Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife. They play at East End Park and are nicknamed The Pars. After losing to Celtic in last season's Scottish League Cup final on March 19 2006, the club was relegated to the Scottish First Division on the 12th May 2007. They are currently managed by Stephen Kenny (interview), who joined the club from Derry City. The previous manager Jim Leishman resigned on October 25, 2006, but remained as the director of football. The club is well known for their rivalry with Falkirk FC. The clubs played each other 3 times so far this season however the strength and depth of the Falkirk side was too much for the rock bottom SPL side.
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| Full name | Dunfermline Athletic Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Pars | ||
| Founded | 2 June 1885 | ||
| Ground | East End Park Dunfermline Fife | ||
| Capacity | 11,742 | ||
| Chairman |  John Yorkston | ||
| Manager |  Stephen Kenny | ||
| League | Scottish Premier League | ||
| 2006-07 | SPL, 12th | ||
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History
Dunfermline Athletic won the Scottish Cup in 1961 and 1968, and played regular European football in the UEFA and European Cup Winners Cups throughout the 60s and early 70s. They reached the semi-final of the European Cup Winners Cup in season 68-69, losing 1-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Slovan Bratislava. On the way to the semi-final they beat APOEL, Olympiacos and West Bromwich Albion.In 1962 they reached the Cup-Winners Cup Quarter Finals. On they way they beat St. Patricks Athletic of Ireland and FK Vardar of Yugoslavia.
Their 7 year stay in the SPL was brought to an end on May 12th 2007 as they were relegated after losing 2-1 away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and their closest competitors St Mirren beat Motherwell 3-2. These results meant that Dunfermline were 4 points adrift at the bottom of the SPL table, with only a possible 3 points left to play for.
Origins of nickname
According to Black and White Magic, a 1984 book about the club by Jim Paterson and Douglas Scott, there are numerous theories as to the origin of the club's nickname, the Pars. The authors wrote:
Most tend to confirm the more common belief that the name arose from the team's parallel striped shirts, their drinking habits or their style of play. The latter were both described as "paralytic". The earliest theory claims that in the early days when the Football Club was closely connected with the Cricket Club, the footballers were renowned for their performances at the bar and so were called the "Paralytics".
However in the early 1900s it is known that Athletic's nickname was the "Dumps" - shortened from Dunfermline - and this is said to have been coined by English sailors visiting East End Park when their ship docked at Rosyth. After the 1914-18 War they were known as the Pars and some believe the parallel black and white stripes to be the reason.
Another school of thought involves English workers who came to work at the armaments depot at Crombie and at Rosyth Dockyard; they kept their association with their local team by forming the Plymouth Argyle (Rosyth) Supporters Club and it is said that the Dunfermline nickname comes from the banners in evidence around the ground.
Although almost certainly coincidental, there is also a curious resemblence to Dùn Phàrlain, which is the Gaelic name for Dunfermline.
Songs
Like other football clubs, Dunfermline has a number of songs and anthems. "Into the Valley" and "The Saints Are Coming" both by the Skids is one of the most notable and is also the song to which the team runs out to. This was changed for Stephen Kenny's first official match in charge against Aberdeen to Teenage Kicks by The Undertones, the song which Derry City run out to.
Foreign Fields
Dunfermline Athletic have played competitive European matches in the following countries:
Managers
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Club records
- Highest home attendance: 27,816 vs Celtic, 1968
- Biggest league win: 11-2 vs. Stenhousemuir, 1930
- Biggest league defeat: 10-0 vs. Dundee, 22 March 1947]]
- Biggest all-time defeat: 17-2 vs. Clackmannan, Midland League, 1891
- Most capped player: Colin Miller 16 (Canada), 1995-1998
- Most appearances: Norrie McCathie, 576 (497 league), 1981-1996
- Most career goals : Charles Dickson, 212 (154 league), 1955-1964
- Record transfer free paid: £540,000 to Girondins de Bordeaux for Istvan Kozma, 9 August 1989
- Record transfer free received: £650,000 from Celtic for Jackie McNamara, 4 October 1995
Famous players
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Current squad (season 2006-2007)
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
- First Division (2) - 1989, 1996
- Second Division (2) - 1926, 1986
- Scottish Cup (2) - 1961, 1968; Runners-up (2) - 1965, 2004
- Scottish League Cup - Runners-up 1950, 1992, 2006
- Cup Winner's Cup semi-finalists 1969
- Cup Winner's Cup quarter-finalists 1962
- Inter Cities Fairs Cup quarter-finalists 1965-1966