History of Leith Athletic F.C. in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 19, 2026

Leith Athletic F.C. is a historic Scottish football club based in Leith, Edinburgh. Founded in 1887, the club experienced its most significant period of success during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, notably competing in the Scottish Football League between 1891 and 1915. Throughout its existence, the team faced numerous financial challenges and underwent several periods of dormancy and reformation. Following a lengthy hiatus, the club was successfully revived in 1996 and currently competes in the East of Scotland Football League. Known for its rich heritage and deep roots within the Leith community, the club maintains a legacy as one of the area's most enduring sporting institutions. Despite fluctuating fortunes, Leith Athletic remains an active participant in the Scottish non-league football pyramid, continuing its long-standing tradition of representing the district.

1900: Relocation to Hawkhill

During the 1899–1900 season, specifically concluding in 1900, Leith Athletic F.C. completed their move to Hawkhill to play their league matches for the remainder of that football season.

1904: Move to Old Logie Green

By 1904, the club transitioned away from Chancelot Park and established Old Logie Green as their new home ground.

1905: Winding up and restructuring of Leith Athletic

In 1905, following a failed attempt to win sufficient votes for league re-election, Leith Athletic was officially wound up and a new limited company was established to assume ownership of the former club's assets.

1906: Scottish Second Division Championship Victory

In 1906, the team now known as Leith F.C. secured a comfortable victory in the Scottish Second Division championship, though they were denied promotion to the First Division despite this success.

1910: Joint Scottish Second Division Champions

During the 1910 season, Leith and Raith Rovers finished level on points, resulting in both teams being declared joint champions of the division, although Leith did not seek promotion.

1912: Re-election to the League

Following a last-place finish during the 1912-13 season, Leith successfully won re-election to maintain their position within the football league.

1915: Transition to the Eastern League

Following the suspension of the league competition in 1915, Leith Athletic F.C. moved to join the Eastern League.

1916: Suspension of operations

In 1916, Leith Athletic F.C. ceased all club operations for the duration of the First World War.

1919: Club reformation and league entry

Following the war, the club was reformed in 1919 under its original name and successfully joined the Western League.

1923: Scottish Alliance participation

In 1923, the club embarked on its single season of competition within the Scottish Alliance league.

1924: Admission to the Third Division

After concluding their stint in the Scottish Alliance, Leith Athletic F.C. was formally admitted to the Third Division in 1924.

1924: Return to the SFL and Old Logie Green

Following their return to the Scottish Football League in 1924, the club resumed playing their home fixtures at Old Logie Green.

1925: Relocation to New Powderhall

At the conclusion of the 1925–26 season, the club vacated their previous grounds and relocated to New Powderhall.

1926: Third Division Championship and election failure

Although Leith Athletic F.C. secured the Third Division championship title in 1926, they were denied promotion to the Second Division after losing a vote via the chairman's casting ballot.

1927: Admission to the Scottish League

In 1927, Leith Athletic F.C. was admitted into the Scottish League, effectively replacing the club Nithsdale Wanderers.

1930: Second Division Championship Win

During 1930, the club achieved a major milestone by winning the Second Division championship and securing promotion to the First Division.

1931: Survival in the First Division

In 1931, the club successfully maintained its status and survived within the top tier of the Scottish league system.

1932: Relegation from the First Division

The club faced a setback in 1932 when they were relegated from the First Division following their previous stint in the top flight.

1936: Relocation to Meadowbank

In 1936, Leith Athletic F.C. completed a move to the Meadowbank stadium, which served as their new home ground after their time at Marine Gardens.

1939: League Suspension

By the 1939-40 season, the football league was suspended, halting the club's tenure as a middle-ranking Second Division side.

1943: St Bernard's merger

St Bernard's lost their ground in 1943 as part of a merger agreement with Leith Athletic.

1945: Attempted revival of St Bernard's

In 1945, an initiative to revive the football club St Bernard's, which had ceased operations due to a merger with Leith Athletic, proved unsuccessful.

1946: Temporary relocation to New Meadowbank

Due to necessary reconstruction work at the original Meadowbank following World War II, the club spent the 1946–47 season playing at the adjacent New Meadowbank facility.

1946: Founding of Division C

Leith Athletic became a founding member of the newly established third-tier competition, Division C, in 1946.

1947: Election to Second Division

Following an expansion of the Second Division from 14 to 16 clubs in 1947, Leith Athletic was successfully elected to one of the open vacancies.

1948: Relegation to Division C

Leith Athletic suffered relegation in 1948, subsequently joining the North & East section of Division C following a restructuring of the third tier.

August 1953: Expulsion of Leith Athletic F.C. from the C Division

In August 1953, Leith Athletic F.C. was expelled from the Scottish Football League's C Division after the club refused to fulfill their remaining fixtures in protest of the league's structure.

1953: End of final Scottish Football League spell

In 1953, Leith Athletic F.C. concluded their final spell playing in the Scottish Football League.

1955: Dissolution of Leith Athletic F.C.

Following their expulsion and inability to join an alternative competition, Leith Athletic F.C. officially went out of business in 1955, shortly before the C Divisions were abandoned.

1955: Club liquidation

The original Leith Athletic F.C. officially went out of business in 1955, marking the end of the club's initial history.

1996: Formation of the new Leith Athletic F.C.

In 1996, a new iteration of Leith Athletic F.C. was established, focusing primarily on boys' football with various age groups ranging from 5 to 21, while the adult team became a member of the Central Scottish Amateur Football League.

1996: Revival at youth level

The name of the club was revived in 1996 to operate at the local youth football level.

2005: International recognition for Leith Athletic players

During 2005, Leith Athletic achieved significant representation as Paul Lee earned his first Scottish amateur international cap in a 2-1 victory over Leinster, and Danny Swanson, Douglas Thom, and Shaun Woodburn were selected for the Scottish Youth Football Association under-19 team to compete against Mid Ulster and Wales.

2008: Amalgamation with Edinburgh Athletic

In 2008, Leith Athletic merged with Edinburgh Athletic and officially joined the East of Scotland Football League.

2008: Return to senior football

In 2008, Leith Athletic returned to senior football by amalgamating with Edinburgh Athletic and assuming their position in the East of Scotland League.

2011: Promotion to the East of Scotland Premier Division

Leith Athletic achieved promotion to the East of Scotland Premier Division in 2011, though they were relegated following the completion of the subsequent season.