Falkirk

Kit History

1876-1880 a l

1880-1882 l

1882-1888 l

1888-1889 a l

1889-1898 a l

circa1900-1902 l

1902-1903 l

1904-1905 l

1909-1913 k l

1913-1914 l

1915-1920 l

1920-1922 l

1922-1926 l

1926-1929 l

1927-1929 away l

1929-1932 l

1932-1937 c l

1937-1939 l

1939-1940 l

1945-1957 b l

1957-1960 k l

1960-1962 l

1962-1963 l

1963-1964 l

1964-1966 l

1966-1968 l

1968-1970 l

1970-1971 e l

1971-1972 e l

1972-1973 l

1974-1975 l

1976-1977 j

1977-1978 l

Bukta

1977-1980 i k

1981-1982 i

1984-1985 j m

1985-1986 i

1986-1988 k

1988-1989 i

1990-1991 i

1991-1994 g i

1994-1995 i

1995-1996 g

Le Coq Sportif

1996-1997 h o

1997-1998 i

1999-2000 f

2001-2002 i

2002-2003 i

2003-2004 i

2004-2005 i

2005-2006 d i

2006-2007 h i

Lotto

2007-2008 p q

Puma

2008-2009 p q

Background

The origins of Falkirk FC are uncertain although most accounts suggest 1876 was the year of their formation. The club is nicknamed the “Bairns” from the town motto in Scots, Better meddle wi' the deil than the Bairns O' Falkirk (“Better meddle with the devil than the Children of Falkirk”).

In 1902 the Scottish First Division was expanded from 10 to 12 clubs. Falkirk and Raith Rovers were elected to fill the vacancies created in the Second Division. The Bairns thrived and in 1905, having finished as runners up, were elected into Division One. In 1908 and 1910 they finished in second place.

The club’s fortunes declined after the outbreak of the First World War and they finished in the lower half of the table regularly until 1935, when they were relegated. The following season they won the Second Division title and finished near the top of the table until competition was suspended in 1939.

In 1946, Falkirk were placed in Division A (first tier) where they held their own until being relegated in 1951. Once again they bounced back immediately and went on to win the Scottish Cup in 1957, despite a mediocre career in the league. In 1959 they dropped back into Division Two, were promoted again in 1961, went back down in 1969 and returned immediately as Division Two champions in 1970. History repeated itself 1974-1975 – relegation followed by immediate promotion but this time, due to the reorganisation precipitated by the introduction of the Premier Division, Falkirk found themselves still in the second tier.

The Bairns dropped into Scottish Division Two (third level) in 1977 but won the championship in 1980 to return to the second level and in 1986 they were promoted to the Premier Division, which was briefly expanded to 12 clubs. In 1988 Falkirk finished 10th out of 12 and were unfortunate to find themselves relegated when it was decided to return to a ten club Premier Division. The following season they finished as runners up but promotion and relegation now involved only the top and bottom clubs.

In the early 1990s Falkirk went up and down between the top divisions and spent the latter part of the decade challenging for, but never quite achieving promotion (now restricted once more to one-up and one-down). For the 1996-97 season, tradition was abandoned briefly for an extravagant checkered kit: the Bairns reached the Scottish FA Cup Final in that season, mercifully reverting to plain navy shirts for that match.

In 2000 the SPL was expanded from 10 to 12 clubs and Falkirk qualified for a three-way play-off to decide the remaining promotion place. Since their ground did not meet SPL standards (which at the time required a minimum all-seated capacity of 10,000) they were denied the chance of promotion and Dunfermline Athletic were promoted instead. Play-offs were abandoned the following season.

In 2002 The Bairns finished in ninth place in Scottish Division One (the second tier) and would have been relegated had Airdrieonians not gone out of business. The following season the club won the First Division and, in order to meet SPL requirements, they proposed to move into the New Broomfield stadium in Airdire (a brand new stadium, now home to Airdrie United, the cost of which had bankrupted Airdrieonians). The SPL refused to accept this idea and once again Falkirk were denied promotion.

In 2003 Falkirk left the run down Brockville Park (their home since 1885) to share Stenhousemuir’s ground on the outskirts of town while a new stadium was built that met the stringent SPL requirements. The following season the SPL reduced the stadium seating requirement from 10,000 to 6,000. In April 2005, Falkirk clinched the First Division title and were finally readmitted to Scotland’s elite. The club's 2007 shirt featured the old "Highlander" badge, worn when the club won the won the Scottish FA Cup 50 years previously.

Historical Football Kits

Kit History

Background

Sources