The OTHER Loons

Your favorite Loons play Real Salt Lake today, but did you know that your second favorite Loons are also playing today? Did you even know you had second favorite Loons? Your second favorite Loons should be Forfar Athletic FC. They play in Scottish League 2, and are also affectionately known as the Loons.

Awesome! Another team named for the state bird of Minnesota (insert loon noises here)! The more the merrier! PK must have a Scottish brother across the pond! Well... not really. First, loons are known as “divers” in the UK (which is probably not an ideal name for a soccer team, either). Loon means something a bit different in Scotland, “young man”.

Forfar Athletic was formed in 1885, after originally playing as the second team under Angus FC. Playing as the Angus FC reserve team they were made up of mostly younger players, and it is thought that this is where the Loon nickname began. The club recorded their first win in May of 1885.

The club has had some success, winning the Scottish Second Division (then tier 3) in 1949 and 1984. They currently sit at the top of the table in Scottish League Two (tier 4) after being relegated from League One in 2015.

The club has a long and rich history, and I want to cover it (and hopefully will soon) but for now I will leave you with my personal favorite part of the club. Their mascot.

Baxter the Bridie

It’s a pastry. Baxter the Bridie is the club’s mascot and 90% the reason I wanted to write this post. A bridie is a Scottish pasty, and if you don’t know what a pasty is it is basically a pastry filled with meat or vegetables. Baxter is filled with pure talent. Baxter has been well received, and mini Baxters have been made and fans have been taking him all over the world!

That’s enough about Baxter. The Loons play Stirling Albion away today, and they need a win. Going winless in their last 7 matches, Forfar needs to extend their one point league in the table.

Update: Forfar beat Stirling Albion 3-0 to extend their lead at the top of the table!