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Growing up in Printfield
The Early years:
Denis was born at No. 6 Printfield Terrace in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Family Life
He was the youngest of seven children in a close-knit, hard-working family. His father, George, was a fisherman, and his mother, Robina, cared for the household.
Football Obsessed
Denis was born with impaired eyesight in his right eye. Despite sometimes having to play with one eye closed, his obsession with football continued to grow. He played in plimsolls until he was nine, when his best friend and neighbour, George Geddes, gifted him a pair of his old football boots so he could play for Hilton Primary School.
The Start of a Life-Long Adventure
Denis also represented Kittybrewster and Powis school teams before joining the Aberdeen Lads Club (ALC) in nearby Woodside. At 12 years old, he helped raise money to establish the ‘ALC Colts’, a team dedicated to players his age.
Denis gave up a place at the local grammar school – where rugby, not football, was the focus – and instead went to Powis Junior Secondary (now St Machar Academy), where he could continue playing his beloved game.
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Denis Law was the youngest of seven children. He had five brothers and one sister.
His older siblings were significantly older. His sister, Ina, was the only girl among the siblings and doted on Denis, helping to care for him when he was young.
One of his brothers, Joe, was particularly influential. In the early days encouraged Denis, gave him tips and pushed him to train and improve.
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In the early 1950s, Denis Law was a regular at the Woodside branch of the Aberdeen Lads Club, where he found the confidence, structure, and support that helped shape his future in football.
At just 12 years old, Denis helped raise money to start a new team — ALC Colts — giving boys his age the chance to play competitive football. His drive and passion stood out early, both on and off the pitch.
By 1953–54, he’d won an individual sports prize as a junior, and in 1954, helped the ALC Colts team win the Youth Service Amateur League Cup — one of his first pieces of silverware.
At the time, the Gallowgate branch of the club was also active, serving other parts of the city.
The Lads Club pavilion and playing fields at Persley weren’t opened until 1967, but the spirit of community football that shaped Denis was already well in place.
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A young Denis Law was gifted his very first pair of football boots. He was 9 years old, growing up in the tight-knit community of Printfield, Woodside, Aberdeen. The boots weren’t new—but to Denis, they were priceless.
They were a present from his best friend and neighbour, George Geddes. He gave Denis his old boots so he could play for the Hilton school team.
That simple act of kindness contributed to a lifelong love of football and opened the door to what would become a legendary career.
Denis would later say he was “so proud of those boots.” They were tough to lace up, but they gave him a start that no one could have predicted — not even George.
Additional Information
The Kitchen that created a King!
Long before Denis was heading balls past defenders and into nets, he was practicing in the kitchen of his family home in Printfield. With a ball of wool hung from the laundry rack, Denis invented drills that would keep him busy for hours.
The pulley system allowed him to adjust the height, creating a unique training environment in a small kitchen. This unorthodox setup proved key to developing the aerial ability that made him a legend.
Stop 2:
PHYSICAL TRAIL
Stop 2 on the trail is situated directly opposite 6 Printfield Terrace – the house where Denis was born and raised. Denis lived at the family home until he left for Huddersfield to start his professional football career.
