Arbroath were founded in 1878, at a meeting in the George Hotel of this small fishing town on Scotland's east coast. The exact day of the founding was never recorded, so we celebrate it on 1 July. On 1 July 2027 the "Red Lichties" turn 149, still holding a world record that nobody has come close to.

A hotel and a harbour

The club was born at a meeting in the George Hotel on Commerce Street. Its first competitive match was in the Scottish Cup, a 2-1 win over Our Boys of Dundee.

Since 1880 the team has played at Gayfield, right by the harbour. In the 1890s it turned professional.

The red light of the harbour

The nickname "Red Lichties" roughly means "red lights". It refers to the red light that guided the fishing boats safely back into the harbour on their way home from the North Sea.

There is a second nickname too, the "Smokies". It points to smoked haddock, the town's famous delicacy.

From black and white hoops to maroon

The first shirts had black and white hoops. In 1882 Arbroath switched to a plain maroon shirt and never changed again. According to Historical Football Kits, the colour was most likely inspired by the red sandstone that dominates the area.

The first badge appeared in 1885: a portcullis on a shield. It comes from the town's coat of arms and represents the entrance to Arbroath Abbey.

In 1953 it was replaced by the club's intertwined initials, but in 1980 the portcullis returned. In 1992 Pro Star added light blue as a second colour, and in 2008 the 1980 badge came back.

12 September 1885: 36-0

On that day Arbroath beat Aberdeen side Bon Accord 36-0 in the Scottish Cup. It is the biggest win ever recorded in a senior competitive men's match. At half-time it was already 15-0.

18-year-old John "Jocky" Petrie scored 13 goals, a record matched only by Australia's Archie Thompson in 2001. The referee later said he had disallowed seven more goals for offside, although contemporary reports disagree on the number. Arbroath's goalkeeper, one report says, barely touched the ball and sheltered from the rain under a spectator's umbrella.

On the same day Dundee Harp beat Aberdeen Rovers 35-0 and missed the record by a single goal. It is often said that Bon Accord were a cricket club that received another club's invitation by mistake. That story is considered a myth, since Bon Accord had been a genuine football club since 1884.

The ground by the waves

Gayfield Park is the senior football ground closest to the sea in all of Britain. At high tide the water is about five metres away, and on windy days players have been splashed with sea water.

The current ground opened in 1925, next to the old one. The record attendance of 13,510 was set at a Scottish Cup tie against Rangers in the 1951-52 season.

Heroes and new successes

Goalkeeper Ned Doig, who made his debut in 1886, played for Scotland as an Arbroath player and later became English champion with Sunderland. Tom Cargill holds the record with 426 league appearances (1966-80). Manager Albert Henderson (1962-1980) took the team into the top flight and kept it there for four seasons.

The first league trophy only came in 2010-11, in the Third Division. Titles followed in 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2024-25, when Arbroath were crowned League One champions on 12 April 2025 with a 4-0 win over Stenhousemuir. Today they play in the Scottish Championship, where they were third in the 2025-26 season.

Celebrate with us

A small town, a maroon shirt that never changed and a scoreline that will stay in the record books forever. Happy birthday to Arbroath on their 149th, and may the red harbour light always shine!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Gayfield Park in Arbroath – Graham Robson, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.