Ayr United Football Club are a football club in

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

, Scotland, who play in the

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Champio ...

, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is The Honest Men, from a line in the

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

poem " Tam o' Shanter". They play at

Somerset Park Somerset Park is a football stadium located in Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It has been the home of Ayr United since they were founded in 1910. Prior to that, it was the home ground of Ayr, who merged with Ayr Parkhouse to form Ayr United. H ...

. The club is currently managed by Lee Bullen. The club have spent 34 seasons in Scotland's top division, the last being 1977–78, and have been the champions of the second tier of Scottish football on six occasions, and of the third tier on three occasions. The club's most successful manager, Ally MacLeod, went on to manage the Scottish national football team. In 2018, Ayr United secured promotion to the

as champions of

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

History

Ayr United were founded in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C. Although Inverness Caledonian Thistle are also the product of a merger between two clubs, Ayr United are the only Scottish Football League club to have been formed from a merger of two existing league clubs. The club's honours include winning six Second Division titles (as the second tier championship) and a further three titles (as the third tier championship), most recently in 2017–18. They have not won any national cup competitions, although they were runners-up in the 2001–02 Scottish League Cup, and in the Scottish Challenge Cup in the first two seasons in which the competition was held: 1990–91 and 1991–92. They have won the local competition the Ayrshire Cup on 26 occasions, most commonly facing fierce local rivals Kilmarnock in the final. The Ayrshire Cup was last played for in season 1996–97, since when the competition has been suspended. The club's record scorer in a single season is Jimmy Smith, who scored 66 goals for Ayr in only 38 league matches in 1927–28 and currently holds the British goalscoring record for the most league goals scored in a single season. The club's overall record scorer is

Peter Price Peter or Pete Price may refer to: * Peter O. Price (born 1941), former journalist and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences *Peter Price (bishop) (born 1944), English bishop * Peter Price (politician) (born 1942), English polit ...

, who scored 213 times in competitive matches for the club between 1955 and 1962. Former Scottish national team manager Ally MacLeod is regarded as the club's most famous and most successful manager. He led the club on three separate occasions spanning 15 years, during which his teams recorded a record 214 wins, and won two league titles. In 1973 MacLeod was voted Ayr's Citizen of the Year. More recent managers have also included the recent Scottish national team manager,

George Burley George Elder Burley (born 3 June 1956) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player, making 628 league appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps. His most successful spell came whi ...

, and former

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

winner with

Raith Rovers Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leagu ...

Gordon Dalziel Gordon Dalziel (born 16 March 1962) is a Scottish football player and manager. Dalziel spent most of his playing career with Raith Rovers, scoring 170 goals in 360 league appearances, and winning the 1994–95 Scottish League Cup. He also play ...

. Gordon Dalziel is the only manager to take Ayr to a National Cup Final on 17 March 2002 when they lost to Rangers 4–0. Their current manager is Lee Bullen. Although the club has spent 34 seasons in Scotland's top division, they have played in the second and third tiers of Scottish senior football since the 1977–78 season. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the club established a record of defeating teams which played in higher leagues in cup competitions, including Hibernian, Dundee,

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

, Motherwell,

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

and four consecutive wins in cup competitions against their fiercest rivals Kilmarnock. In 1988, Ayr United fan and businessman Sir David Murray offered to buy the club but the club's shareholders rejected the bid by a vote of 60 to 56. The manager at that time, Ally MacLeod, had threatened to leave if Murray's bid had succeeded: Murray went on to become chairman of Rangers, which coincided with a period of financial growth and league success for that club. During much of the 1990s and 2000s, a period of relative success both in league and cup competitions, the Ayr United chairman was local construction magnate Bill Barr. After Barr stood down, there were occasional boardroom struggles: the club suffered significant cashflow problems in 2004 although it survived with a combination of efforts.

Prestwick Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...

-based Roy Kennedy failed to take over the club in 2005, and his company Kennedy Construction went bankrupt in 2006. On 24 May 2009, Ayr won the Scottish First Division Play-off against Airdrie United 3–2 on aggregate to win promotion to the First Division. The following season, to celebrate the club's centenary, Ayr United played in black and white hoops, the club's original black and white kit. The away kit was crimson and gold with blue shorts to reflect the original club colours. But it was not a successful season. Ayr were relegated on the last day of the season after losing 2–1 to Morton. The club bounced back the following season, winning promotion after defeating Forfar Athletic and Brechin City in the play-offs. That same season, they knocked out Hibernian in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2011–12 Scottish League Cup, beating SPL sides Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Heart of Midlothian and St Mirren on their way to the semi-finals. Ayr United played

Ayrshire derby The Ayrshire Derby refers to matches between the two professional Scottish football sides based in Ayrshire: Ayr United and Kilmarnock. The first match was held on 14 September 1910, in the same year that Ayr United were formed. This game was th ...

rivals Kilmarnock in the semi-finals, the first time the two clubs had met at this stage. Kilmarnock won one-nil. But the league campaign was less successful, as United were relegated to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

following a play-off defeat to Airdrie United. Following relegation, United announced that Brian Reid's contract would not be renewed. The club appointed Mark Roberts, top scorer in the previous three seasons, manager, with head of youth development, Davie White, as his assistant. In January 2015, Ian McCall was appointed Ayr's new manager, taking over from Roberts. After saving the club from relegation on the final day of the 2014–15 season, McCall led Ayr back to the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

with a penalty shoot-out victory over Stranraer in the play-offs. Following their relegation in 2017, Ayr competed in

but finished the season as Champions, regaining their Championship status at the first time of asking and winning their first league title in over twenty years in the process. Ayr United enjoyed a good start to the Championship during the 2018–19 season, and found themselves leading the division for part of the season. However, injuries to key players resulted in a dip of form during the second half of the season. This poor form included a shock Scottish Cup defeat to Junior Champions Auchinleck Talbot. Ayr United eventually finish in fourth place, ensuring a place in the playoffs for promotion to the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...

. However, they were beaten on aggregate by Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Key players Lawrence Shankland, Robbie Crawford and Liam Smith departed at the end of 2018–19 and signed for other clubs. Despite these losses, Ayr started the 2019–20 season well and found themselves in 2nd place in September. However, manager Ian McCall departed the club to return to Partick Thistle, ending his 4-and-a-half year tenure. After a recruitment process lasting four weeks, midfielder Mark Kerr was appointed as manager on an 18-month contract. The 2019–20 season was curtailed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. United were fourth place again at the time of curtailment and this stood as their final league standing. However, the playoffs were not contested due to the pandemic. The 2020–2021 season was played behind closed doors due to the ongoing pandemic. Ayr United became embroiled in a relegation battle, and manager Mark Kerr was sacked in February 2021. He was replaced by ex-Scotland international and former Greenock Morton, Bradford City and Livingston manager

David Hopkin David Isaac Hopkin (born 21 August 1970) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Ayr United. As a player he was a midfielder from 1989 until 2003, notably in the English Premier League ...

. Ayr United avoided relegation on the final day of the season after a draw with Inverness Caledonian Thistle. After a poor start to the 2021–22 season, David Hopkin resigned as manager. Following a spell as caretaker manager, Jim Duffy was appointed as manager on a contract until the end of the season. However, after a poor run of only one win in twelve league games, Duffy was sacked in December 2021. On 7 January 2022, former Sheffield Wednesday and Dunfermline player Lee Bullen was appointed as Head Coach. Under Bullen's leadership, Ayr United avoided the relegation play-offs and remained in the Championship.

Crest and colours

Crests

From 1948 to 2016, Ayr United used a crest which is a shield containing a Scottish saltire, with a scroll beneath stating the club's name. In 2015, the club became subject to a legal action which claimed that the crest was an unregistered coat of arms. After it had emerged that the club's badge was in jeopardy, a petition was started by fans and gained 700 signatures in 24 hours. The campaign gained support and many political, footballing figures and fans alike lent support to keep the Ayr badge intact. Leader of the

Scottish Conservative Party The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

leader

Ruth Davidson Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links (born 10 November 1978), is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish ...

stated "If archaic rules are forcing the team to change the badge, then I think we need to look at those rules again. When John Scott brought this issue to my attention, I was happy to take it all the way to the UK Government." Another prominent name to join the campaign was former Ayr United and Bayern Munich striker and now a

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

pundit on

Soccer Saturday ''Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday'' is a weekly television programme broadcast on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the football season. The programme updates viewers on the progress of association football games in the United ...

Alan McInally Alan Bruce McInally (born 10 February 1963) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played for Ayr United, Celtic, Aston Villa, Bayern Munich and Kilmarnock. Ayr-born McInally variously went by the nicknames of Rambo and Big Mac ...

, who said "Badges are so important to football supporters and are treasured by everyone. They are worn with pride by grandfathers, dads and sons as they represent the club that they support. New stadiums get built and re-named but the club badge always stays the same”. In 2016, after a fan competition to design a new club badge, a design incorporating most of the old features of the old badge was introduced. File:Ayrshire.png, alt=The crest of Ayrshire between 1890 and 1931, similar to the Ayr United crest.,

The crest of Ayrshire between 1890 and 1931, similar to the Ayr United crest.

File:Ayr United FC 1938-1948.png, alt=The crest worn between 1938 and 1948.,

The crest worn between 1938 and 1948.

File:Ayr United FC-2009 2011 Centenary Logo.png, alt=The Centenary logo used on the Playing kit between 2009 and 2011.,

The Centenary logo used on the Playing kit between 2009 and 2011.

File:Ayr_United_Anchor_Badge.svg, alt=The runner up in the 2017 vote to find a replacement crest.,

The runner up in the 2017 vote to find a replacement crest.

Colours

The club's original jerseys were red and gold, inherited from

, with navy blue shorts and socks. In 1914, Ayr adopted black and white hoops, which were worn, with several modifications, up to 1930, when The ''Honest Men'' switched to a plain white jersey, with navy blue shorts and socks, worn until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the war, the club retained the white jersey, and switched back to the black shorts that had originally complemented the hooped shirts, kits similar to these were worn up to 1958, when Ayr had changed the black and white look for a white with a blue trim, used until 1963, when they once again reverted to the black and white hoops, that were kept until 1968 and not used again until the 2009–10 centenary season. From then until 1994, Ayr maintained white jerseys trimmed with black with either black or white shorts and socks, then switching to a striped shirt for a single season. The following season, Ayr wore an all-black jersey for the first and only time. Ayr went back to keeping an all-white jersey with either white or black shorts and socks until the centenary season. For the 2011–12 season, a half-black-half-white shirt was worn for the first time, however, Ayr FC had previously wore a similar jersey between 1899 and 1903. The 2013–14 season saw Ayr return to the white jersey, black shorts and socks for the first time since 1973.

Home kits

Away kits

Sponsorship

Stadium

Ayr play their football at

in Ayr's New Town. One of the few surviving traditional stadium designs, it consists of one stand, two covered terraces, and one open terrace. It has a capacity of . The first match to take place at Somerset Park was between the former

and Aston Villa in a 3–0 victory for Ayr. During the 1990s the club's chairman Bill Barr, who owned and managed a company which built modern-style stadiums and stands for several other clubs around the UK sought — and obtained — planning permission from South Ayrshire Council for a new 10,200 all-seated stadium at Heathfield in Ayr with an associated retail development. The Scottish Executive then "called in" the application and reversed the decision in respect of the retail development. Since the club considered this aspect of the proposal necessary to fund the construction, the development did not proceed. In November 2006, United signed a contract with

Barratt Homes Barratt Developments plc is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom operating across England, Wales and Scotland. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros., but control was later assumed by Sir L ...

for the sale of

, having secured a site in the Heathfield area of Ayr. The site would house a new £18 million stadium seating 7,650 as part of a "sports and business campus". The project ultimately did not proceed.

First-team squad

On loan

Coaching staff

Managers

Honours

Domestic

League

* Scottish second tier ''(Division Two, Division B, First Division, Championship)'' **Winners (6): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1927–28, 1936–37, 1958–59, 1965–66 **Runners Up (4): 1910–11, 1955–56, 1968–69, 2000–01 * Scottish third tier ''(Second Division, League One)'' **Winners (3): 1987–88, 1996–97, 2017–18 **Runners Up (3): 2008–09,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, 2015–16 **Play-Off Winners (3): 2008–09,

, 2015–16

Cups

**Runners Up (1): 2001–02 * Scottish Challenge Cup **Runners Up (2):

1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, 1991–92

Regional

* Ayrshire Cup **Winners (26): 1911–12, 1925–26, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1949–50, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1996–97 *Ayr Charity Cup **Winners (17): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1918–19, 1920–21, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1951–52 *Kilmarnock Charity Cup **Winners (4): 1930–31, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1936–37

Records

Club

; Record home

attendance Attendance is the concept of people, individually or as a group, appearing at a location for a previously scheduled event. Measuring attendance is a significant concern for many organizations, which can use such information to gauge the effectiven ...

25,225 vs Rangers, 13 September 1969 in

Scottish League Division One The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...

; Record attendance in a match involving Ayr United 51,158 vs Rangers, 4 April 1973,

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hampden Park ; Lowest home attendance 106 vs

Girvan Girvan ( gd, Inbhir Gharbhain, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ay ...

, 1 May 1991 in the Ayrshire Cup ; Lowest away attendance 192 vs Deveronvale, 28 November 2009, in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, ; Record victory 11–1 vs

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, 13 August 1952 ; Record defeat 0–9 vs Rangers, 16 November 1929
0–9 vs Heart of Midlothian, 28 February 1931
0–9 vs

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...

, 4 December 1931 ; Record appearances John Murphy (597 apps), between 1963 and 1978 ; Record goalscorer

, (213 goals in 251 apps) between 1955 and 1962 ; Most Goals in a single season Jimmy Smith, (66 goals in 38 apps) in the 1927–28 Season ; Most International Appearances (''While playing for Ayr'') James Nisbet for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

(''3'') vs

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1929 ; Youngest player Mark Shankland, aged 15 years and 300 days (vs Brechin City, 7 May 2011) ; Youngest goalscorer Alan Forrest, aged 16 years and 321 days (vs Queens Park, 27 July 2013)

Individual

All players are from Scotland unless otherwise stated. ; Top goalscorers ; Most appearances

Hall of Fame

''* years involved as a manager''
''** years involved as vice-chairman'' ;

Scottish Football Hall of Fame The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Nominations are made each year by fans and a committee selects the inductees. The first inductions to the Hall of Fame were in November 2004 in a ceremony at Hampden Pa ...

''* years involved as manager'' ;

English Football Hall of Fame The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and man ...

International players

Only includes caps won while playing for Ayr United. ;

* Johnny Crosbie (2 caps, 0 goals) 1919–1920 * Johnny Doyle (1 cap, 0 goals) 1975Phil H Jones & David Potter. Encyclopaedia of Scottish Football. . *

Bob Hepburn Robert White Hepburn (17 December 1901 – 1976) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Career Born in Hamilton, Hepburn played club football for Dykehead, Ayr United and Stranraer, and made one appearance for Scotland Sco ...

(1 cap, 0 goals) 1931 * Jimmy Hogg (1 cap, 0 goals) 1922 * Phillip McCloy (4 caps, 0 goals) 1924–1925 * Jimmy Nisbet (3 caps, 2 goals) 1929 *

Jimmy Richardson James Robert Richardson (8 February 1911 – 28 August 1964) was an English footballer, best known for his time playing as a forward for Newcastle United. Club career Richardson joined Newcastle in April 1928 from Blyth Spartans, making his ...

(2 caps, 0 goals) 1919Carmichael, Duncan. Walking Down the Somerset Road. Fort Publishing Ltd . * John Smith (1 cap, 0 goals) 1924 ;

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

* Jens Kristian Hansen (5 caps, 0 goals) 1999–2000 *

Jens Martin Knudsen Jens Martin Knudsen (12 October 1930 – 17 February 2005) was a Danish astrophysicist. During his scientific career Knudsen authored or co-authored more than 100 scientific articles, and was a longtime advisor to NASA. Early years Knudsen w ...

(3 caps, 0 goals) 1999–2000

References

External links

* *
Unofficial Ayr United fans forum

Ayr United History

at Historical Football Kits {{Authority control Football clubs in Scotland Sport in Ayr Association football clubs established in 1910 1910 establishments in Scotland Scottish Football League teams South of Scotland Football League teams Scottish Professional Football League teams Football in South Ayrshire