Edinburgh Community (Scotland)

Edinburgh Community FC, who were formerly known as Craigroyston FC until 2023, is a Scottish football club from the capital, Edinburgh. The club were formed as recently as 1976, as the manager of Eyemouth United, Rab Melrose, had built a side consisting of players mainly from Edinburgh. 

They reasoned that it would be easier to form their own club and base themselves near home. Their original club name was decided when they arranged to play their home games at Craigroyston Community Centre. They were soon successful, having a good run in the Scottish Qualifying Cup, leading to a move to share City Park with Spartans. 

They remained there until 1998 when they moved into their own home ground at St Mark's Park in the Warriston district of the city. Craigroyston won promotion from the First Division in 2005-06 as champions, but they were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2007-08 season as a result of financial difficulties. 

'Craigie' continued to try to regroup and win promotion back to the higher status under the managership of Ross McNeil, which led to a fifth-place finish at the end of the 2011-12 season before clinching the league title the following season to move up to the Premier Division. They finished third in their debut campaign.

The club made a surprising switch for the 2016-17 season, moving to play in the SJFA East Region South Division, returning in 2018-19, when the clubs in the Junior set-up followed suit. Michael Wilson had a short spell as manager before being replaced by Jordyn Sheerin, before Darren Affleck succeeded him.

Craigroyston were relegated from the Second to the Third Division at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, at which point they changed their name to their current title, appointing Chris Scott as manager. The team finished bottom of the competition in 2024-25.

Edinburgh Community FC will play in the East of Scotland League Third Division in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Tuesday 29th January 2013

Google Maps are a tremendous tool when trying to put together a day's groundhopping in a major city, and as with Maryhill in Glasgow a few years previously, I came across an unmarked football ground in Edinburgh that needed further research. How we managed before the internet continues to baffle me, as after more reading, I found out all about Craigroyston, a club I'd never even heard of before.

I had just been inside the Easter Road home of Hibernian and had taken a good uphill walk across Leith Walk, up McDonald Road near to where the old Powderhall Stadium once stood and into St Mark's Park. Craigroyston's clubhouse and changing rooms were a few yards just outside the ground, adjacent to a kids' playground. 

A path led to the grounds entrance, which was locked, but I could see inside to see the basic venue, which consisted of nothing more than a railed-off pitch, dugouts and a thick metal railed fence around the arena. As a man was walking an Alsatian inside I didn't want to attract too much attention!

Satisfied that I'd seen another new venue, I continued past some allotments and a crematorium up to Ferry Road, ready to visit the decaying former shared home of Craigie's at City Park.