Kings Park Football Club
Although no written proof has yet been found newspaper reports indicate that Kings Park Football Club (Association Rules) was formed in 1875. Such was the enthusiasm for the game at this time that clubs were prone to be formed and then disappear with great rapidity but Kings Park managed to avoid this fate and soon became the leading club in the immediate area of Stirling.
A limited company from 1919 their ground for most, but not all, of their existence was Forthbank, just north of Kerse Road and to the east of the railway line. Their peak was in season 1898-99 when they became the first winners of the Dewar Shield. King’s Park qualified for the competition by winning the Stirlingshire Cup in the same season. They went on to win the Stirlingshire Cup in three later seasons, 1910-11, 1911-12 and 1914-15.
They became a member of the Scottish League Division Two in 1921 and although there was more than one occasion when they were close to folding they were still members when the Second World War began. They might have survived the war, and as Stirling was a garrison town even prospered, but on the night of the 19th/20th July 1940 a lone German bomber dropped a land mine, the only aerial raid on Stirling throughout the war, which destroyed the grandstand at the club’s ground, Forthbank, and left a huge crater where the corner of the terracing had been. That effectively finished the club and a new club, Stirling Albion, was formed when the war ended.
Scottish Football went through a great many changes before becoming the Scottish League and King's Park played in several different league set ups over the years. Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive.
Scottish Alliance 1891-92, Midland League 1892-1897, Central Combination 1897-1904, Scottish Alliance 1905-06, , Scottish Union 1906-1909, Central League 1909-1915, 1919-1921, Scottish League 1921-1939
The club only ever won one of the leagues they participated in, that being the Midland League for season 1892-93 when they were unbeaten. Their best season was 1927-28 in the Scottish League Division 2 when they just missed promotion to the First Division by a single point to second placed Third Lanark. In season 1904-05 they were not involved in any league and played friendlies with other clubs instead. This was not unusual at the time.
Nigel Bishop gave a talk on Kings Park Football Club to the history society on 29th March 2012.
If you have any information about Kings Park Football club including details of players, officials etc or any artefacts eg medals, programmes, newspaper cuttings he would be very pleased to hear from you.
Contact details:
Nigel Bishop 01786 841875 email address dianaandnigel@chakula.plus.com
A limited company from 1919 their ground for most, but not all, of their existence was Forthbank, just north of Kerse Road and to the east of the railway line. Their peak was in season 1898-99 when they became the first winners of the Dewar Shield. King’s Park qualified for the competition by winning the Stirlingshire Cup in the same season. They went on to win the Stirlingshire Cup in three later seasons, 1910-11, 1911-12 and 1914-15.
They became a member of the Scottish League Division Two in 1921 and although there was more than one occasion when they were close to folding they were still members when the Second World War began. They might have survived the war, and as Stirling was a garrison town even prospered, but on the night of the 19th/20th July 1940 a lone German bomber dropped a land mine, the only aerial raid on Stirling throughout the war, which destroyed the grandstand at the club’s ground, Forthbank, and left a huge crater where the corner of the terracing had been. That effectively finished the club and a new club, Stirling Albion, was formed when the war ended.
Scottish Football went through a great many changes before becoming the Scottish League and King's Park played in several different league set ups over the years. Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive.
Scottish Alliance 1891-92, Midland League 1892-1897, Central Combination 1897-1904, Scottish Alliance 1905-06, , Scottish Union 1906-1909, Central League 1909-1915, 1919-1921, Scottish League 1921-1939
The club only ever won one of the leagues they participated in, that being the Midland League for season 1892-93 when they were unbeaten. Their best season was 1927-28 in the Scottish League Division 2 when they just missed promotion to the First Division by a single point to second placed Third Lanark. In season 1904-05 they were not involved in any league and played friendlies with other clubs instead. This was not unusual at the time.
Nigel Bishop gave a talk on Kings Park Football Club to the history society on 29th March 2012.
If you have any information about Kings Park Football club including details of players, officials etc or any artefacts eg medals, programmes, newspaper cuttings he would be very pleased to hear from you.
Contact details:
Nigel Bishop 01786 841875 email address dianaandnigel@chakula.plus.com