St. Johnstone F.C. is a professional football club based in Perth, Scotland. Although it is officially recorded as being formed in 1884, the club did not play its first game until February 1885. The club's home since 1989 has been McDiarmid Park.
St. Johnstone won the Scottish Football League First Division, the second tier of league football in Scotland, in 2008–09. This gained them promotion to the Scottish Premier League, bringing a return of SPL football to McDiarmid Park for the 2009–10 campaign, after a seven-year absence. The club have historically floated between the top two divisions of Scottish football, obtaining the reputation of being a "yo-yo club". Their traditional rivals are the two Dundee clubs, Dundee and Dundee United, with matches between St. Johnstone and either Dundee club being called Tayside derbies. St. Johnstone have a stronger rivalry with Dundee than Dundee United.
The club has had limited success in cup competitions. It has reached two Scottish League Cup Finals, losing them to each of the Old Firm clubs. The club has never reached a Scottish Cup Final in its history, although it has been in a number of semi-finals in recent years, and were only defeated on penalties at that stage by eventual winners Rangers in 2008. St. Johnstone won its first national cup competition of the modern era by winning the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2007, the club had won the Scottish Consolation Cup in 1911. They have competed in European competitions on three occasions via finishing high enough in the league table to qualify.
Read more about St. Johnstone F.C.: European Record, Local Rivals, Non-playing Staff, Managers Past and Present, Shirt Sponsors, Further Reading/bibliography