DONSIDE JUVENILE FOOTBALL CLUB

DONSIDE JUVENILE FOOTBALL CLUB

ESTABLISHED 1995

ALFORD, ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND

“Jimmy” - Donsides’ original club logo.

The inaugural meeting for Donside Juvenile F.C. was held at the Haughton Arms Hotel on the 29th August 1995, and was attended by an enthusiastic crowd of over 100 people. The meeting was presided over by David Anderson and Charles Spence of the Forbes Arms Hotel, both prime movers in the clubs’ formation. The aim was to provide an organised and co-ordinated football facility for Alford and Upper Donside, as well as promote interest and improve the standard of football played.

Alford already had an active 7-a-side football scene, supported by the SFA, Aberdeen Football Club and Scottish Hydro Electric who had provided goals, training bibs and coaching assistance. The Soccer 7s would now be administered under the auspices of Donside Juvenile F.C.

Generous donations from local farmers and businessmen, mainly Fraser Booth, Lewis Reid, John French and Davids’ Sports Shop, enabled the club to purchase strips in the adopted club colours of blue and black striped shirts, black shorts and blue socks.The first season saw Donside enter boys teams in 3 age groups with a girls team playing friendlies. The following years have seen the club go from strength to strength with both 11-a-side and Soccer 7s teams covering all age ranges from 5 to 18.

2004 saw the reintroduction of the Donside Tournament which had not been played for a few years. This proved to be an outstanding success, played in glorious sunshine, with over 40 teams entering from as far afield as Buckie to Aberdeen.

It was also decided in 2004 to change the club logo to incorporate the Aberdeen Angus bull, which is symbolic of the Alford area, a life-size bronze statue of which stands at the entrance to the village from Aberdeen. (See photographs on the right hand side of this page)

Over the years the Club has expanded greatly and now runs boys and girls teams ranging from Under 8's to Under 14's, each team is coached by a SFA or qualified coach. The success of the Club is due to the hard work of all the players, parents, coaches and committee members who give up their free time to ensure the highest possible standard of football is achieved.

If you have any memories of your time as a Donside player, photographs or information that would be of interest, please e-mail it to us at: info@donsidejuvenilefc.co.uk

Club History