Raith Rovers - Built on Tradition

Raith Rovers are looking forward to their first Scottish Cup Semi Final appearance for almost 50 years. The town of Kirkcaldy will turn out in force to back the Stark’s Park club in their quest to reach the Final.

In the German language there is a term that is used to describe teams like the Rovers. If they were in Germany they would be known as a ‘traditionsverein’. The literal translation is a ‘club with tradition’.

However, the term means a lot more than that. A traditionsverein can trace a long history but not necessarily a great deal of success. They will have their occasional moments but they may be few and far between. They are usually from a ‘one club town’. For one-off big games they can draw out a huge support – both at home and away. To be a traditionsverein then certain things need to be missing – the club cannot be a recent amalgamation and it also helps if they have not moved ground to some out-of-town location.

The Rovers tick all the boxes as a traditionsverein. Their history dates back over 125 years. In their early days they had strong competition for the title of top team in Kirkcaldy, let alone Fife. But they saw off their rivals to take their place in the Scottish League as representatives of the ‘Lang Toun’. Success does not go hand in hand with Raith Rovers. Their excellent club history is entitled ‘Always Next Season’ which just about sums up their history.

Over the past 50 years their great moments have been infrequent. However, that very fact means that they are all the sweeter when they do come along. Other than Celtic supporters and possibly some Dunfermline fans, the whole of Scottish football was delighted when they won the League Cup in 1994/5. Raith’s European run from the following year is the stuff of legend. Every self-respecting Raith fan has that photo – the one from the Olympic Stadium in Berlin that shows the scoreboard reading ‘Half Time – Bayern Munchen 0-1 FC Raith Rovers’. Danny Lennon, currently the manager of Cowdenbeath, scored that memorable goal.

The idea of the ‘one club town’ is important in Scottish football. Kirkcaldy has its renegades who support Celtic or Rangers but most regard the Rovers as their ‘second team’. If they reached the Scottish Cup Final some of them will be there to support them. And if they do bring back a trophy to Kirkcaldy, just as they did in 1994, then the whole town will be out on the streets to greet the team. It’s something Celtic and Rangers cannot do and they are worse for it.

Crowds at Stark’s Park are not as large as they used to be but then the same is true for most Scottish clubs. They are a lot bigger than they were in the dark days of the 1980s when Rovers struggled in the lower reaches of the Second Division. They always managed to stay at around he 500 level but at times there were few more. But loyalties die hard and when the club’s fortunes picked up again the crowds did come back. This season more than 2000 followed the club to Dundee in the Cup Quarter Final, and many more than that will go to Hampden for their Semi Final.

Stark’s Park is a shining example of how to redevelop a football ground. The only part of the ground that is unaltered from 30 years ago is the quirky main stand, set on the corner of the pitch. The site of the ground is tightly hemmed in by roads and railway but Raith have made the most of what they have. Two decent new stands, one at either end, give the ground a tight, enclosed feel. And it is where it should be, in the town, close to pubs and houses . . . not next to PC World, KFC, Asda or any other symbols of 21st Century consumerism.

There are other ‘traditionsverein’ in Scotland. Queen of the South, Ayr, Kilmarnock, Morton, Motherwell and Dunfermline Athletic fit the bill perfectly. Falkirk, St Mirren and St Johnstone would if they hadn’t sold their souls to supermarkets and moved to new grounds. Dundee and Partick Thistle would tick the boxes if they didn’t share a city with other clubs.

Some clubs clearly do not fit the definition. Livingston and Airdrie United are modern creations. Stirling Albion, Arbroath, Cowdenbeath and the four Angus clubs lack any sort of meaningful success in their background. Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts are too big to fit the definition. Dundee United cannot be a ‘traditionsverein’ if Dundee are one – you cannot have two from the same town. Despite the last 40 years, Dundee are still a bigger club than United.

So back to the Rovers. Good luck to them in their upcoming Semi Final. They are a club built on tradition who deserve to succeed.