Post First World War Leith of 1919, had much social deprivation, unemployment was high, and the management of youth was of great concern. It was in this climate that a group of enthusiastic workers from the Victoria shipyard of Messer’s Ramage and Ferguson collectively established a sports club.

These men purchased an ex-army hut, and erected it on ground rented from the railway company at adjacent to the Caledonian Station on Marine Parade; the club was appropriately named Leith Victoria A.A.C.

Although established as a general sports club, its primary activities were wrestling, boxing and weightlifting. The premises and equipment were basic and simple; washing facilities consisted of a bucket of cold water, which had to be carried four hundred yards to the club. The art of boxing soon became the sport in which the youth of the area showed most interest. Training conditions such as these produced untold qualities in the youth of the time, which carried them on to become great champions and lovers of the “Noble Art.”

The British Champion Tancy Lee began to show an interest in the club and became Leith Victoria's coach recruiting such notable boxers as Curly Paterson, Jock Stevenson and ‘Nasher’ Ness. At this point, the club merged with Leith’s Tolbooth Amateur Boxing Club.

Tancy Lee coached Johnny Hill who won the British ABA Flyweight Championship in 1926, soon after turning professional that same year, he then went on to win the British Title in May 1927, the following year Johnny out pointed American Al ‘newsboy’ Brown, and became Scotland’s first World Champion at Flyweight.

In the 1930, Eastern District Championships the club achieved seven Champions out a possible eight.

In 1934, the club furnished the entire Scottish contingent at the British A.B.A. Championships, at all four weights. During this time the club had won the Queens Trophy Award awarded annually to Scotland’s most successful boxing club, so many times that the boxers used it as a door stop at their then Leith Promenade gym.

Following the Second World War and the extensive redevelopment that took place, Leith Victoria A.A.C. moved to Kinniard Hall in the Kirkgate.

Before the end of the 1960s, the club was forced to leave Kinniard Hall due to Leith’s endless redevelopment, over the next twenty years the club had three temporary homes. Before moving to the present premises in Academy Street in 1988.

(Special thanks to Brian Donald, Historical Consultant).