Kilwinning Rangers F.C.

Kilwinning Rangers were originally formed as a Juvenile football club in 1899, sharing Blacklands Park with the local senior club - the now defunct Kilwinning Eglinton. In 1902 the club joined the Junior grade however it was three years before the club won their first honour, emerging as winners of the Ayrshire Junior Challenge Cup in 1904–05.

They became the first Ayrshire club to win the Scottish Junior Cup in 1908–09 with a 1–0 victory over Strathclyde A second appearance in the final followed in 1909–10, however Kilwinning were defeated 3-0 by Ashfield. Almost a century later, Kilwinning regained the Scottish Junior Cup with a 1–0 victory over Kelty Hearts, in a season which saw them win six out of the seven trophies available to them.

Kilwinning became the first Ayrshire side to win the West Super League in 2003–04 however financial issues resulted in the team finishing bottom of the league the following season and subsequently relegated. Most of the following decade was spent in the Ayrshire District League with a promotion to the Super First Division achieved in 2012–13. A promising campaign the following season almost resulted in Kilwinning avoiding relegation, however it was later revealed that the club had fielded an ineligible player for 12 matches and the resulting 19-point deduction relegated the side to the bottom division once again.[3]

The Buffs achieved successive promotions in 2014-15 and 2016–17, courtesy of a play-off victory against Shettleston[4] and maintained their top flight status the following season by defeating Kilsyth Rangers in another play-off.[5]

In 2020 the Buffs applied to join the newly formed West of Scotland Football League, which would see them leave the Junior leagues after joining 118 years prior[6]

Several theories exists as to the origin of the nickname "Buffs." Historic maps of Kilwinning show the site of the present day Abbey Park to have been within an area known as "The Butts," a misspelling of which may have led to the synonym.[7]

The name Buffs was first recorded on 21 September 1900 when a local paper, the Irvine Herald, recorded that Kilwinning had claimed an emphatic victory over the now-defunct Kilmarnock Belgrove. It was said at the time that Kilwinning played in a pale yellow, or "buff" strip.

Another theory is that one of the players around that time was a member of the East Kent Regiment of the British Army, who were nicknamed The Buffs.[8]

The greatest theory known is the players would often drink after a game in the lesser known local pub “Buff Tavern”. They were sponsored by the pub shortly after in 1900. This decision was made by their captain Cameron “the cook” Dempster. He died later that year from mastitis, survived by his husband Cole S bend. To commemorate this man, they renamed their clubhouse 'The Claymore' in 1994. This was due to his desire for alcohol and passion, which was well recognised by many.

Several grounds were used by the club in the early years of its existence. Initially Kilwinning moved to a ground named Woodwynd Park which was located on Woodwynd itself, between Hamilton Street and Kilrig Avenue. Several years later the club began playing at Claremont Park, near to the now demolished Kilwinning East railway station. The Buffs moved to Abbey Park (near Kilwinning Abbey) in 1929 and remained there until 2019.

At the start of the 2019–20 season they relocated to the Kilwinning Sports Club ground in Pennyburn on the outskirts of the town which was upgraded and renamed Buffs Park.

In April 2020, the club agreed to buy the former Old Trafford floodlights from non-league York City to upgrade Buffs Park to SPFL standards,[9] however, the plan fell through.[10]

As of 14 December 2020[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  SCO Jamie Barclay — GK  SCO Adam Strain — DF  SCO Tommy Maitland — DF  SCO Sam McCloskey — DF  SCO Chris McGowan — DF  SCO Craig Ross (on loan from Kilmarnock) — DF  SCO David Syme — DF  SCO Jamie Whyte — DF  SCO Ruaridh McIntyre — DF  SCO Adam Caldwell

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  SCO Tony Coutts — MF  SCO Jordan Stuart — MF  SCO Liam McGuinness — MF  SCO Ricky Hanvey — MF  SCO David Anderson — FW  SCO David Ramsay — FW  SCO Carlo Monti — FW  SCO Calvin Kemp — FW  SCO Alistair McColm — FW  SCO Ben Lewis

Scottish Junior Cup

• Winners (2): 1908–09, 1998–99
• Runners-up (2): 1909–10, 1921–22

West of Scotland Super League Premier Division

• Winners: 2003–04

Ayrshire District League

• Winners: 2012–13

1. Players that have played/managed in the Scottish Championship or any foreign equivalent or higher than this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.
3. Players that hold a club record or have captained the club.

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