In 1863 a boy, one of the 260 pupils at the Free Church School (now the Lesser Town Hall), was punished by the Headmaster Mr. William Alexander "for kicking a ball amongst the Beadle's kail".

In the following years football became more organised in the rapidly expanding community. By 1880 the teams that represented the rival ends of our town - Aberfeldy Rangers and Aberfeldy Breadalbane - had amalgamated under the name of Breadalbane Campbells of Taymouth Castle whose vast lands stretched from Aberfeldy to Oban.

So many young men clamoured to take part in the game that the new Club fielded a Second XI and an Aberfeldy league was formed with teams such as Tayside Swifts, Roselea and Black Watch.

Because of the long working day the players resolved to practice at six o'clock in the morning. To summon them to The Cour, now the Victoria Park, the team Captain borrowed a bugle from the local 'A' Company of the 5th (V) Bn. Royal Highlanders, on which he sounded long blasts as he marched through the streets at 5.30 am. Besides alerting his players, his noisy 'reveille' would no doubt have aroused the ire of the townspeople who may have been slightly less than gruntled at this early morning intrusion on their slumbers. Training continued in the winter months when the pitch was illuminated by an early 'flood-lighting system' - the flares of six "Showman's Lamps" purchased by the Club.

The first Perthshire Cup match against Vale of Teith (Doune) ended in a series of disputes regarding gate money and other turning points in the match. The strangers' protestation resulted in Breadalbane's elimination from the competition.

Another cup-tie against Coupar Angus was played on a blanket of three inches of snow.

Breadalbane became on of the first teams to play in Perth when they travelled by rail to beat Pullar Rangers 2-0 on the North Inch. Journeys to venues west of the town were undertaken by horsedrawn transport.

In the halcyon years of the present century, a special train in the red and green livery of the Highland Railway Company brought St. Johnstone and 400 of their supporters to the town for a Perthshire Cup match. One of the players in that victorious Perth team was William Cameron who spent his retirement in Moness Crescent. An evening newspaper reported in February 1912 that "St. Johnstone appear in the Perthshire Cup Final for the fifteenth time, and have been successful eleven times to date. The Cherrybank Pipe Band and the Fechney Band have offered their services for the final, and both have been accepted".

A senior team in full membership of the Scottish Football Association, Breadalbane twice qualified to play in the Scottish Cup. On both occasions to luck of the draw paired them with Falkirk in the first round. For one match the home ground rights were sold to the Brockville club for a hundred pounds.
The match programme for a Greenock Morton v Falkirk cup-tie in 1980 informed its readers that "Falkirk's record victory came in 1923 in a cup-tie against Breadalbane whom they thrashed 10-0"

In the second cup-tie, three years later, the score was …..10-0…..for?…..Falkirk!

In one of the games Puddefoot, an English international centre-forward, scored seven or eight goals - a feat recorded in a Guinness Book of Records.

In 1946/47 season, a team, most of whom were ex-servicemen, won all the competitions - a first in the history of North Perthshire Football. Players: I. Fulton, D. Stewart, I. Ferguson, W. Youngson, A. Dewar, D. Reoch, A. Robertson, W. McGregor, D. Smollett, D. Laurie, H. Carr, D. Morrison, D. Rees, A. Bain.

A visit from St.Johnstone greatly boosted the club's funds as it struggled to get started after the war.

St. Johnstone no longer played in the Perthshire Cup, but "played-off" against the cup winners in a preliminary round of the Dewar Shield. This was an incentive to the minor clubs, and Breadalbane visited Muirton Park for this match on more than one occasion. The score was usually a defeat by about five goals - but the memories were lasting.

Breadalbane's new ground was opened by Mrs. Millicent Haggart on 6th September 1961. In the match that followed St. Johnstone beat Breadalbane 5-1. The home club was represented by Black, A. Rees, S. Smollett, A. Menzies, E. Punton, N. Rattray, W. Ross, B. Mackie, N. Shaw, D. McTavish.

In season 1965/66 the club won all the trophies for a second time with a team that included six players under the age of twenty. Players included A. Henderson, H. McRobert, J. Dolzanski, J. Matthew, A. McGregor, R.Steele, I.Smollett. I. Matthew. K.Rees, D. Campbell, I. McDougall, N. Keay, R. Garrow.

A new pavilion will bring to the minds of 'old-timers' the days when the team stripped in the Station Hotel stoke-hole (nice and warm in winter) or the Palace Hotel garage with its added amenity of an outside cold water tap.

Local boys have played in the English First Division, Scottish and Irish Leagues and at the highest level of Junior football.

The proud record of St.Johnstone is to be found in the annals of Scottish football. What is less well-known if the enormous encouragement that the club has given to a minor football in the County, not least in Aberfeldy.

Perhaps as a result of today's match, local boys may find an enthusiasm for the fame like the players of old who trained before starting a day's work. The hope for the future is that there may be some with the ambition to emulate the achievements of former players and bring credit on themselves and add to the traditions of a fine old club.
J. Rees

On a more modern note, due to problems in raising a team for the 1987 - 1988 season the club elected to go into abeyance.

After lying dormant for two seasons in 1989 and 1990 a new look committee was formed (George Scott, Adam Weir, Geoff Allan, Donnie Duncan, Gavin Dunbar, Charlie Thom and Gordon Leighton). Then under the new managership of Gavin Dunbar, a new, youthful team responded positively and after a few fine performances quickly gained promotion to the Third Division.

Season 1990-91 brought the Birks Cup back to Aberfeldy for the first time in many years and the Club consolidated their place in Division 3 after being pace setters for the first part of the season.

Season 1991-92 brought back the old problem of struggling to field a team for the first part of the season and although results picked up towards the end of the season, not enough points were gained to avoid relegation. Under-12 and |Under-13 teams were also run this season. Both teams finished in respectable positions in the Perthshire Juvenile League.

G. Allan