RENTON FOOTBALL
If you mention Renton to a football fanatic and he will immediately refer to the Renton Football Club being World Champions in 1888. This may seem way back in the mists of time to the rest of us, but it stands as a major moment in history to them.
The current football club is really small and relies to some extent on a container for added space, yet it stands tall in the hostory of the sport.
As the Scottish Sport History website describes it: It seems hardly credible now, but in 1888 a Scottish village football team was crowned Champions of the World. Renton FC was one of the most powerful clubs in Scotland at the time, despite their humble roots in the Dunbartonshire where they competed for players with Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and a host of other local clubs.
They won the Scottish Cup in 1885 and again in 1888, defeating Cambuslang in the final with a record 6-1 scoreline. That victory prompted a challenge to the English FA Cup winners, West Bromwich Albion, and the match on 12 May was heavily marketed as the 'Championship of the World'. In torrential rain, Renton won 4-1 and basked in the glory of their champion status.
That's some tradition to try to live up to for those young aspiring footballers that kick about on that grass most weekends.
This proud sign went up in 2025.
The small clubhouse is supplemented by a container. That emphasises the current full name of the clubs, Renton Craigandro FC. The Craigandro refers to the low tree covered crags beyond the railway and A82. "Andro" is thought to derive from St Andrew with this area being on an ancient pilgrim route, via fresh water wells, over Carman Muir and thence all the way to Iona.
SCOTTISH SPORT HISTORY - Devoted to our sporting heritage :
