About Us

Club History - A snapshot.

Redpath Albion is a community football and sports club providing opportunities for children, young people and adults, mainly from the greater Leith area of Edinburgh to take part in football and a range of other sports and activities. The “Albion” was founded in 1958/59 by the employees of Redpath Brown (St Andrews) Steelworks based in Albion Road, Leith, and Edinburgh.  The club began as a juvenile team to encourage works apprentices and local youths within the community to participate in sports and recreation, particularly football.  As the years passed the club moved on to U21, then Amateur status and entered the ranks of the Edinburgh Amateur Football Association

Despite the steelworks closing in 1969, the club continues to this day.

In 1988 the clubs amateur officials decided to re-establish the policy on which the club was formed and adopted the old principles of Sport and Recreation, to form a boys club. Giving something back to the community by way of an outlet for local children and young people to achieve their sporting ambitions was an appropriate way to celebrate 30 years of Football.  Three generations of families have been associated with the club, grandfathers, fathers and sons have all enjoyed the experience of being an “Albion” member. The club also became an affiliate partner of Pilmeny Youth Centre in 1988. Offered free use of the centre’s facilities, based on the agreement that the club preserved its policy of offering membership to children and young people, resident in the Lorne/Pilrig communities. Albion’s constitution and the youth centre’s Articles of Association, both reflect this commitment today. Come 2018, and this agreement will have been in place for 30 years.

The purpose of Redpath Albion today is to:

• Provide opportunities for children, young people and adults, mainly from the Leith Walk Ward, Lorne/Pilrig areas, and greater Leith area of Edinburgh to take part in football; and,
• Introduce its members to a range of other team, partner and individual sports and activities in a fun, safe and friendly environment.

More precisely, this includes: 

• Providing quality football coaching;
• Providing opportunities to personally develop and compete regardless of ability;
• Giving encouragement and appropriate support to achieve sporting & personal achievement
• Developing physical skills and competencies in a range of sports and activities;
• Developing a lifelong interest and commitment to physical activity and healthy lifestyles.
• Supporting members to develop both physically and emotionally.
• To Develop self confidence and personal well being

Why an academy?

Back in 2006, the club devised a 10-year development plan. The question was “where do we want to be in ten years”. With the guidance of John Taylor, Research Fellow, University of Stirling, we embarked on an intense 8 week investigation on how to decide and build the plan. Frank discussions with coaches, parents, Senior, Youth and Junior players, allowed us to construct a model we felt the club and community would be happy to adopt, to date and we’ve reached 75% of these goals. We recently re-evaluated our 10 year plan and decided it needed stronger links with our local community, we aim to use the 

Academy as a platform to achieve this.