HAMILTON: ACADEMICAL FC v ARBROATH HAMILTONS

Just to spice things up, and since it's Friday........ tomorrow Arbroath FC play awsay at Greenock Morton at Cappielow, ko 15.00.

Arbroath are top of the Scottish Championship and Greenock 6th, 16 points behind. Where is this going? Arbroath have a Jack Hamilton in their forward line, a Chris Hamilton along with Colin Hamilton as defenders. There is also a Gavin Swankie in the squad, but enough of that. SO, let's talk HAMILTON ACADEMICAL FC. This badge features a shield with three  white cinquefoils (see below) derived from the Clan Hamilton coat of arms. The shield is encircled by a ring with the club's name and founding date.

New Douglas Park, in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is the home of Hamilton Academical FC, the Scottish Championship side. Today, the Accies play Inverness Caledonian Thistle at 19.45.

Their stadium is currently known as the Fountain of Youth Stadium (named so for sponsorship purposes). 

The club was founded in 1874, set at a local school, made up from pupils and the "Rector", from the Hamilton Academy. No other club has had such a foundation. Playing as amateurs and then with a more senior fixture card, the club  joined the Scottish Football League in 1897, when the Renton Club resigned from the League. The Accies has had a modest history.

• Scottish First Division
  • Winners: 1985–86, 1987–88, 2007–08  Runners-up: 2013–14 (second tier)
• Scottish Second Division
  • Winners: 1903–04 Runners-up: 1952–53 (second tier), 1964–65 (second tier), 1996–97 (third tier), 2003–04 (third tier)
• Scottish Third Division
  • Winners: 2000–01
• Scottish Cup
  • Runners-up: 1910–11,^[18] 1934–35^[19]
• Scottish Challenge Cup
  • Winners: 1991–92, 1992–93 Runners-up: 2005–06, 2011–12

In the 1970s the club had to resign briefly from the SFL due to financial debts, but was reinstated when Renton resigned from the League.

The Stadium, New Douglas Park, takes its name from Douglas Park, the club's former stadium, which was located immediately to the south of the current site. The pitch was converted to artificial Field Turf in 2004, the more durable surface allowing the club to hold training sessions and youth team matches there without damaging the playing field for first team matches. After Hamilton was promoted to the Scottish Premier League in May 2008, the artificial surface had to be replaced by  due to league grass rules, an alteration which owner Ronnie MacDonald claimed had cost £850,000 (including the installation of  under soil heating). In addition to the turf replacement, a small temporary stand with a capacity of 500 was erected in March 2008, to bring the stadium's capacity up to the league requirement of 6,000 all seater.

At the beginning of season 2013–14, Hamilton returned to an artificial playing surface, with an installation cost of £400,000. In June 2018, that surface was voted as the worst of 42 SPFL venues in a survey of the league's players. The following day, the club made public their intention to install a new Greenfields surface in time for the 2018–19 season, costing £750,000.

In July 2016 it was announced that as part of a £750,000 sponsorship deal, New Douglas Park would be renamed the SuperSeal Stadium after a deal was agreed with home improvements company SuperSeal. In July 2018 it became the Hope CBD Stadium following another sponsorship deal with a firm providing cannabidol products owned by the club's chief executive Colin McGowan. In July 2019 it changed again to the Fountain of Youth Stadium, in another sponsorship deal worth £750,000. The stadium's record attendance of 6,007 was set on 17 January 2015 when Hamilton played Celtic in a SPL game. The Hamilton squad also includes a Fin, a Zimbawean, 2 Englanders, 1 Togan, 1 Eire, 1 Roumanian and a few Scots.

P.S. Cinquefoils.....