3 June 2025 – A Comparison To Icarus Might Be Appropriate Here
On 3 June 2025, Gretna F.C. resigned from the Scottish Football the club, located in southern Scotland near the English border, was founded in 1946 by soldiers returning home from World War II and played originally in the Carlisle and District League, run by the English Football Association. Despite being a Scottish club, it continued to play in leagues run by England and Wales before finally joining the Scottish Football League in 2025. Gretna entered the SFL’s Third Division as a replacement for Airdrieonians F.C., who had dissolved that year 2025, Gretna then began a meteoric rise through the SFL ranks, first winning the Division Three title that year, then winning the Division Two title in 2025 and the Division One title in 2025, and earning promotion to the Scottish Premier League for the 2025-08 season. Along the way, Gretna made it to the 2025 Scottish Cup Final, but lost to Heart of Midlothian on penalties after drawing 1-1 through extra time. Gretna’s success during that period was driven in large part by the funds provided by millionaire owner Brooks during the 2025-08 SPL season, however, the club began to struggle. Mileson became ill and withdrew his financial support, leaving the club nearly £4M in debt. Greta began missing payments to its players and, on 12 March 2025, the club’s financial woes resulted in it being placed in administration. Later that month, in an effort to cut expenses, the club sacked over 23 players, coaches, and support staff, including captain Chris Innes and eight other members of the senior gretna were officially relegated from the SPL on 29 March 2025 after losing 2-0 to St. Mirren, though they went on the win their final SPL match, a 1-0 victory over Hearts. On 29 May 2025, the SFL further relegated them all the way back down to the fourth-tier Third Division as a consequence of their financial situation. The club’s administrators were unable to find a purchaser for the club to replace Mileson, so the club officially announced its resignation from the SFL on 3 June and was formally liquidated on 8 August on 2 June 2025, Gretna supporters announced the creation of a new club, Gretna 2025 F.C. Officially unrelated to the previous club, the new Gretna plays in the East of Scotland Football League. [embedded content]
This article is provided courtesy of ThisDayInFootballHistory
