Scottish Football League

The Scottish Football League is a league of football (soccer) teams in Scotland.

Table of contents

1 Single-Division Period
2 Two-Division Period
3 First Three-Division Period
4 Four-Division Period
5 Second Three-Division Period
6 See also

Single-Division Period

The league was formed in the 1890s to provide the growing number of football clubs in the country with a more consistent fixture list.

In its initial season the league was won jointly between the Rangers and Dumbarton.

Two-Division Period

The league proved to be highly successful and soon a second division was added from which clubs could be promoted to the first division. Promotion was initially based on a ballot of clubs. In the early 1920s automatic promotion and relegation between the two divisions was introduced. This two-divisional structure existed until the mid-1970s.

First Three-Division Period

The next change of structure split the league into three divisions, Premier, First, and Second Divisions. This permitted more frequent fixtures between the top clubs; the expectation was that meant greater revenue for them, and it was hoped it would stimulate greater interest, at a time when attendance at league matches had drop alarming.

This three-divisional structure (of 38 clubs) continued until 1994.

Four-Division Period

After a couple decaeds, the league again reorganised, with four divisions of 10 clubs, as Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County were elected to round out the league.

Second Three-Division Period

In 1998, the Premier Division clubs, fuelled by a desire to keep a greater share of television monies being raised by the game, split from the league to form the Scottish Premier League (SPL).

The remaining leagues, of ten clubs each, kept their names and the Premier Division was not reconsistuted, leaving First, Second, and Third Divisions.

Each season the winners of the First Division are eligible to be promoted to the Scottish Premier League providing their stadium meets certain criteria.

Glasgow Rangers have won the greatest number of league titles in the league's history, with 50 national championships (including SPL titles) to their name.