur Duncan (footballer, born 1947), Arthur Duncan holds the record for most league appearances for Hibs, with 446. All of

– Gordon Smith (footballer born 1924), Gordon Smith,

and

– scored more than 100 league goals for Hibs. Hibernian players have been cap (sport), capped at full international level for 26 different national teams, with 67 Hibernian players appearing for Scotland national football team, Scotland. Hibernian rank fifth amongst all clubs in providing players for Scotland, behind the

, Queen's Park F.C., Queen's Park and Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hearts. James Lundie (footballer), James Lundie and James McGhee were the first Hibs players to play for Scotland, in an 1886 British Home Championship match against Wales national football team, Wales.

holds the record for most international caps earned while a Hibs player, making 38 appearances for Scotland between 1949 and 1957. In 1959, Hibs forward Joe Baker became the first player who had not previously played for an English club to win a cap for England national football team, England. To mark the club's 135th birthday, the club created a Hall of Fame in 2010. The first group of nominees, including 13 former players, were inducted at a dinner later that year.

Noted managers

From 1875 until 1903, Hibs were managed by a committee, although Dan McMichael, who also acted as treasurer, secretary and physiotherapist, was effectively the manager when the club won the 1902 Scottish Cup and the 1902–03 in Scottish football, 1903 league championship.

took charge of part of the league-winning 1947–48 season, but he collapsed and died after a Scottish Cup match in January 1948.

inherited that team, and went on to win three league championships in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Alan Stubbs won the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,

, Alex Miller and John Collins all won one

each. Bobby Templeton (footballer born 1894), Bobby Templeton, Bertie Auld,

and Neil Lennon all won Scottish Football League First Division, second tier championships.

Honours

Major honours

*Scottish football league system, Scottish league, first tierFrom 1890 to 1975, the top division of the Scottish football league system was known as Scottish Football League Division One, Division One, or briefly as Scottish Football League Division A, Division A. From 1975 to 1998, the top division was the Scottish Football League Premier Division, Premier Division and from 1998 to 2013, it was known as the Scottish Premier League, Premier League. Since 2013, the top tier has been known as the Scottish Premiership, Premiership. **Winners (4): 1902–03 Scottish Division One, 1902–03, 1947–48 Scottish Division A, 1947–48, 1950–51 Scottish Division A, 1950–51, 1951–52 Scottish Division A, 1951–52 **Runners-up (6): 1896–97 in Scottish football, 1896–97, 1946–47 Scottish Division A, 1946–47, 1949–50 Scottish Division A, 1949–50, 1952–53 Scottish Division A, 1952–53, 1973–74 Scottish Division One, 1973–74, 1974–75 Scottish Division One, 1974–75 *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, **Winners (3): 1886–87 Scottish Cup, 1886–87, 1901–02 Scottish Cup, 1901–02, 2015–16 Scottish Cup, 2015–16 **Runners-up (12): 1895–96 Scottish Cup, 1895–96, 1913–14 Scottish Cup, 1913–14, 1922–23 Scottish Cup, 1922–23, 1923–24 Scottish Cup, 1923–24, 1946–47 Scottish Cup, 1946–47, 1957–58 Scottish Cup, 1957–58, 1971–72 Scottish Cup, 1971–72, 1978–79 Scottish Cup, 1978–79, 2000–01 Scottish Cup, 2000–01, 2011–12 Scottish Cup, 2011–12, 2012–13 Scottish Cup, 2012–13, 2020–21 Scottish Cup, 2020–21 *

**Winners (3): 1972–73 Scottish League Cup, 1972–73, 1991–92 Scottish League Cup, 1991–92, 2006–07 Scottish League Cup, 2006–07 **Runners-up (8): 1950–51 Scottish League Cup, 1950–51, 1968–69 Scottish League Cup, 1968–69, 1974–75 Scottish League Cup, 1974–75, 1985 Scottish League Cup Final, 1985–86, 1993–94 Scottish League Cup, 1993–94, 2003–04 Scottish League Cup, 2003–04, 2015–16 Scottish League Cup, 2015–16, 2021–22 Scottish League Cup, 2021–22

Other honours

*Scottish football league system, Scottish league, second tier:From 1893 to 1975, Scottish Football League Division Two, Division Two was the second tier of league football. With the introduction of the Scottish Football League Premier Division, Premier Division in 1975, the second tier became known as the First Division. Since 2013, the second tier has been named the Scottish Championship, Championship. 1893–94 Scottish Division Two, 1893–94, 1894–95 Scottish Division Two, 1894–95, 1932–33 Scottish Division Two, 1932–33, 1980–81 Scottish First Division, 1980–81, 1998–99 Scottish First Division, 1998–99, 2016–17 Scottish Championship, 2016–17 *

: 1972, 1973 *Summer Cup (Scottish football), Summer Cup: 1941, 1964 *Southern League Cup (Scotland), Southern League Cup:The Southern League Cup was a regional competition held during the

. 1943–44 Southern League Cup (Scotland), 1943–44 *East of Scotland Shield: 49 times *Rosebery Charity Cup: 22 times *Wilson Cup (football), Wilson Cup: 14 times *Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup: 1902 *Edinburgh Football League: 1901–02 *Edinburgh Football League, North-Eastern Cup: 1910–11 *Dunedin Cup: 1921, 1929

UEFA ranking

Records

Attendance

*Highest single game attendance: 65,860 vs Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hearts, 2 January 1950 *Highest average home attendance: 31,567 in the 1951–52 in Scottish football, 1951–52 season *Highest attendance for any match involving Hibs: 143,570 vs Rangers F.C., Rangers at Hampden Park, 27 March 1948

Single game

*Biggest victory: 22–1 vs Black Watch Highlanders, 3 September 1881 *Biggest competitive victory: 15–1 vs Peebles Rovers F.C., Peebles Rovers, 11 February 1961 *Biggest league victory: 11–1 vs Airdrieonians F.C. (1878), Airdrie, 24 October 1959 and vs Hamilton Academical F.C., Hamilton, 6 November 1965 *Biggest defeat: 0–10 vs Rangers F.C., Rangers, 24 December 1898

Caps and appearances

*Most competitive appearances: Gordon Smith (footballer, born 1924), Gordon Smith, 636 *Most league appearances: Arthur Duncan (footballer, born 1947), Arthur Duncan, 449 *Most capped player:

, 38 for Scotland national football team, Scotland

Goals

*Most competitive goals: Gordon Smith (footballer, born 1924), Gordon Smith, 303 *Most league goals:

, 187 *Most competitive goals in a season: Joe Baker, 46 in 1959–60 in Scottish football, 1959–60 *Most league goals in a season: Joe Baker, 42 in 1959–60

Transfers

*Record fee paid: Undisclosed fee for Martin Boyle to Al Faisaly FC, Al Faisaly in 2022 *Record fee received: £4,400,000 for

from

in 2007

Notes

References

;Sources * * * *

External links

* * {{Authority control Hibernian F.C., Football clubs in Scotland Association football clubs established in 1875 Football clubs in Edinburgh United Soccer Association imported teams Leith Scottish Premier League teams 1875 establishments in Scotland Scottish Football League teams Scottish Cup winners East of Scotland Football League teams Irish diaspora sports clubs in Scotland Scottish Professional Football League teams Scottish League Cup winners