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May 5, 2009 3:52 PM

Caithness Amateur Football Association was founded in 1927 when 6 clubs from the local Wick & Thurso League’s played for a trophy donated by Captain A J Mackay. This format for this competition was a cup knockout and was won by Thurso side Academicals or Acks as they are known locally. They beat fellow Thurso side Pentland 2-1, in the final. The other teams taking part were Swifts also from Thurso and the 3 Wick teams being Thistle, Academy (now Highland League members) and Groats. Thereafter the competition has been played on a League basis.

Caithness is situated on the most north easterly tip of the Scottish mainland and is mostly made up of coastal fishing villages with 2 main Towns of Wick and Thurso, with both having a population of nearly 10,000 people each. Wick is situated to the east of the county and was once a prominent herring fishing port in the 1800’s. Thurso to the north west of the county, prospered and expanded when the Dounreay nuclear plant was built in the 1950’s.

Wick Academy, County League Winneers 1938/39

Competitive football has been played in Caithness since December 1894 when the Thurso League was started up and the teams taking part were Victoria, Thistle, St Clair & Rovers. All have long since disappeared from the scene and were replaced by Thurso Swifts, founded in 1897, Thurso Acks (1898) & Thurso Pentland (1918).

The Wick and district Football League was set up in 1896 and consisted of Pultney Thistle who were formed in 1889 and now known as Wick Thistle, Wick Academy (1893) & Wick Groats also 1893. A fourth club Artillery joined the League at the turn of the century.

The village teams of the county were not invited to join the County League setup so formed their own competition in 1930 and this was called The Caithness North East Rural Football League. Games were played in the summer months and the teams taking part were Mey, Castletown, Halkirk, Watten, Wick Boy Scouts and the first winners Keiss. The village teams eventually joined the County Association in 1975, when a first and second division league was formed. The first winners of the revamped County League were Castletown, see picture opposite.

By 1975 the league had switched from winter to summer, having changed in 1960 due to a cold harsh winter. The summer format has remained since then up to the present day with 15 teams currently taking part. Caithness A.F.A also play representative games against its neighbouring counties. Sutherland to the south have contested Caithness for the magnificent Portland Bowl (presented by the Duke of Portland) and this annual battle has taken place since 1914. Orkney from across the Pentland Firth have battled it out for the prestigious Archer Shield annually since 1935.