Champion Street: Future football stars played in Aberdeen event

Any youngster looking for inspiration to pull on their boots for reborn Aberdeen football tournament Champion Street this summer need only look at the long list of future professionals who honed their skills in the beloved event.

Among the pro names – some bonafide stars of the game – to have taken part in Champion Street during its original run from 1973-2008 are players who went on to win European, Scottish and English silverware, and play at international level.

Here are some of the notable players we have pictures of in our Champion Street archives:

John Hewitt

A member of Aberdeen FC’s golden generation under Alex Ferguson, John Hewitt won Champion Street with Rosehill Rovers in 1975, before going on to win 11 (ELEVEN) major honours with the Dons.

Most famously, Hewitt – who later turned out for Celtic – scored the Reds’ extra-time winner against mega-club Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Gothenburg, Sweden.

John Hewitt holding aloft the Champion Street trophy in 1975.

Paul Coutts

Picture below, Paul Coutts represented Lang Stracht Spurs in Champion Street 1999.

An Aberdeen youth player, the midfielder went on to star in the Highland League for Cove Rangers, earning a move to Peterborough United in 2008 and going to have an 18-year stint in the English leagues – including several seasons in the Championship with Preston, Derby and Sheffield United (with whom he won League One in 2017, and then promotion to the Premier League).

Coutts is currently back in the Highland League with Inverurie Locos.

Champion Street Tournament 1999. Lang Stracht Spurs. From the left, back row- Sam Martin, James Clark, Chris Law, Paul Coutts. Middle: Scott Anderson, Greg Cheyne, Craig Munro, John Sim, Jamie Law, Ryan Clifford, Scott Rettie. Front: Elias Gear, Darren Gordon, Andrew Murdoch, Paul McKenzie, Mark Guyan.

Ryan Esson

We’ve got pictures of former Aberdeen and Caley Thistle goalkeeper Ryan Esson – who played close to 100 time for the Dons, and is now boss of Highland League side Strathspey Thistle – during Champion Street 1990, when he was part of Girdleness Gunners, and 1991, when his team was Garden City Giants.

Football Champion Street 1991 – Garden City Giant. Back row (left to right): Fraser Allan, Stuart Gordon, Andrew Sinclair, Ryan Williamson, Kevin Forbes, Andrew Wood, Stuart Hendry, Kevin McKenzie, Scott Patterson, Ian Mowat. Front: Simon Joss, Alec Gove, Andrew Moore, Graeme Lorne, Paul Allan, Ryan Esson.

Ryan Fraser

Arguably the highest-profile player to have taken part in Champion Street in Premier League star Ryan Fraser.

Ex-Dons youngster Fraser turned out for multiple Cove sides across 2004, 2005 and 2006 (going by our archives).

After leaving Aberdeen for Bournemouth in 2013, winger Fraser has played in the English top-flight for the Cherries (with whom he won the Championship in 2015), Newcastle United and then with Southampton this term.

He has 18 Premier League goals to his name – and 26 Scotland caps.

Champion Street tournament 2004. Cove Madrid – L-R back: Ross Findleter, Joseph Kirkton, Lee Ritchie, Scott McKay, Daniel Ross, Lewis Clark, Stewart Watt and Sean Flett. Front: Ryan Fraser, Billy Rose, Martin Stewart, George Valentine, Jason Caie and Paul Gibson.

Champion Street 2004 final at Allan Park, Cove. Back, left to right – Stewart Watt, Scott Murray, Joseph Kirton, Stewart Kelman, Martyn Stewart, Sean Flett, Michael Leitch, Ross Findlater, Scott Mackie, Lee Ritchie, Daniel Ross. Front, left to right: Paul Gibson. Lewis Clark, George Valentine, Billy Rose, Craig Arthur, Ryan Fraser, Jason Caie, Kristoffer Bell, Darren Forbes.

Champion Street 2004 final. Callum Dunbar (Springhill Spurs) and Ryan Fraser (Cove).

Champion Street 2005 – Cove Milan. L-R back: Scott Cowper, Stewart Kelman, Stewart Watt, Stewart Milne, Lee Ritchie, Craig Johnston, Stuart Stran. Front: Billy Rose, Ryan Fraser, Martyn Stewart, Jason Caie, Darren Forbes.

Champion Street 2006 – Cove. Back, from left: Stewart Watt, Billy Rose, Scott Mackie, Stewart Kelman, Joe Kirkton, Martyn Stewart, Craig Arthur, Daniel Ross, Sean Flett, Grant Beattie. Front: Paul Gibson, Ross Findlater, Jason Caie, Lee Ritchie, Darren Forbes, Steven Meldrum, Ryan Fraser, Kris Bell, Lewis Clark.

Champion Street 2006 – Ryan Fraser in action for Cove.

Champion Street finals 2006 at Allan Park, Cove. Consolation Cup Final – Cairncry Boyz v Cove Madrid. Winners Cove Madrid with their trophy. Ryan Fraser is front right with individual trophy.

Fraser Fyvie

Fraser Fyvie was Aberdeen’s youngest-ever player when he made his Dons debut aged 16 in 2009.

Midfielder Fyvie went on to join an elite club of Scottish players who have won both the FA Cup – with Wigan Athletic, who beat Manchester City at Wembley in 2013 – and Scottish Cup, which he claimed with Hibs in 2016.

Having returned to the Granite City, Fyvie helped Cove Rangers reach the Championship for the first time in 2022.

But, before all that, there were – according to our archives – three years of Champion Street action for Fyvie.

He even won it in 2004… his Springhill Spurs team beating future Aberdeen team-mate Ryan Fraser’s Cove Madrid side in the final.

Champion Street 2003 final – Cornhill Comets (green) v Springhill Spurs. Comets’ Lewis Howie and Spurs’ Fraser Fyvie, right.

Champion Street 2004 final at Allan Park, Cove. Cove Madrid (blue) v Springhill Spurs (red) – Springhill Spurs celebrate their win, with captain Fraser Fyvie front right.

Champion Street 2004 final. Fraser Fyvie (Springhill) on the ball with Daniel Ross and Kristoffer Bell (Cove).

Champion Street 2005 – Mastrick Reds. (L-R back) Connor Legge, Grant Hepburn, Steven Lawson, Liam Sutherland, Fraser Fyvie, Barry Bruce, James Hardie, Barry Reilly. (L-R front) Scott Hepburn, Mark Elder, Neil Erskine, Martin Boyle, Peter Lovie, Brandan Dalgleish, Mark Ellis.

Martin Boyle/Rachael Boyle (nee Small)

Two future football stars who played in Champion Street not only, at one point, played in the same team… they are now married and have a child together!

Hibernian attacker and Australia international Martin Boyle, and former Aberdeen Ladies and long-time Hibernian Ladies player and Scotland Women’s international Rachael Boyle (nee Small), turned out for several Mastrick sides at the tournament over the years.

The duo married in 2019 and have two daughters together, while Martin scored Hibs’ Premiership winner over Rangers at Ibrox last weekend.

Champion Street 2001 – Byron Munich celebrate their tournament win. Back L-R: Ashley Tosh, Stuart Wilson, Robert Fraser, Allan Smith, Warren Anderson, Richie Ross, Craig Thomson, Dean Ferries and Nicki Sinclair.<br />Front L-R: Jamie Fraser, Stuart Fraser, Craig Milne, Martin Black, Greg Donald, Rachael Small (with the trophy), Stevie Boyle and Blair Hendry.

Champion Street 2003 – Birkhall Brazil. Back from left: Ryan Homan, Ryan Reid, Andrew McKenzie, James Hardie, Nathan Lynch, Liam Carney, Alan Fettes, Mark Murray and Blair Munro. Middle L-R: Martin Boyle and Marc Garden. Front L-R: Rachael Small, Sean Bannerman, Christopher Wood, Chris Sutherland and Katie Fachie.

Champion Street 2005 – Mastrick Reds: L-R back: David Hetherington, Grant Simpson, Marc Ellis, Chris Sutherland, Steven Lawson, Greg Kane, Grant Milne, Rickie Moir and David Wood. Front: Martin Boyle, Declan Bennett, Peter McDougall, Connor Stewart, Stuart Fraser, Shaun Stewart and Chris Riddick.

Rory McAllister

An ex-Aberdeen and Inverness Caledonian Thistle youngster, Rory McAllister, has gone on to become to highest scorer in SPFL history, and is one of just three players to rack up 250 Scottish league goals since World War 2.

Achieved mainly through three spells at Peterhead, McAllister has also turned out for Brechin City, Cove Rangers and Montrose.

But here he is during Champion Street 1996…

Champion Street 1996 – Invercauld Ajax. Sharon Scott’s in the limelight with her team. Back (from left) – Russell Mair, Ross Cochrane, Leslie Jackson, Alan Yackiminie, Rory McAllister, Daniel McMillan. Front – David Yackiminie, Ryan Youngson, Ross Adams, Lee Morris, Chris Pacitti and keeper Paul Scott.

Roy McBain

Roy McBain made almost 500 Scottish league appearances for Ross County and then Caley Thistle, winning three league championships during his time with the two Highland sides.

Here he is with Overton Wolves in 1986 during Champion Street: