Whitletts Victoria Football Club are a
Scottish football club, historically based in the Whitletts area of
Ayr
Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...
,
South Ayrshire. The club currently play in the .
Nicknamed ''The Vics'', the club were formed in 1944 and currently play at Dam Park Stadium, near Ayr town centre. The club were forced to leave their traditional home of
Voluntary Park in Whitletts, which doubled up as a greyhound racing track, in February 2011, after actions by the leaseholder raised major health and safety concerns, forcing the local council to close the stadium. The stadium has since been demolished and is now the site of a new social housing complex called Victoria Crescent, after the club.
History
On the park, the greatest era in the club's history was the mid- to late 1950s. In 1956 the club played in front of 20,100 people at Shawfield Stadium in the semi final of the Scottish Junior Cup, only to lose 3–2 to eventual winners
Petershill. However, in 1957-58 the Club won the Western League (South) Championship, losing out to North Champions
Irvine Meadow in the play-off to determine the destination of the league championship itself.
Since then the club has had, in the main, a troubled time, with its very existence called into question on a number of occasions. However, in recent years, developments on and off the park have placed the club on a more secure foundation. In 2017–18 the Club won promotion to the newly formed West Region Championship and in 2018 formed its own charity, Vics in the Community, providing free coaching to local youngsters and starting the development of a youth player pathway.
In 2020, the club took the decision after 75 years of membership of the
SJFA
The Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the junior grade of football (soccer), football in Scotland. The term "junior" refers to the ...
, to join the pyramid system in Scottish football as one of the inaugural members of the
West of Scotland Football League
The West of Scotland Football League (WoSFL) is a senior football league based in the west of Scotland. The league sits at levels 6–10 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
Founded in 202 ...
.
On 10 October 2020, the club announced they would not be participating in the inaugural season of the West of Scotland League due to concerns relating to the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic.
Non-playing staff
Committee
Management
Honours
*
Western League (South) champions 1957–58
*
Ayrshire Second Division winners: 1979–80, 1981–82, 1985–86
*Kyle & Carrick Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
References
External links
The Official Whitletts Victoria FC website
{{SJFA West Region
Football clubs in Scotland
Scottish Junior Football Association clubs
Sport in Ayr
Association football clubs established in 1944
1944 establishments in Scotland
West of Scotland Football League teams
Football in South Ayrshire