Gretna F.C.

former association football club in Gretna, Scotland

Gretna Football Club is a former Scottish football club from Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway that was founded in 1946.

Gretna F.C.
Full nameGretna Football Club
Founded1946-2008
GroundRaydale Park,
Gretna
Capacity3,000

Despite being based in Scotland, the club played in English football between 1947 and 2002. The club was elected to the Scottish Football League at the third attempt in 2002. Under the ownership of businessman Brooks Mileson, who invested millions of pounds in what was a village team, the club went from the Third Division side to the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in less than five years.

While in the SPL, however, the club were placed in administration after Mileson withdrew his financial support.[1] The club finished in the relegation position in the SPL. At the end of the season, all of the club's staff were made redundant and the club was initially relegated to the Third Division due to their inability to guarantee fulfilment of their 2008-09 fixtures.

After this demotion, the one remaining potential buyer withdrew their offer to buy the club.[2] In the belief that Gretna has ceased to exist, they resigned their place in the Scottish Football League on June 3.[3]

References

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  1. Neil Drysdale (March 23, 2008). "End of a romantic dream for the Roman Abramovich of Gretna". Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  2. Gretna no longer in existence, BBC News, June 2 2008
  3. Death knell for crisis club[permanent dead link], Setanta Sports, June 3 2008