The draw for the Preliminary Rounds (1 and 2) of the Scottish Cup was made in Coldstream on Monday 18th July and a piece of Scottish football history flew under the radar below stories of potential Old Firm signings and whether Celtic could save face against Lincoln Red Imps.
Privately owned Edusport Academy will make their Scottish Cup debut this season against Colville Park in Round 1 adding a unique French Connection to this season's national cup competition. The Auld Alliance or wrong for Scottish football? You be the judge.
Edusport Academy is a residential football academy for young French footballers, based in Scotland. The academy was founded in 2011 and was initially based at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Centre in North Lanarkshire, before relocating to Lesser Hampden in 2015. A second centre based in Edinburgh opened in 2014. An Edusport Academy team has also competed in the senior South of Scotland League from the 2014–15 season onwards, the only private academy to do so in a recognised senior league. South of Scotland matches were initially played at the Hamilton Palace Sports Ground in South Lanarkshire before moving to Galabank, Annan from 2015.
The Edusport Academy was founded in 2011 by Scot Chris Ewing with the aim of helping talented young French footballers to develop their skills in football and the English language, and gain opportunities with British professional clubs.
In June 2014, Edusport Academy successfully applied for membership of the semi-professional South of Scotland League in the sixth tier of the Scottish Football League becoming the first private football academy in the world to operate a team in a FIFA-recognised senior league. They made further Scottish football history in a league match against Creetown in September 2014, when they first fielded a team composed entirely of French nationals. The senior team won two trophies in their first season, the South of Scotland League Cup and the Cree Lodge Cup.
Edusport applied to move up a level to the Lowland League in 2015, but their application was rejected.
Amongst the bank of Edusport Academy Coaches there is actually a former Scottish Cup Winner. Former Cowdenbeath and Berwick manager Colin Cameron, who joined the Edusport set up in 2014, won it with Hearts in the late 1990's.
Although some followers of the Scottish game might see Edusport's inclusion as a dangerous president in the Scottish game it should be remembered that Scotland's oldest club Queens Park once played in an FA Cup semi final in the Victorian Era.
Vive la difference!
The draw in full
Preliminary round one draw:
Edusport Academy v Colville Park
Newtown Stewart v Beith Juniors
Wigtown and Bladnoch v Auchinleck Talbot
Glasgow University v Bonnyrigg Rose
St Cuthbert Wanderers v Leith Athletic
Ties to be played on Saturday, 13 August 2016.
Preliminary round two draw:
St Cuthbert Wanderers/Leith Athletic v Coldstream
Glasgow University/Bonnyrigg Rose v Burntisland Shipyard Amateurs
Edusport Academy/Colville Park v Girvan
Newtown Stewart/Beith Juniors v Wigtown and Bladnoch/Auchinleck Talbot
Threave Rovers v Linlithgow Rose
Bank’s O’Dee v Golspie Sutherland
Ties to be played on Saturday, 3 September 2016.