The Spartans Family

How we fit together

The Spartans Community Football Academy introduces children to football with their coaching programme which starts for children from the age of 3.

For both our youngest boys and girls teams the Community Academy prepares players for the annual intake for transition from their coaching programme into the Youth Section.

The selection criteria used to identify players for the annual intake is based on a number of different factors, of which ability is only one

Our Story - how we came together

Here for good

Edinburgh is generally regarded as an affluent city, however, sadly there are some concentrated areas of multiple deprivation on par with the most deprived areas in Scotland. Some of these areas are in our local community of North Edinburgh, where it is our vision to deliver positive social impact and change through the power of people and sport.

Established in 2008, at the heart of The Spartans Community Foundation develops and delivers innovative programmes in youth work and education. The facilities at Ainslie Park and the community coaching programmes are run as a social enterprise, reinvesting profits back into the business.

The Spartans Community Football Academy programmes include:

Support in Education: Alternative School, Youth Work in Primary Schools, Homework Clubs, School of Football, Physical Activi- ty Programmes.

Youth Work: FooTEA clubs, Spartans AM Breakfast club, Street Football in a Safe Playground, Street Fit-Baw, Friday Night Chill, Girls Only Club, Welcome Club, Connections Tuesday Club, Making Magic Memories, Hopscotch Holidays.

Football Coaching: Sat/Sun Soccer , Mid-Week Messi, Player Development Program, Little Miss Kickers, Holiday Hat-tricks.

Much more than football…

The Spartans Football Club was established by two former Edinburgh University players, Elliot Wardlaw and Jimmy Beaumont, in summer 1951.

The club became full members of the Scottish Football Association in 1976 and moved into City Park as tenants of Edinburgh City Council.

History was rewritten in 2022/23 when Spartans FC Men’s Senior team achieved promotion to the SPL2. In 2023/24 they only narrowly missed out on successive promotions, losing to Dumbarton in the League 1 play-off final.

The Women’s section started in 2008 when Premier League Edinburgh Ladies FC and Scottish League side Royal High Thistle joined The Spartans FC Girls section, to build a player pathway for Women’s and Girls football in north Edinburgh. Spartans Women now play in Scottish Women’s Premier League 1.

The Men’s U20s squad play in the Lowland Development League.

Spartans raised funds to build a new home at Ainslie Park, 500 yards from their first home in City Park. This facility operates under an independent trust, The Spartans Community Football Academy, and was opened in December 2008.

The Connections Football Team is the disability section of the club.