Words by Steven Hastings
Photos courtesy of Gartocharn F.C
Hip, Hip Hooray it’s Gartocharn Football Club’s 70th anniversary.
The amateur team was started by a few local men in the village and after some friendlies they played their first official match on Saturday 30 April 1955.
I spoke to Graeme Mackenzie about the Club.
He has played for Gartocharn FC for 35 years and is now co-manager along with Hugh Wylie and Alan Fleming. Graeme is also the Club Secretary and a member of the Forth and Endrick League board.
It is believed the Club began as the opportunity was there to join the Forth and Endrick League, which was formed in 1910 and is part of the Scottish Welfare FA.
Graeme explained: “The league is set out by a boundary, strangely enough, Balloch Castle is within the boundary then it goes right up the Lochside to Inversnaid, then down towards Deanston, along to Blair Drummond, on to the Stirling Road, up over Gargunnock then comes back down itself all the way to Strathblane.”
There are currently 10 teams in the League, the season is from April to August. Games are played on Friday nights and some Tuesday evenings. Gartocharn FC play their home games at New Duncryne Park, Gartocharn.
Graeme is very proud to have been part of Gartocharn Football Club when they won the League in 2011 for the first, and currently only, time.
Graeme said: “My very main main highlight. I was very lucky to be part of the team the only time Gartocharn won the league.”
He is also pleased the team is still around: “The fact that even though it’s been a struggle, the Club’s still going. For me, that’s a massive highlight, it’s one of my passions.”
It’s not just about the football – Gartocharn FC has a good community spirit with great people.
Graeme added: “Whether it’s former players, current players, supporters. We’re very lucky, I think, with the group of people that’s been involved down the years.”
Gartocharn FC have won many trophies over the years.
The first was the MacGregor Ferguson Cup in 1974 when my dad Hugh Hastings and Graeme’s dad John Mckenzie were in the team.
Although he wasn’t playing that day Graeme was very proud when the team won the Cameron cup for the first time.
Grame said: “Being part of the team that won the first Cameron cup, just seeing the team, knowing the likes of your dad, my dad, in the past, just fell short at times. “Seeing that happen was another great achievement, just a first of a big thing, if that makes any sense.”
A speaker’s lunch, a golf day and an end of season dance have all been planned to celebrate the 70th anniversary.
On March 1 in the Vale of Leven golf club there was a race night along with player awards to thank the players for their efforts last year.
There are league rules for who can play for Gartocharn Football Club, if you were born or currently stay within the boundary or one of your parents lived there when you were born, you’re always eligible. You could have moved away but had stayed within the boundary for a period of at least three years and still be eligible.
They have recently brought in some permits, you can have three passport permits, which allows the team to sign footballers outside the boundary who have not been playing for any other team within the last year of signing and two work permits for people whose permanent workplace falls within the boundary and it’s a full-time job. There are also three parent/grandparent permits.
Graeme explained: “This is one of the things that we pushed the League for. Because we’re so close, a lot of people moved down to Alexandria, so we’ve got a lot of ex-players who now no longer stay within the area, so we pushed it.
“And we’ve got grandchildren, sons and so on, all come to watch games, but can’t play.”
Well done to Gartocharn Football Club on 70 years of great football – long may it continue.
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