The Euros might be on the TV but for 35 years one football tournament dominated the summer in Aberdeen – Champion Street. And we’ve looked out some of the best pictures.
Champion Street was an annual fixture of the Aberdeen sporting calendar from the summer of 1973 until 2008, and gave hundreds of kids the chance to go for glory for their area/school during the summer break.
For more than two decades, the tournament for primary-aged pupils was run by Grampian Police.
For a long period, it was held at the former Aberdeen Lads’ Club pitches at Woodside, with finals played at venues including Aberdeen’s Pittodrie Stadium and Cove Rangers’ Allan Park.
It was moved to the Aberdeen City Council playing fields at Sheddocksley when the local authority took over the running of the event from 2006. The council also opened the tournament up to secondary school-aged teams, but the final Champion Street took place a couple of years later.
Over the decades, several future professional football stars played in (and even won) Champion Street, including Aberdeen 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup goal hero John Hewitt, future Dons captain Russell Anderson, FA Cup and Scottish Cup-winner Fraser Fyvie and English Premier League and Scotland winger Ryan Fraser, to name but a few.
First The Press and Journal, then the Evening Express, sponsored Champion Street, and also gave the competition in-depth coverage over the years.
As a result, our archives are full of great images from three-and-a-half decades of summer Champion Street action – here are some of those pictures:
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