Football league with 134-year history in hunt for new teams

One of Scotland's oldest football leagues is on the hunt for new teams in the face of falling numbers.

The South of Scotland Football League (SOSFL) can trace its history back to 1892 but could see participation fall to single figures next season.

Plans to restructure the setup below Scotland's top four tiers mean that it will lose two clubs to a new Lowland League West.

League secretary Richard Osborne said they had run the league with just seven teams in the past but were now casting the net outside of its traditional Dumfries and Galloway boundaries in a bid to recruit more sides.

The league dates back to 1892/93 when the 5th Kirkcudbrightshire Rifle Volunteers won the inaugural title.

It currently includes teams from Stranraer, Newton Stewart, Dumfries, Dalbeattie, New Abbey, Creetown, Sanquhar, Lockerbie, Lochmaben, Wigtown and Kirkcudbright.

Moffat side Upper Annandale left the league last year and it will lose more teams this summer.

Osborne explained that was due to a reshuffle in the division above in the Scottish pyramid.

"At the end of the current season, two of our Scottish FA licensed clubs will be promoted to the new Scottish Lowland Football League West," he said.

"The Lowland League is being expanded from its current 18 teams to 32, split into two divisions, East and West."

On current league standings it would mean Dalbeattie Star and Newton Stewart moving up from the sixth to the fifth tier of the Scottish game.

"That will obviously reduce our numbers within the league and that's why we're looking to recruit some new member clubs," added Osborne.

He said that could mean looking at extending their reach.

"There's not many places in Dumfries and Galloway that are not covered by existing teams," he explained.

"So we've got to look further afield if we want to try and develop the league.

"We are looking outside the immediate Dumfries and Galloway area as well, whether that be into the Borders or maybe into the likes of Lanarkshire and those sort of areas."

Osborne said there were a number of reasons a team might decide to join.

"The SOSFL, to the best of my knowledge, is the only league in Scotland besides the SPFL that actually rewards success financially," he said.

"We actually pay pounds for the each point gained in the league.

"The league also provides player injury insurance for all the players within the league.

"So, financially, there are some benefits for clubs for joining the league."

He said that the prospect of having just nine teams was "not ideal".

"You end up playing the same clubs too many times in the season," Osborne added.

"We certainly don't want to get to that sort of stage and that's why we're trying to boost our numbers.

"And just for variety as well, it gives people an opportunity to play against different teams."

He said that if numbers were to fall so low that the league could no longer continue it would be a major blow.

"I think if anything were to happen to the SOSFL, there would be basically very, very little adult football in this area," Osborne said.

He added: "What provision would there be for young players wanting to come through and go into adult football?

"They would certainly have to travel a considerable distance to find a club."

However, Osborne is optimistic that they can get new teams to sign up and make numbers a bit more healthy again.

"We're always looking for new members," he said. "I think we're very welcoming.

"I wouldn't describe us as desperate - I would say that we are actively recruiting and looking to develop as we always are."

Anyone interested in joining can contact the league website.