Armadale F.C.
Armadale Football Club, nicknamed Dale, was a football team from Armadale in West Lothian, Scotland. Founded in 1910, they played at Volunteer Park and wore blue shirts, white shorts, and dark blue stockings (navy shirt until 1915). The club dissolved in 1935.
Armadale played in several leagues before joining the Scottish Football League. They started in the Eastern Football Alliance, then moved to the Central Football League in 1911, where they became one of the strongest teams and won the league in 1913–14 and 1914–15. They later played in the Eastern Football League, winning it in 1915–16, before returning to the Central League.
After World War I, football grew in popularity in West Lothian. Armadale developed into a strong side, narrowly losing to Kilmarnock in the 1919–20 Scottish Cup quarter-finals and pushing Albion Rovers to a third replay in 1920–21.
In 1921 Armadale joined the Scottish Football League Second Division after the Central League’s absorption. They finished third in their first season but then mostly ended up in the bottom part of the table. Financial troubles followed. A suggested reduced entry price for unemployed fans was vetoed by the League.
A notable moment came in October 1927 when Owen McNally scored eight goals in a league match against Arthurlie, a record at the time.
To raise money, Armadale used Volunteer Park for greyhound racing, but the league ruled that the racing track interfered with the football pitch and must stop. Greyhound racing had become the club’s main income.
In November 1932 the club owed Raith Rovers £50 for a scheduled match. Armadale proposed paying with IOUs, but the plan was rejected, and the club was expelled from the League on 24 November 1932. Their 1932–33 season results were wiped from records. Armadale was only the second club expelled that season, after Bo’ness.
After their expulsion, Armadale disappeared as a club, and a junior club, Armadale Thistle, later took its place in town.
The highest attendance recorded for Armadale was 12,600 for a Scottish Cup tie against Albion Rovers on 19 February 1921.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:10 (CET).