The Border pioneers (1880–1899) History records that this initial meeting was a great success. A committee was formed and an opening game against
Hibernian was arranged to launch the new venture. The kick-off was arranged for March 1881, the venue the cricket club, the result a 0–14 reverse, and so was born the oldest football club in the
Borders. Selkirk's Golden Era came to an end when Ian Whitehead was enticed back into Scottish League Football as a coach with Second Division Berwick Rangers. Ian never concealed his desire to progress in management and possibly his greatest achievement was to manage the 'wee Gers' to the Championship title and to be promoted for the first time in their history.
East of Scotland Selkirk won promotion to the
East of Scotland Premier Division in
season 2005–06 after some spirited performances, including a 6–1 win against local rivals
Gala Fairydean. In
season 2006–07 the club consolidated their place in the top flight.
Season 2007–08 resulted in relegation from the Premier Division, but they were reprieved when
Annan Athletic left to fill the
Third Division position vacated by the departing
Gretna. Buoyed by this unexpected turn in fortunes, the club ended the campaign on a high by capturing their first silverware in 30 years, triumphantly lifting the Image Printers' Cup with a 3–1 victory over the much-fancied
Lothian Thistle. Manager Fraser Lothian shocked the club shortly afterwards by leaving his post. It was confirmed that former
Berwick Rangers player and local stalwart Paul 'Paulie' Brownlee would be taking over the managerial reins for the 2008–09 season. Brownlee stuck to a policy of building a squad of predominantly local players. In
season 2008–09, the team finished the campaign in 10th position. Towards the culmination of the fixture list, Selkirk had recorded unexpected home and away victories over the reigning league champions,
Whitehill Welfare, to avoid the dreaded trapdoor and ensure that Premier Division football would be witnessed at Yarrow Park for another year. In
season 2009–10, former chairman Roger Arnold and ex-player and manager of Selkirk Jackson Cockburn were awarded life-memberships of the club at a special lunch held at Yarrow Park. The club finish in 10th position in the Premier Division. In
season 2010–11, the club received a
SFA Standard Quality Award for services to grass roots football. Selkirk took the phrase 'down to the wire' to a new level in the last game of the season. After 14 games without a victory, results went for them in the other games and thanks to a Des Sutherland hat-trick, relegation was avoided at the final whistle with a 3–2 victory over
Tynecastle. In
season 2011–12, after six seasons of narrow squeaks and great escapes, Selkirk finally failed to remain in the Premier Division, ending the season last place in the table returning to the First Division. Selkirk started
season 2012–13 well with excellent pre-season results, drawing with the Celtic and Hibernian under-20s sides and pushing
Cowdenbeath to overturn a 0–2 deficit in the last 15 minutes of the game. However, despite this bright start the team ended up in the lower half of the league. As an initiative to develop players for the future, the club entered for the first time an under-19 team into the East of Scotland League Off the park the committee concentrated on meeting the new licensing requirement to allow the club entry into competitions like the
Scottish Cup and the
Lowland League. These efforts resulted in the funding (with the assistance of the Scottish Football Partnership) and installation of a new 100 seater stand and other ground improvements in order to qualify for SFA audit.
Lowland League and decline Selkirk started
season 2013–14 as a founding member of the
Lowland Football League, leaving the East of Scotland League after an association stretching back to 1923. Following a defeat by Gretna 2008 on 12 October 2013, the ninth in a row, manager Mike McKinnon announced his resignation giving the club two weeks notice of his intentions. He was replaced within a week by Hutchison Vale under-21 squad manager and
Hibernian youth coach Steve Forrest. The new manager came to Selkirk with a four-year plan, so it was unsurprising that a 1–0 backs-to-the wall win away to Whitehill Welfare and a 5–1 drubbing of local rivals, Gala Fairydean Rovers were the only on-field highlights for the rest of the term. A deal towards the end of the season was struck with EDUSport Academy to field some of their French nationals to provide match experience in Scotland. Yannis Lamghri, Benji Huteau, Jordane Orain and Julio Tonelle featured for the club in the second half of the season. The club started
season 2014–15, its second season in the SLFL, with a successful pre-season, competing well, but ultimately losing to Stirling Albion and Falkirk before beating a Hibernian XI 3–1 and demolishing promising Junior Side Dalkeith Thistle 7–0. The biggest surprise however was the signing of ex-
Hibernian,
Birmingham City,
Lokomotiv Moscow and
Scotland national football team striker,
Garry O'Connor. Selkirk made national headlines again at the start of the
2015–16 season, this time with the signing of Scottish football's first ever poet in residence,
Thomas Clark. Steve Forrest was sacked as Selkirk manager on 28 October 2015, with Garry O'Connor taking temporary charge. Following financial problems and having been fined for failing to fulfil two fixtures, Selkirk resigned from the Lowland League in August 2018. == Stadium ==