A club legend has passed away...
Watsonian Football Club are devastated to announce the passing of Secretary Iain ‘Stavvy’ Leslie. He was 59.
Stavvy passed away at home and he will be missed by so many who have connections with the club and, indeed, many from the wider Scottish rugby community.
As we wrote when we featured him on the club website last year, you know people are well known at rugby clubs when you only have to say one name and everyone knows who you are talking about.
And if you say ‘Stavvy’ then everyone will automatically know that you are talking about Iain Leslie - and as such he leaves behind quite some legacy.
Watsonian Football Club President Euan Kennedy said: “Stavvy, Iain Leslie, has been involved with Watsonians for over 40 years as a player, committee man and Secretary. He is a true Watsonian legend who we are as proud of as we are of our international players.
“He will be sorely missed by all at the club, but he will rest in peace.”
Stavvy was a key part of life at Myreside from the moment he joined as a player fresh out of George Watson’s College in 1980.
Over the last 42 years he has been a player, coach, tour organiser, match announcer, Vice-President, President and pretty much everything in between, including a spell running the bar in the pavilion between 1987 and 1997.
Stavvy, a lawyer by trade, has also been involved with the discipline side of things within Scottish Rugby and further afield such as in the Guinness PRO14 over the years.
He was a prop in his playing days with the club and, between 1980 and 1984, also turned out for the University of Aberdeen and Scottish Students.
Coaching-wise he did a lot with the 2nd XV and the 2As back in the day and enjoyed working alongside people like Mark Watters, Paul Di Rollo and Andrew Ker.
He also took immense pride in seeing players graduate from those sides to greater things, for example the likes of Jamie Mayer, Derrick Lee and Duncan Hodge who all went on to win Scotland caps.
He was given the nickname Stavvy 48 years ago while at school because he had a resemblance to the character Stavros - played by George Savalas - in the 1970s TV crime series Kojak.
And Stavvy - who was Vice-President between 2000 and 2002 and President between 2002 and 2004 - loved that kind of humour and, as those that were lucky enough to have known him will agree, he certainly had a sharp - if somewhat dry wit - and loved a laugh.
Most of all he loved being part of Watsonian Football Club and spending time with his many friends at Myreside.
He was proud to have been President when the 1st XV won promotion to the top flight in 2003 and lifted the Scottish Cup in the same year.
And although he suffered some ill health in recent times, he always put that to one side to make sure he was at Myreside when games were on, cheering on teams at all levels.
Indeed, this season he has been the announcer on matchdays for the 1st XV and, perhaps fittingly, was on the mic last Saturday as the team put in a great performance against Cartha Queens Park.
It was also fitting that, although in a wheelchair, thanks to the new lift at the revamped pavilion he was able to spend time chatting with long-time friend Andrew Ker and other club members that day in the upstairs bar.
We will all miss him terribly and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.
The club is planning to have a minute of applause in Stavvy’s memory before today's (Saturday’s) 1st XV match with Highland at Myreside at 3pm
Words by Gary Heatly
