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Situated in the car-park area of the sports centre is a monument commemorating one of Forth village’s best-known sons, the legendary football player and manager, Willie Waddell.
Four years after the sports hall was renamed to become the Willie Waddell Sports and Community Centre in 2019, three rusty coloured monoliths were unveiled with images of Waddell, as well as details of his life and achievements, plus the shapes of three of Lanarkshire’s peaks on top: Culter Fell, Tinto Hill and Black Mount.
Waddell was born in 1921 and was a pupil of Forth’s primary school. He later became a sports champion at Lanark Grammar School. He was also recognised as being one Scotland’s fastest sprinters. At the age of seventeen, he signed for Rangers F.C. In his debut against Arsenal F.C, he scored the match’s only goal. He went on to win four League titles and two Scottish Cups and was Capped eighteen times for Scotland, scoring six goals.
After many successes whilst playing for Rangers and Scotland, he became the manager of Kilmarnock FC in 1957 and led them to their league title in 1965. In 1969 he became the Rangers manager, seeing them win the Scottish League Cup in 1971 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1972. He later became the team’s general manager, then Vice Chairman before his sudden death
in 1992.
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