Demise
Despite initial enthusiasm for the competition, logistical problems soon led to doubts over its future. The failure to attract any non-Scottish opposition reduced it merely to the status of an extra Edinburgh derby. The prominence of the first game was not helped by the Scottish Premier League scheduling a league derby would occur just two weeks after the Festival Cup, with both matches played at Easter Road.
The following year, pre-arranged friendlies and fixture congestion meant that the clubs found it difficult to find a suitable date within the Festival period. The international fixture weekend in early September was agreed upon, but this meant that both sides were missing players who were representing national teams, effectively reducing the game to little more than a reserve team fixture. Amongst the sides who played, Craig Sives and Calum Elliot had both yet to feature in the Hearts first team, while Hibs included untried personnel in the form of John Kane and Jay Shields.
Further fixture congestion resulted in the clubs failing to reach agreement upon a suitable date in 2005, and there has been no attempt since then to revive the competition.
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