North Caledonian Football League

Membership

Member teams have included reserve teams of Highland Football League clubs alongside amateur teams from throughout the Highlands and Islands region. As Highland Football League clubs are full members of the SFA, disciplinary procedures in the league are handled directly by the SFA – a unique situation in Scottish amateur football.

As well as holding membership of the North Caledonian FA, Golspie Sutherland are also full members of the Scottish Football Association and as of season 2007–08 have obtained direct entry to the Scottish Cup. Prior to this they were entered into the Scottish Qualifying Cup (North) each season. Since 2013, membership is extended beyond the Highlands to clubs in the Islands, with Orkney, Shetland and Lewis & Harris all entering teams.

Evolution of the league

The association was founded in 1896 as the "North of Scotland 2nd XI League" to accommodate "2nd XI" teams from the Highland Football League which upon its formation mostly consisted of teams from the Inverness area. By the turn of the century, the association had welcomed new member teams from throughout Inverness-shire and Ross-shire who were not affiliated to the Highland League who were instead playing as junior football teams, such as Muir of Ord, Beauly, Dingwall Victoria (later known as Ross County) and Tore United.

From 1948 the league was known essentially as the North of Scotland "2nd XI" League or "Highland Reserve League", having dropped its junior tag and instead becoming recognised as a senior football league. By the 1970s, the Highland League reserve teams which had frequently entered teams gradually dropped out with most finding that it was not financially viable to run "2nd XI" or reserve teams each year.

In a bid to shake the stigma of the "2nd XI" tag (and the inference of being "second best") the remaining amateur football clubs in the league took the decision to rename the league and at the 1984 annual general meeting of the North of Scotland 2nd XI Football Association in Bonar Bridge, member clubs voted unanimously to change the name of the association to the North Caledonian Football Association and the name of the league competition to the North Caledonian Football League.

The North Caledonian Football League is often characterised by the number of clubs who have used it as a 'stepping-stone' to the professional ranks of Scottish football. Among those to have 'graduated' from the league are Rothes, Wick Academy and Fort William who left to join the Highland Football League as well as the reserve teams of the Scottish Football League clubs Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County.

Recent history

The 2008–09 season saw the league reduced to ten teams following the withdrawal of Dornoch City and Inverness City joining the Junior leagues. Late applicants Tain Thistle took the league membership up to ten teams for the start of the season.

Fort William entered a reserve side in the league for season 2009–10 as the first Highland Football League "reserve" side to compete since 1999. Helmsdale based Bunillidh Thistle withdrew whilst Alness United took a year out, and former members Dingwall Thistle returned to complete a ten-team league.

Season 2010–11 saw Alness return after a one-year absence whilst Tain Thistle withdrew after two seasons.

Clachnacuddin again entered a reserve side for season 2011–12, whilst Fort William Reserves dropped out due to problems with pitch availability. Before the season started, both Bonar Bridge and Invergordon withdrew, leaving just eight teams in the league. The following season 2012-13, Invergordon returned while Balintore and Dingwall Thistle both withdrew from the league.

Invergordon again withdrew from competition for the 2013–14 season, however, the void was filled by a new team from Dornoch in Sutherland United. That same season, a newly formed Shetland team and Lewis & Harris both registered for competition in the North Caledonian Cup.

The following season, 2014–15, Shetland and Lewis & Harris also competed in the Jock Mackay Cup, while a new team, Orkney, was accepted as a member of the league – the first Islands team to do so.

Invergordon returned following a two-year period of abeyance, however, along with Muir of Ord Rovers, Sutherland United withdrew from the competition after their second season, taking the amount of competing teams down to six for season 2015–16.

A total of eight teams have registered for league competition in 2016–17, with St Duthus returning to represent Tain and a new team Inverness Athletic also accepted.

Previous champions

1896–97 Inverness Celtic

1897–98 Inverness Citadel reserves

1898–99 Nelson FC

1899–00 Nelson FC

1900–01 Inverness Thistle reserves

1901–02 Inverness Citadel reserves

1902–03 Inverness Citadel reserves

1903–04 Clachnacuddin reserves

1904–05 Clachnacuddin reserves

1905–06 Nelson FC

1906–07 Nelson FC

1907–08 Nelson FC

1908–09 Nelson FC

1909–10 Clachnacuddin reserves

1910–11 Inverness Citadel reserves

1911–12 Nelson FC

1912–13 Nelson FC

1913–14 Albert FC

1914–19 No competition

1919–20 Dingwall Victoria United

1920–21 Nelson FC

1921–22 Inverness Citadel reserves

1922–23 Caledonian reserves

1923–24 Fortrose Union

1924–25 Catch-My-Pal FC

1925–26 Nelson FC

1926–27 Clachnacuddin reserves

1927–28 Dingwall Victoria United

1928–29 Inverness Thistle reserves

1929–30 Clachnacuddin reserves

1930–31 Inverness Thistle reserves

1931–32 Clachnacuddin reserves

1932–33 Inverness District Asylum FC

1933–34 Inverness District Asylum FC

1934–35 Inverness Thistle reserves

1935–36 Nairn County reserves

1936–37 Clachnacuddin reserves

1937–38 No competition

1938–39 Highland Light Infantry FC

1939–46 No competition

1946–47 Invergordon

1947–48 Inverness Thistle reserves

1948–49 Caledonian reserves

1949–50 Clachnacuddin reserves

1950–51 Clachnacuddin reserves

1951–52 Caledonian reserves

1952–53 Caledonian reserves

1953–54 Elgin City reserves

1954–55 Nairn County reserves / Buckie Thistle reserves (shared)

1955–56 Clachnacuddin reserves

1956–57 Clachnacuddin reserves

1957–58 Clachnacuddin reserves

1958–59 Inverness Thistle reserves

1959–60 Inverness Thistle reserves

1960–61 Competition incomplete

1961–62 Competition incomplete

1962–63 Inverness Thistle reserves

1963–64 Clachnacuddin reserves

1964–65 Avoch Rovers

1965–66 Ross County reserves

1966–67 Brora Rangers reserves

1967–68 Brora Rangers reserves

1968–69 Dingwall Thistle

1969–70 Caledonian reserves

1970–71 Dingwall Thistle

1971–72 Dingwall Thistle

1972–73 Alness United

1973–74 Alness United

1974–75 Golspie Sutherland

1975–76 Golspie Sutherland

1976–77 Invergordon

1977–78 Dingwall Thistle

1978–79 Wick Academy

1979–80 Wick Academy

1980–81 Wick Academy

1981–82 Wick Academy

1982–83 Bunillidh Thistle

1983–84 Muir of Ord

1984–85 Fort William

1985–86 Muir of Ord

1986–87 Wick Academy

1987–88 Invergordon

1988–89 Bunillidh Thistle

1989–90 Balintore

1990–91 Balintore

1991–92 Clachnacuddin reserves

1992–93 Golspie Sutherland

1993–94 Halkirk United

1994–95 Inverness Caledonian Thistle reserves

1995–96 Fearn Thistle

1996–97 Ross County reserves

1997–98 Inverness Caledonian Thistle reserves

1998–99 Golspie Sutherland

1999–00 Thurso

2000–01 Alness United

2001–02 Invergordon

2002–03 Thurso

2003–04 Golspie Sutherland

2004–05 Alness United

2005–06 Balintore

2006–07 Golspie Sutherland

2007–08 Golspie Sutherland

2008–09 Golspie Sutherland

2009–10 Thurso

2010–11 Halkirk United

2011–12 Halkirk United

2012–13 Thurso

2013–14 Halkirk United

2014–15 Golspie Sutherland

2015–16 Halkirk United

2016–17 Invergordon

Club Performance

As of end of season 2016–17