Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross ...

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 ...

Scottish Professional Football League The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As w ...

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,1949 Scottish League Cup and 1913 Scottish Cup. They have won the second tier of Scottish football five times, been runners-up five times, and reached its highest ever league finish in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

, third in Division One. As a result of winning the League Cup in 1994, Raith Rovers qualified for European football for the first time, entering the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cla ...

the following season. The club managed to reach the

second round The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

, only to be defeated 4–1 on aggregate by eventual champions Bayern Munich. Raith's home ground is

Stark's Park Stark's Park is a football stadium in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is the home ground of Raith Rovers, who have played there since 1891. The ground has an all-seated capacity of 9000 History Raith started using the ground in 1891 and it seats . ...

, an

all-seater stadium An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football an ...

in the south of

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

. The club has been based at the ground since 1891.

History

Beginnings and name

The modern Raith Rovers were founded in 1883 in the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy, playing first at Sands Brae, now part of the

Esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

, then Robbie's Park. Though there were other teams who incorporated the town name, such as Kirkcaldy Wanderers and Kirkcaldy United, Raith became the most successful of the local teams, winning five trophies in the 1890s. There had been a much earlier (and unrelated) Raith Rovers which merged with what is now

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

in 1882. Although it lends its name to many entities in the region, Raith is not itself a settlement. A Raith Rovers victory in the 1960s led to a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

commentator's blunder that the fans would be "dancing in the streets of Raith tonight". Although commonly attributed to

David Coleman David Robert Coleman OBE (26 April 1926 – 21 December 2013) was a British sports commentator and television presenter who worked for the BBC for 46 years. He covered eleven Summer Olympic Games from 1960 to 2000 and six FIFA World Cups from ...

, it was actually said by

Sam Leitch Samuel James Leitch (1927–1980) was a British journalist and television sports presenter. He came from a Scottish family but was born in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. He was the editor of ''Match of the Day'' at the BBC for some years. ...

. Raith ( gd, rath, "fort" or "fortified residence") as an area once stretched from south of

Loch Gelly Loch Gelly (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Gheallaidh'') is a small loch in Fife, Scotland lying approximately 1.5 km to the south east of the town of Lochgelly Lochgelly ( ; gd, Loch Gheallaidh, IPA: �ɫ̪ɔxˈʝaɫ̪ai is a town in Fife, ...

as far as Kirkcaldy and the

Battle of Raith The Battle of Raith was the theory of E. W. B. Nicholson, librarian at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. He was aware of the poem Y Gododdin in the Book of Aneirin and was aware that no-one had identified the location "Catraeth". He parsed the name ...

was once theorised to have been fought here in 596 AD. Raith House and Raith Tower sit on Cormie Hill to the west of Kirkcaldy and several parts of the town are built on land formerly of the Raith Estate, although the modern housing estate bearing the Raith name dates from long after the origins of the team. A mixture of local success and ambition took the club into the senior leagues where they established themselves and thereby became the pre-eminent team in the town. The club became a senior team in 1889 around the same time they were forced to leave Robbie's Park which was incorporated into a new public park called the

Beveridge Park Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

, named after Provost Michael Beveridge. The team subsequently moved to their current home of

Stark's Park Stark's Park is a football stadium in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is the home ground of Raith Rovers, who have played there since 1891. The ground has an all-seated capacity of 9000 History Raith started using the ground in 1891 and it seats . ...

named after and run by councillor Robert Stark in 1891. The club turned professional by 1892 and were the first football team in Fife to be elected to the

Scottish League 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 ...

in season 1902–03. The club were incorporated into a limited company: the Raith Rovers Football and Athletic Company, Ltd in 1907. After two consecutive successful seasons in 2nd Division, the club elected to join the 1st Division in 1909–10. Three years later, the club made their first (and only) appearance in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

.

Setting records

In 1921 an innovation in training, previously unknown to the Scottish game, was introduced by directors following a visit to England: the use of a ball in training. As noted in the Fife Free Press, "Hitherto, ball practice has been an absentee from the training curriculum on the grounds that being away from the ball for a week imparted eagerness on the Saturday." This heralded an era of success. The club had its highest ever league finish in the Scottish top division, when they came third to the Old Firm in 1921–22 under manager James Logan (a former Raith player who had fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

having enlisted in

McCrae's Battalion McCrae's Battalion was the affectionate name given by the people of Edinburgh to the 16th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Scots in World War I, raised from volunteers in 1914 as part of the Kitchener's Army, New Armies called to the Colours by He ...

, along with several teammates who died in the conflict). This was followed by the unusual incident where the players were shipwrecked in 1923. Along with a cargo of chilled meat bound for

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...

the team had been en route to play friendly matches on the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...

when the SS Highland Lock ran aground off the coast of

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

, near Vilagarcía. The players were able to safely disembark, being rescued by local fishermen. They continued on their way a few days later, winning all four of their games on the islands, including one against

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 Scotti ...

, returning from a tour of South America. The team battled on during tough times between the 1920s and 1930s but things improved by the season of 1937–38, which saw Raith setting a British League Record with 142 goals in just 34 league matches while winning the 2nd Division championship. The record still stands today. The forward line of Glen (5 goals), Gilmour (35),

Norrie Haywood Norrie Haywood was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a forward. He played for Watford F.C., Queen of the South, Peebles Rovers, Raith Rovers and St Bernard's F.C. Watford Norrie Haywood made one first team appearan ...

(47), Whitelaw (26) and Joyner (21) scored 134 of the record 142 goals. Around this time, a then record crowd of 25,500 filled Stark's Park on a Wednesday afternoon for a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against East Fife (The first game had attracted 19,000 to the old Bayview ground). East Fife won 3–2 and went on to become the only 2nd Division club to win the Scottish Cup until Hibs matched the feat in 2016. Record appearance holder Willie McNaught first appeared for Raith during the war before signing on a contract basis when normal football resumed after the end of global hostilities. McNaught went on to make 657 senior football appearances (many as captain) for Rovers. Raith reached the League Cup final for the first time in 1948–49 but lost 2–0 to Rangers. In an echo of what would happen four decades later, the club also went on to win the 2nd Division title. In the period of the club's greatest high level consistency, Rovers stayed in the top division until the season after McNaught's 1962 departure. In 1951, Raith had their largest ever gate for a Scottish Cup semi-final at

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

watched by a crowd of 84,640. Raith lost 3–2 to Celtic.

Promotions, relegations and ''Footballer of the Year''

A disastrous season came in 1962–63, when the club finished bottom of the First Division conceding 118 goals in 34 games. After leaving Queen of the South,

George Farm George Neil Farm (13 July 1924 – 18 July 2004) was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager. Born in Slateford, a suburb of Edinburgh, Farm represented his country on ten occasions, the last three of which occurred after a g ...

became Raith manager in 1964. Farm took Raith to promotion in 1966–67 before leaving for Fife rivals Dunfermline Athletic and was never able to repeat the formula when he returned in the season of 1971–72. Raith managed to avoid relegation in 1967–68, thanks to striker Gordon Wallace, who became the first player outwith the Old Firm to be voted

SFWA Footballer of the Year The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the SFWA Footballer of the Year, or simply the Scottish Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the se ...

. He scored 27 goals in 34 matches. However the club did find themselves being relegated again at the end of the 1969–70 season. Nonetheless, the Rovers during this time managed to get through to the quarter finals of the Scottish cup for the second year running between 1970–71 and 1971–72 – although the latter saw them beaten 3–1 by Kilmarnock with a crowd of 10,815. In 1975–76, the league set-up changed from Divisions 1 & 2 to a 3 tier system (Premier Division, Division 1 & Division 2). In the inaugural year of this system, Raith were promoted to the 1st Division, but were promptly relegated the next season, before bouncing back up the season after. Raith then performed reasonably well in the 1st Division, hovering around the top four until the early 1980s. A new manager,

Frank Connor Frank Connor (13 February 1936 – 3 March 2022) was a Scottish football player and manager. Career As a player, he played for Celtic, Portadown, St Mirren, Derry City, Albion Rovers and Cowdenbeath. After coaching at Celtic and Albion Rov ...

took charge in early 1986, bringing many new faces onto the team which resulted in promotion on goal difference after a 4–1 win against Stranraer (while Ayr United lost to

Stirling Albion Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...

) on the last day of the season.

The League Cup winning era

Raith reverted to being a full-time side again for the season of 1991–92 which was soon followed by winning the First Division title in the season of 1992–93. This was to start the most successful period in the club's history – which saw the team's first foray into the

Scottish Premier Division The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system. It lay above the Scottish Football League First, Second and (from 1994 ...

(now the Premiership). On 27 November 1994, Raith, managed by Jimmy Nicholl, surprisingly beat Celtic 6–5 on penalties to win the Coca-Cola Cup, after a 2–2 draw. Future Raith manager,

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 pla ...

, scored the equalising goal for Raith in the dying minutes of regulation time. The same season, Raith were again promoted to the Premier Division after winning the First Division title. As a result of the Cup win, Raith qualified for Europe (

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cla ...

) for the first time in their history. After eliminating both the

Faroes 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 betw ...

e and Icelandic champions (

Gøtu Ítróttarfelag Gøtu Ítróttarfelag, commonly known as just GÍ, was a football club based in Gøta, in the Faroe Islands. History It was founded in 1926. The club colours were yellow and blue. They played at the Serpugerdi Stadium and won 6 league titles ...

and

Íþróttabandalag Akraness Íþróttabandalag Akraness (abbreviated ÍA), is an Icelandic sports club founded in 1946 and based in the town of Akranes, west Iceland. Among the main sports its members can practice are basketball, football, golf, horsemanship, gymnastics, ...

respectively) in the first two rounds, the club finally succumbed to eventual UEFA Cup winners Bayern Munich. They were beaten 2–0 by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

side in the 1st leg, which was not played at their home ground but at

Easter Road Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian (Hibs). The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of , which makes it the fifth-large ...

, home of Hibernian. In the 2nd leg, at the Olympiastadion they led 1–0 at half time against all odds, eventually losing 2–1. This was the first time a Scottish team had qualified for a major European competition while playing outside the top league. The same season, Raith finished sixth in the Premier League. Winning the Coca-Cola Cup, selling Steve McAnespie and playing in the UEFA Cup generated the money needed to redevelop Stark's Park as an all-seater ground with North and South Stands. It was completed in time for the 1995–96 season, and Bayern Munich were invited to play a friendly in the first match in the redeveloped ground, with Raith securing a narrow 1–0 win.

The end of the fairytale

After the club were relegated from the Premier Division, they also struggled to succeed in the First Division. For the 2001–02 season they were relegated to the Second Division for the first time since 1987. The club returned to the First Division (with the lowest winning total, to date, for champions of 59 points), under the leadership of

Antonio Calderón Antonio Calderón Burgos (born 2 June 1967) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, currently a caretaker manager Challenger Pro League club of Deinze. Over eight seasons, he amassed La Liga totals of 215 games ...

in 2002–03 season. At the start of the 2004–05 season, Claude Anelka (brother of French striker Nicolas) offered £300,000 to any team who would offer him a manager's job and was subsequently appointed the manager of Raith Rovers, with Antonio Calderón refusing the offer of a coaching role and leaving the club. Anelka signed a team of (mostly) continental players from the lower leagues in France. A disastrous season followed, despite Anelka resigning halfway through the season (replaced by

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 pla ...

) and his signings either leaving, or having their contracts terminated, and Raith were relegated to the Second Division after finishing bottom of the First Division with just 16 points in the season.

Local takeover

During 2005–06, the future of the club looked doubtful after the club and its traditional home of

Stark's Park Stark's Park is a football stadium in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is the home ground of Raith Rovers, who have played there since 1891. The ground has an all-seated capacity of 9000 History Raith started using the ground in 1891 and it seats . ...

were both placed under threat by previous owners Colin McGowan and Alex Short. The

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

based

property developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. ...

s had repeatedly threatened to sell Stark's Park for housing in a bid to find a buyer for their 50% stake in the club and after months of legal and financial wrangling a deal was struck with their company, West City Development. Former chairman Turnbull Hutton and director Mario Caira, who were part of West City retained their investment and were joined by major investor John Sim, a

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

-based senior financial figure with liquidator KPMG. The ''Reclaim the Rovers'' fans' campaign, which was launched in a bid to secure a local future for the club, also secured a place for a Supporters' Representative on the new-look board after raising £100,000 towards the final figure. On 30 December 2005, Raith Rovers' future was secured after a £1.2 million community buy-out (The New Raith Rovers Limited consortium) (assisted by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

who later became

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

, a fan and shareholder of the club). Previous chairman David Sinton also completed work on the takeover. On 2 May 2009, Raith secured the Second Division title with a 1–0 win at the home of Scottish football, Hampden Park, with a travelling support of over 1500. They lifted the trophy in front of almost 5000 the following week following a 0–0 draw with Arbroath. On 6 April 2014, Raith won the 2014 Scottish Challenge Cup Final 1–0 against Rangers after extra time. In early 2022 the club signed David Goodwillie. Days later, after an outcry regarding the rape ruling against him, chairman John Sim announced Goodwillie will not play for Raith Rovers and the club would review his contract. Raith's women's teams had moved to sever ties with the club. Goodwillie was released from his contract in September, no details being given by the club.

Colours and badge

Raith's kit consists of dark blue tops with light blue detailing, with white shorts and dark blue socks. The away kit consists of a white shirt with red detailing with red shorts and socks. Raith's current badge has been used since 1998, replacing the previous lion and shield motif used in different colour combinations (including being framed in a shield shape from 1995 to 1998) since 1985.

Stadium

Fife rivalries

There are four other

SPFL The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is the national men's association football league in Scotland. The league was formed in June 2013 following a merger between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. As we ...

clubs in Fife: East Fife around 8 miles to the east, with

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

, Kelty Hearts and Dunfermline Athletic 9, 13 and 14 miles respectively to the west. Raith's traditional derby is with East Fife though the biggest rivalry is against Dunfermline Athletic, with the encounter at

East End Park East End Park, currently named KDM Group East End Park for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium situated in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with a seating capacity of . The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Championship si ...

in April 2011 attracting a crowd of over 11,000.

Supporters and culture

In addition to former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

, fans include author

Ian Rankin Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Early life Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a scho ...

,

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...

bassist

Guy Berryman Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he began to play bass from an early age, ...

and writer

Harry Ritchie Harry Ritchie (born 1958) is a Scottish writer and journalist. He is the author of six books, and numerous newspaper articles and book reviews. Biography Ritchie was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife. He attended Kirkcaldy High School and the Universi ...

. Author

Val McDermid Valarie "Val" McDermid, (born 4 June 1955) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for a series of novels featuring clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill in a grim sub-genre that McDermid and others have identified as Tartan Noir. Biography M ...

is a former director but in February 2022 cancelled her sponsorship and ended her lifelong support of the club in protest at the signing of David Goodwillie to the playing squad. Former

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

and Hearts manager

Craig Levein Craig William Levein (born 22 October 1964) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is currently a full-time advisor to the board of directors at Highland Football League club Brechin City. During his playing career ...

has supported the team since boyhood.

Literature

The team is often mentioned in Ian Rankin's

Inspector Rebus The ''Inspector Rebus'' books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They are considered an important contrib ...

novels, Rankin stating that Rebus is a supporter. In

Giles Foden Giles Foden (born 11 January 1967)George Stade and Karen Karbiener (eds), ''Encyclopaedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present'', 2nd edn, Infobase Publishing, 2010, p. 176. is an English author, best known for his novel '' The Last King of ...

's novel ''

The Last King of Scotland ''The Last King of Scotland'' is a novel by journalist Giles Foden, published by Faber and Faber in 1998. Focusing on the rise of Ugandan President Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and pol ...

'' the protagonist, Nicholas Garrigan, is a Raith Rovers fan.

Music

The Raith Rovers anthem is ''Geordie Munro'', with its prominent mention of Kirkcaldy.

Club staff

Board of directors

Management

Players

Current squad

On loan

The League Cup winning team

Players from the team that lifted the

1994–95 Scottish League Cup The 1994–95 Scottish League Cup was the 49th staging of the Scotland's second most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Coca-Cola Cup. The competition was won by Raith Rovers, who defeated Cel ...

include: *

Shaun Dennis Shaun Dennis (born 20 December 1969 in Kirkcaldy) is a Scottish retired professional football player and coach, primarily with Raith Rovers. He was capped by Scotland at under-21 level. Club career Shaun Dennis made his debut for Raith Rovers ...

– Over 400 appearances in three different spells between 1988–2004 before taking on a coaching role for a short period. Also played for Hibernian and Brechin City. * Colin Cameron – 'Mickey', a former Scottish internationalist who started his career with Raith Rovers. He was signed by Hearts where he won the Scottish Cup in 1998 before moving onto

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

,

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the ...

and

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. Th ...

. * Jason Dair – Experienced midfielder Dair, who can also play in defence, has also played for

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, ea ...

and Dunfermline, among many other teams. Like his one-time teammate, Shaun Dennis, Jason had three different spells at Raith. * Stevie Crawford – A former Scottish international who started his career with Raith Rovers. He played for

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

after being released from his second spell with Dunfermline. Crawford has also played for

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, ea ...

, Hibernian,

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...

,

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 ...

,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

and East Fife (Was also manager of the latter club). *

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 pla ...

– Record league goalscorer for Raith Rovers with 154 goals in the 1980s and 1990s, who returned as a manager in 2004. Scored the equalising goal in the Cup Final. * David Narey MBE – veteran player, formerly of

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 ...

(1973–1994), who scored a goal against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in the

1982 World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3–1 ...

. David retired after the Coca-Cola Cup win, in which he was named Man of the Match. * Steve McAnespie – Sold to

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

for Raith's record transfer fee of £900,000 at the end of the 1994–95 season. Now coaching in the US. The money from his transfer helped redevelop

Stark's Park Stark's Park is a football stadium in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is the home ground of Raith Rovers, who have played there since 1891. The ground has an all-seated capacity of 9000 History Raith started using the ground in 1891 and it seats . ...

. Also involved in the squad were

Scott Thomson Scott Thomson may refer to: *Scott A. Thomson, taxonomist and herpetologist *Scott Y. Thomson (born 1966), Scottish football goalkeeper *Scott M. Thomson (born 1972), Scottish footballer *Scott Thomson (actor) (born 1957), American actor *Scott Tho ...

, Julian Broddle, David Sinclair, Ally Graham, Brian Potter, Jason Rowbotham and Ian Redford.

Managers

Managers of the club have included * 1945–1961:

Bert Herdman Bert Herdman was manager of Raith Rovers F.C. from 1945 to 1961. He presided over one of the most sustained periods of success in the club's history. Raith spent 14 years in the top division while he was manager, despite regularly losing talente ...

– Oversaw some of the club's most successful seasons and a sustained period in the top flight. * 1964–1967 and 1971–1974:

George Farm George Neil Farm (13 July 1924 – 18 July 2004) was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager. Born in Slateford, a suburb of Edinburgh, Farm represented his country on ten occasions, the last three of which occurred after a g ...

– In a career of distinction in both playing and managing, Farm included a promotion success with Raith among the numerous achievements he enjoyed throughout his career. * 1986–1990:

Frank Connor Frank Connor (13 February 1936 – 3 March 2022) was a Scottish football player and manager. Career As a player, he played for Celtic, Portadown, St Mirren, Derry City, Albion Rovers and Cowdenbeath. After coaching at Celtic and Albion Rov ...

– Took the club from depths of the Second Division to a solid First Division spot. * 1990–1996:

Jimmy Nicholl James Michael Nicholl (born 28 December 1956) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played for several clubs, including Manchester United and Rangers. He was mainly a right-back but could also play in other defensive roles. N ...

– Manager (and player until 1994) who won two First Division titles, the historic League Cup victory and oversaw Rovers' only foray into European competition. Rovers managers since

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

:

Women's team

Raith Rovers Ladies and Girls F.C. was the oldest affiliated women's team in Scotland. In February 2022, the team resolved to cut ties with Raith Rovers due to the controversy over the signing of David Goodwillie, who was ruled to have raped a woman. The women’s team renamed themselves McDermid Ladies, after the writer Val McDermid.

Honours

*

Scottish Football League Division Two 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

/

Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 to replace the old Scottish Football League Division Two, as ...

**Winners: 1907–08, 1909–10, 1937–38, 1948–49,

1992–93 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 th ...

, 1994–95 **Runners-up: 1908–09, 1926–27, 1966–67,

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. ...

*

Scottish Second Division The Scottish Football League Second Division was the third tier of the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. History The Second Division was created in 1975, as part of a wider reconstruction of the Scottish Football League (SFL ...

/

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

: **Winners: 2002–03, 2008–09, 2019–20 **Runners-up: 1975–76, 1977–78, 1986–87, 2017–18 *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1912–13 *

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 exist ...

: **Winners: 1994–95 **Runners-up: 1948–49 *

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2013–14, 2019–20, 2021–22 * B Division Supplementary Cup: **Runners-up: 1946–47, 1948–49 *

Scottish Qualifying Cup The Scottish Qualifying Cup was a football competition played in Scotland between 1895 and 2007. During that time, apart from a brief spell in the 1950s, it was the only way for non-league teams to qualify for the Scottish Cup. The Qualifying Cup ...

: **Winners: 1906–07 **Runners-up: 1907–08

Minor honours

*

Fife Cup The Fife Cup is a Scottish regional football competition for clubs in the historic county of Fife. The competition was founded by the Fifeshire Football Association in 1882. The competition was originally known as the "Fifeshire Cup" from 1882� ...

: **Winners (35): 1891–92, 1893–94, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1905–06, 1908–09, 1914–15, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1924–25, 1929–30, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1980–81, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2011–12 **Shared: 1952–53, 1954–55, 1959–60, 1965–66 **Runners-up (23): 1892–93, 1900–01, 1904–05, 1910–11, 1915–16, 1917–18, 1923–24, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1938–39, 1953–54, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08 *King Cup: **Winners: 1890–91, 1898–99, 1900–01 *Wemyss Cup: **Winners: 1897–98, 1900–01, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1914–15, 1920–21, 1938–39 **Shared: 1937–38 *Stark Cup: **Winners: 1908–09, 1911–12 **Shared: 1909–10, 1910–11 *Penman Cup: **Winners: 1905–06, 1908–09, 1911–12, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1936–37, 1947–48, 1958–59 **Runners-up: 1926–27, 1957–58

Club records

* Record

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 ...

: 31,306 vs Hearts, 7 February 1953 * Record victory: 10–1 vs

Coldstream Coldstream ( gd, An Sruthan Fuar , sco, Caustrim) is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army. Description Coldstream l ...

,

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film ''Horton ...

, Division 2, 1936 * League goalscoring record: Norrie Heywood 1937–38, 42 goals * Most league goals (individual):

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 pla ...

, 154 (1987–1994) * Most goals in a league season (team): 142, 1937–38 (British Record) * Most capped player: David Morris, 6 caps for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

* Highest transfer fee paid: £225,000 for Paul Harvey (from Airdrie, July 1996) * Highest transfer fee received: £900,000 for Steve McAnespie (to

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

, September 1995)

European record

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Football clubs in Scotland Kirkcaldy 1883 establishments in Scotland Football clubs in Fife Scottish Football League teams Association football clubs established in 1883 Scottish Professional Football League teams Scottish Challenge Cup winners Scottish League Cup winners