THIS PAGE GIVES YOU THE STORY OF THE START OF DUNDEE UNITED F.C , FORMED AS DUNDEE HIBERNIANS IN 1909 BY DUNDEE'S IRISH IMIGRANTS WHO WERE ALMOST ALL EMPLOYED IN THE JUTE INDUSTRY

Material supplied from "Rags to Riches" by Mike Watson.

It is fairly safe to assume that those people responsible in 1909 for founding the club which was to become Dundee United had ambitions which fell some way short of it becoming Scottish League champions in 1983.

Irish immigrants are known to have first settled in Dundee around 1825. Almost fifty years later there were, according to the 1871 census, 14,000 Irish-born people living in the city, and presumably at least half as many again descended from the early arrivals. "The Dundee Irish" (employed almost exclusivly in the jute mills) were not slow to latch on to football as an outlet for their energies in what little leisure time was available to the working-class in those days.

After the folding of once dominant club Dundee Harp in 1906, who were the dominant force in the area in the 1880's into the start of the twentieth century, there was a feeling amongst the leading Irish Catholic sportsmen and businessmen in the city that their community required another focus of its sporting interest.

There was an inital attempt to resurrect Dundee Harp itself in 1908, but when this failed the attention of some of those involved, turned to forming an intirely new club. The following month it was announced that a committee had been formed with the purpose of founding a club. At the instigation of Irish-born Pat Reilly, a successful city cycle manufacturer and dealer, it also involved what were termed "prominent Dundee Irishmen".

And so during the latter part of March 1909, The Dundee Hibernian Football and Athletic Company came into being. Pat Reilly was elected secretary, and Baillie Tom Hannick became President. Samuel Johnstone was vice-president, Thomas Timmons was treasurer, and the committe comprised of Patrick Doyle, Thomas Heraughty, James Glover, John Kennedy, Thomas Malone and John Naulty.

The choice of name and the teams colours were hardly surprising, given the background of those involved in forming the club, and their aim in doing so. The intention was quite unambiguous-to provide a focal point with which the catholic community of the city could identify in the same way as did Hibernian in Edinburgh and Celtic in Glasgow. However Pat Reilly and his associates in Dundee had no such reservations, and they chose to adopt the most Irish of titles.

Dundee Hibs never adopted a sectarian policy, and from the beginning their team included non-Roman Catholic(and indeed non-Irish) players.

It was finally decided to have their ground at Clepington Park (which is now Tannadice Park) which caused a problem due to Clepington Park , also home ground of another team called "Wanderers" being only yards away from Dens Park, who were at the time top of the first Division and regularily pulling gates of over 10,000 and being in direct competition to Dundee Hibs with little or no crowd pulling power.

Dundee Hibernians First ever match was a friendly match against Edinburgh Hibernian at the newly named Tannadice Park on Wednesday the 18th of August 1909 with around 7000 people watching. Pat Reilly had donated a new bicycle to be given to the scorer of the first ever goal at Tannadice, and this was won by the visitors full-back John O'Hara, who opened the scoring during the first half with a long range effort. In the second half, Jamie Docherty equilised for the home side when he turned in a cross from winger James Brown, and received a gold medal to commemorate the club's first-ever goal.

Dundee Hibs first ever team line-up was :- Brady, Hannan, Gallacher(capt.), Strachan, Ramsay, Boland, Flood, McDermott, Docherty, Dailly and Brown.

Dundee Hibs took the field for the last ime on 20th of October 1923 at Forthbank, Stirling against King's Park and recorded a 3-2 win , then a week later the newly formed club "Dundee United" made a less than inspiring debut with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Dumbarton at Boghead Park.

Click on the link below to go to the formation of Dundee United in 1923 and look at the subsequent rise from the old 2nd Division to being the successful club they are today

The Formation of Dundee United in 1923



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