Gala FR pay tribute to past masters with Hall of Fame

Gala Fairydean Rovers will be creating a '˜Hall of Fame' to honour those who have contributed to the growth of football in Galashiels.
Graeme McIverGraeme McIver
Graeme McIver

The club plans to make the awards an annual event, which seeks to recognise and commemorate those who have played a significant role locally in the sport.

The truly great players, managers, volunteers and officials are in line to be celebrated and the club will consult with supporters, sponsors, patrons and former players to select a batch of inductees at an event coinciding with the annual Player of the Year Awards ceremony each spring.

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The event aims to celebrate the ambitions and vision for the future at Netherdale, while also preserving a powerful respect for the past.

Gala Fairydean Rovers FC were established in 2013 after the merger of the town’s two biggest teams, Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers. Both enjoyed several periods of domination in Borders football history but agreed to merge to establish a single, stronger club, to benefit the growth and development of football for all in the town.

Club secretary Graeme McIver said: “Those of us currently involved at this club are standing on the shoulders of giants from the past of both Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers FCs, and all those others who have promoted and fostered the game in the town.

“We would not be the club we are today were it not for the commitment and passion of generations of players, managers, coaches, volunteers and officials who worked tirelessly displaying no shortage of skill, courage and ingenuity.

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“While this club has been built on the basic principles of teamwork and co-operation, it is only right that we recognise and reward the work of certain individuals for their outstanding contribution to football in Galashiels.”

The Lowland League club currently has hundreds of youth and junior players involved in its pathway as well as an award-winning community engagement programme.

This includes a walking football team, a girls development squad and a disability football squad. The club has aspirations for a youth development squad, as well as teams competing in the East of Scotland and Border Amateur Football Leagues, and is working towards gaining a Bronze SFA Licence and the SFA Quality Mark Legacy Award.

Supporters and members of the public will first of all be asked to nominate and then vote for those deemed worthy of a place in the club’s Hall of Fame.

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A permanent list of Hall of Fame names and biographies will be displayed in the Netherdale side’s clubrooms and a special section will be set aside on the club’s new website, providing more details of the achievements of each inductee.

Once the votes are cast, the inaugural batch of award winners will be inducted at the annual Hall of Fame event and, each year, further inductees will be added to the list.

It is expected the initial batch of inductees will be drawn from some of the great Fairydean and Rovers teams of the past along with officials and administrators who played a crucial role in nurturing and developing football in Galashiels.