Origins of the Club
In the early 1970s, a number of small clubs started up in the area. John Hendry, Norman Brook, Bill McCallum and others started Cupar and District, which competed for a couple of years in various Scottish leagues including Division 2 of the Track & Field.
Colin Mitchell, a former Scottish schools half mile champion, Elspeth Wallace, Archie Pagan and Don Macgregor set up a club in St Andrews. Bill Melville, John Christie, Andrew Arbuckle and a few others set up Glenrothes AC. Also training in the area but running for other clubs were Sam Graves, Ron Morrison, Paul Kenny and Phil Hay.
Eventually these groups were amalgamated, forming Fife AC. Later, in the mid 1980s. Fife Southern Harriers dissolved and were integrated into the current Fife AC.
Some of the performances in the club's first year are shown below:
The Office Bearers
The success of Fife AC has not been due solely to results on hill, cross-country and track etc, but in the work that has been carried out behind the scenes, the paperwork, the finances, the organising and all the background work that make a successful club. David Cowieson looked after Fife AC for its first twelve years as secretary. Mel Scobie, book-keeper for many a year also typified the tremendous behind the scenes effort that has gone into making the club a success.
Other names feature regularly throughout the past twenty five years in the support team. Frank and Margaret McLaren, who have moved house just so that they can be geographically in the centre of Fife AC, Elspeth Wallace and Anne McFarlane, Graham Bennison and Eleanor Gunstone, and Ron McGill who served as treasurer for two decades.
Ron Morrison became Scottish Athletics President and is now a life member. Don Macgregor served as National Chairman of the Scottish Cross Country Union, as did Ron subsequently. Eleanor Gunstone was treasurer of the SWAAA.
The club and its athletes have also benefited hugely from the incredible efforts of its coaches, including Dulcie Graham, David Hamilton, John Linton, the Allisons, Brian Hughes, lan Gordon, Elspeth Wallace, Dave Francis, Sheena Christie, John Hendry, Ron Morrison and Steve Doig.
The principal office bearers of the club are shown below:
| Year | President | Secretary | Treasurer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-6 | Bill McCallum | David Cowieson | Jack Normand |
| 1976-7 | Colin Mitchell | David Cowieson | Jack Normand |
| 1977-8 | Ron Morrison | David Cowieson | Jack Normand |
| 1978-9 | Ron Morrison | David Cowieson | Don Macgregor |
| 1979-80 | Andrew Arbuckle | David Cowieson | Don Macgregor |
| 1980-1 | Dulcie Graham | David Cowieson | Don Macgregor |
| 1981-2 | John Hendry | David Cowieson | L Clemie & Douglas Hendry |
| 1982-3 | John Hendry | David Cowieson | Bob Melville |
| 1983-4 | Dave Francis | David Cowieson | Bob Melville |
| 1984-5 | Dave Francis | David Cowieson | Tony Stapley |
| 1985-6 | Harvey Munn | David Cowieson | Alan Hendry |
| 1986-7 | Harvey Munn | John Clarke | Alan Hendry |
| 1987-8 | Andrew Arbuckle | John Clarke | Alan Hendry |
| 1988-9 | Eleanor Gunstone | Mel Scobie | Andrew Arbuckle |
| 1989-90 | Eleanor Gunstone | Mel Scobie | John Clarke |
| 1990-1 | Graham Bennison | Mel Scobie | John Clarke |
| 1991-2 | Graham Bennison | Mel Scobie | John Clarke |
| 1992-3 | Mitch McCreadie | Mel Scobie | John Clarke |
| 1993-4 | Mitch McCreadie | Karen Quinn | John Clarke |
| 1994-5 | Ian Gordon | Frank McLaren | Mitch McCreadie |
| 1995-6 | Ian Gordon | Frank McLaren | Mitch McCreadie |
| 1996-7 | Douglas Gunstone | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 1997-8 | Douglas Gunstone | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 1998-9 | Elspeth Wallace | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 1999-2000 | Elspeth Wallace | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2000-1 | Gary Barker | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2001-2 | Gary Barker | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2002-3 | Gary Barker | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2003-4 | Jim Taylor | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2004-5 | Jim Taylor | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2005-6 | Andrew Barker | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2006-7 | Andrew Barker | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2007-8 | Brian Cruickshank | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2008-9 | Brian Cruickshank | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2009-10 | Lesley Thirkell | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2010-1 | Lesley Thirkell | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2011-2 | Roger Rees | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2012-3 | Roger Rees | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2013-4 | Gary Barker | Frank McLaren | Ron McGill |
| 2014-5 | Gary Barker | Frank McLaren | Alan McLeod & Ron McGill |
| 2015-6 | Graham Kirby | Frank McLaren | Alan McLeod |
| 2016-7 | Graham Kirby | Frank McLaren | Alan McLeod |
| 2017-8 | Lesley Thirkell | Frank McLaren | Alan McLeod |
| 2018-9 | Lesley Thirkell | Claire Sandilands | Alan McLeod |
| 2019-20 | Jennifer Spence | Claire Sandilands | Alan McLeod |
| 2020-1 | Jennifer Spence | Claire Sandilands | Alan McLeod |
| 2021-2 | Kate Fernando | Claire Sandilands | Alan McLeod |
| 2022-3 | Frank McLaren | Claire Sandilands | Alan McLeod |
The Official Line
Fife AC has also supplied its share of timekeepers, referees and judges etc. Alan and Kathleen Findlay and Ron Morrison have officiated at various Commonwealth Games and the World Cross-Country Championships. Sam Taylor, and Liz and Allan Faulds have helped all along the way. Eleanor Gunstone and Ron Morrison have also carried out numerous refereeing duties.