Records of the Vale of Leven Amateur Athletic Club

This collection contains 4 files of minutes created by the Vale of Leven Amateur Athletic Club (1945-75).

The Vale of Leven Amateur Athletic Club was established after the Second World War, on the 5th September 1945. Among the founders was Jimmy Gardner, who had previously been involved with another athletics club - the Bellahouston Harriers - before establishing the Vale of Leven club in his hometown. The club was officially established at a meeting in the pavilion of Millburn Park, in the grounds of Vale of Leven FC.

Within a year the Vale of Leven Amateur Athletics Club had won the National Novice Team Championship. This success was attributed to the team's enthusiastic perseverance, the encouragement of the Club's secretary Willie Stevenson, and the experience and training of coach Archie Peters.

In the 1950s the Club produced a number of successful runners, including Alec McDougall (who ran in the Commonwealth Games and International Cross-Country Championships), Pat Moy (who represented Scotland at the International Cross Country Championships), Walter Lennie (who won the West District and was a noted track runner before moving to England), and Willie Gallagher.

This collection is open to use. To view the collection, please contact the archivist to arrange a visit.

The full catalogue is available on our website. To view the catalogue, please click here: Records of the Vale of Leven Amateur Athletic Club