Heart of Midlothian

Hearts was founded in 1873 by a group of friends from the Heart of Midlothian Quadrille Assembly Club, however, the founding year of 1874 is recognized as the official founding year as this is when the club adopted association rules football. The club got its name from the county of Midlothian, as well as the Heart of Midlothian mural outside of St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. In 1875 Hearts became members of the Scottish Football Association and were founding members of the Edinburgh Football Association.

Hearts had a good amount of success in their early years, winning back to back Scottish titles, four Scottish Cups in 15 years, and a World Championship win over Tottenham in 1902. Shortly following their success, Europe was plunged into WWI and many Hearts players were enlisted in the military, while also playing during the Scottish campaign.

Between WWI and WWII, Hearts struggled to have success, with their only glimpse being a second place finish in 1938. In 1955, they turned things around and won their first trophy since 1906, winning the Scottish League Cup final over Motherwell. This win kickstarted a successful period in which Hearts won 7 trophies in 9 years between 1954 and 1963. This included two Scottish Premiership titles, one Scottish Cup, and 4 Scottish League Cups. 

The 1970s began a tumultuous time for Hearts as they were relegated and became a yo-yo club, switching leagues 6 times in 7 years. They eventually made it back up to the top flight and in 1986 narrowly missed out on a league title, losing out on goal differential to Celtic, and falling to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final.

They were league runners-up again in 1988 and 1992, and in 1990, then owner Wallace Mercer proposed a merger with struggling Hibernian, which was met with great hostility from both sides. Hearts would go on to win the 1998 Scottish Cup final over Rangers, their first trophy in 35 years.

In 2004, club CEO Chris Robinson attempted to sell the club’s longtime home Tynecastle, and have Hearts play at Murrayfield where Scottish Rugby games were played. This decision was met with protests from supporters and later in 2004 Robinson sold his shares to Russian-Lithuanian Vladimir Romanov, who promised to redevelop Tynecastle. However, Romanov led the club into more debt – a hefty £36 million of it by 2007. The financial struggles continued until 2013, when the club entered administration. This resulted in their relegation the very next year due to a large points deduction.

The club was sold to the Foundation of Hearts in 2013, and the foundation led them out of administration and back into the Scottish Premiership in 2015. With the foundation’s purchase of the club and with the transfer of shares in 2021, this now meant the club was owned by the supporters, making them the largest supporter owned club in the UK. 

Hearts were relegated in 2020, but have since come back up and are even playing European football this season in the Europa League.

2023-24 SEASON: 3rd in Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup Semifinal, Europa Conference League Group Stage

2024-25 SEASON: Scottish Premiership, UEFA Europa League

Hearts’ biggest rival is with fellow Edinburgh club, Hibernian. The two first met in 1875 and have been playing ever since. They have met each other in a final twice, the Scottish Cup final in 1897 and 2012, both of which Hearts won. Although this is a longstanding Scottish rivalry, it is one out of good nature.

Hearts took over the Musselburgh Windsor Ladies Football Club in 2009, renaming it Hearts Ladies FC and bringing it under the club umbrella. The club, now called Hearts Women, play in the Scottish Women’s Premier League. Home games are at The Oriam in Edinburgh; see the club’s website for more details.

The official anthem is known simply as The Hearts Song; here they are giving it a go after whipping rivals Hibs in the Cup Final:

Hearts moved into their current home, ​​Tynecastle Park, in 1886. Originally it was a fully terraced stadium, aside from the seated main stand, but in the mid 1990s the ground was converted to only seating. Tynecastle Park has hosted a number of Scottish International matches. With recent renovations to the main stand, Tynecastle Park now has a capacity of just over 20,000. 

TOURS: Hearts offer two types of stadium tours, the Heritage Stadium Tour and the Main Stand Tour. Tours are offered on Saturdays and Sundays. Check the club website for details.

GETTING THERE: The closest tram stop is Murrayfield Stadium, about a 15-minute walk. Bus 1 also stops very nearby in Gorgie Street on a direct trip from the main train station in town, Waverly.

PUBS AND GRUB: The Tynecastle Arms on nearby Gorgie Street is the closest pub to the stadium. There are also plenty of places to eat along there. We had a nice meal at the Doric Pub in town.

AROUND TOWN: Edinburgh is one of the top tourist destinations in the UK, so we won’t attempt a guide here. Edinburgh.org is a good place to keep up with current events, tours, etc.