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92-879: Originally founded in 1891 to rival the League, the Scottish Alliance was one of a number of leagues set up a year after the Scottish Football League was formed. The idea came from five Glaswegian clubs - Clyde , Linthouse , Thistle , Partick Thistle , and Northern - and other clubs from around the region were invited, the initial membership eventually including Airdrieonians , Ayr , East Stirlingshire , Morton , Kilmarnock , King's Park , Port Glasgow Athletic , and St Bernard's , although Clyde dropped out. Two other clubs ( Leith Athletic F.C. and Aberdeen ) also pledged to join but dropped out; Queen's Park F.C. turned down an invitation. In 1892, several clubs left and

184-448: A "top six" and a "bottom six". Each club then played a further five matches against the other five teams in their own section. Points achieved during the first phase of 33 matches were carried forward to the second phase, but the teams competed only within their own sections during the second phase. After the first phase was completed, clubs could not move out of their own section in the league, even if they achieved more or fewer points than

276-497: A "winter break" during the January of each season, beginning with the 1998–99 season. However, this practice was removed beginning in the 2000–01 season , forcing clubs to play throughout January and sometimes resulting in postponement of matches and significant damage to clubs' pitches. Managers Martin O'Neill , Jim Duffy and Walter Smith were among those who called for the winter break to be reinstated. Alex McLeish accused

368-545: A 14% decline in attendance since a peak season of 2000–01 , when the club won the domestic treble. Dunfermline , who were newly promoted to the SPL in 2011–12, only saw an increase of 939 in average attendance from the 2010–11 Scottish First Division season. They also attracted a bigger crowd for a Fife derby game in the First Division against Raith Rovers than any game in the SPL. The Bank of Scotland , which had sponsored

460-565: A breakaway Premier League , signing an exclusive television contract with Sky. Live Scottish Premier Division games were shown on STV during the 1990s, but the top division clubs formed the breakaway Scottish Premier League in 1998 and signed an exclusive broadcast contract with Sky. This left the remaining Scottish Football League clubs without live coverage, although STV continued to show highlights of First Division games in their Football First show. Scots Gaelic channel BBC Alba provided coverage of Scottish Football League games, including

552-467: A decade. Seven of the SPL's 12 clubs had a wage turnover ratio of less than 60%. The 2007 report by PWC revealed a collective loss of £9 million for 2005–06, although six clubs – Falkirk, Hibernian, Inverness CT, Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Rangers – made a profit. The report highlighted the increasingly precarious financial position of Hearts, describing its current finances as "unsustainable" with debt rising by £7 million to £28 million and

644-518: A dispute between the League and the broadcasters. The birth of satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting (Sky TV) changed the situation significantly. As ITV had an exclusive contract for live coverage of games in the English league , the first match shown on Sky was a Scottish Premier Division match between Rangers and Dundee United in April 1991. A year later, the top division English clubs formed

736-588: A few exceptional periods. The average home attendances of both clubs is significantly higher than the other Scottish clubs, which resulted in the Old Firm having far greater revenues and therefore more money to spend on players. Both clubs also received significant revenues from participation in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League . Despite having more resources than other Scottish clubs,

828-458: A further four-year deal would commence for the 2010–11 season, worth £125 million. Setanta lost the rights to show live SPL matches in the United Kingdom as it was unable to pay the £3 million it owed to the SPL. The SPL then agreed a deal with ESPN and Sky Sports worth £13 million per season to the clubs. This was comparable to the deal which was in place with Setanta, but it

920-411: A higher or lower ranked team, respectively. At the beginning of each season, the SPL "predicted" the likely positions of each club in order to produce a fixture schedule that ensured the best possible chance of all clubs playing each other twice at home and twice away. This was known as the league seeding and was based on clubs' performance in previous years. If a club did not finish in the half where it

1012-559: A match against the Scotland national team to mark the centenary of the SFL. Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League ( SPL ; Scottish Gaelic : Prìomh Lìog na h-Alba ) was the top-level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when

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1104-625: A number of clubs returned, but during the summer, the Alliance became the backbone of the new Second Division of the Scottish League. The league, bolstered by the inclusion of a number of clubs from the Scottish Football Federation , continued for four more years by recruiting new members. One candidate club, Gaelic of Coatbridge , was advised to improve the quality of its pitch to gain admission in 1895, but lost its ground entirely and

1196-453: A number of matches in a league season. A season, which runs from August (except in 2011–12 , when that season began in July) until May, was divided into two phases. During the first phase, each club played three matches against every other team, either once at home and twice away, or vice versa . After this first phase of matches, by which time all clubs had played 33 matches, the league split into

1288-572: A proposed Company Voluntary Arrangement in June 2012, forcing preferred bidder Charles Green to use a new company to buy out the business and assets of Rangers. Weeks before the SPL merged into the Scottish Professional Football League , Hearts became the sixth SPL club to enter administration. Between 1998–99 and 2001–02 , exclusive television rights for live Scottish Premier League matches were held by Sky Sports. In January 2002,

1380-574: A total of £1.46 million. By 1990, this source of income had been overtaken by revenue from sponsorships and television rights. As of 1990, 75% of these central revenues were split equally between the 38 member clubs, with the remaining 25% allocated according to each club's position in the league ladder. During the 1970s and 1980s, the main terrestrial television companies ( STV and BBC Scotland ) produced shows ( Scotsport and Sportscene respectively) containing highlights of league matches. The revenues from these broadcasts were relatively small, with

1472-481: A total of £65 million for the rights to show 30 matches each per season. In November 2011, it was announced that a five-year extension to the contract would commence from the 2012–13 season . This deal was amended after Rangers entered insolvency and was not allowed to transfer its SPL membership to a new company. The rights held by ESPN were acquired by BT Sport in February 2013. BBC Scotland's Sportscene held

1564-407: A wage bill which represents 97% of its turnover. The figures for 2006–07 showed a collective profit of £3 million, with eight clubs making a profit. In March 2008, Gretna became the fourth SPL club to enter administration. The club's main benefactor, Brooks Mileson , was forced to withdraw his financial support due to failing health. The club was liquidated after it had been relegated to

1656-403: A win and one point for a draw. No points were awarded for a loss. Teams were ranked by total points, then goal difference , and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points was crowned league champion . If points were equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. Originally the SPL contained 10 clubs, but it subsequently enlarged to 12 for

1748-623: A £14 million loss after losing most of their European revenues due to an early defeat by FBK Kaunas , while Hearts lost £8 million. In 2010, Hearts was described by The Scotsman as the only true financial "basket case" in the SPL, with the club having a wages-to-turnover ratio of 126% and debt of over three times turnover. Rangers stabilised financially in the next two seasons, thanks to income generated from Champions League participation. Rangers entered administration on 14 February 2012, owing an approximate £9 million in unpaid taxes and with an ongoing tribunal with HMRC. HMRC blocked

1840-452: Is healthy for Scottish football and encouraged the development of young players. A decline in television revenue resulted in relatively little spending among SPL clubs, with major transfer spending mostly limited to the Old Firm clubs. As a result, most clubs became reliant on developing their own young players and selling them on for profit. This also resulted in a large proportion of SPL clubs' squads being made up of Scottish players (73% in

1932-577: Is not wholly suited to the modern-day business environment, or the size of the league. In March 2007, a self-conducted review found the league to be three times more expensive to run than equivalent leagues in England, with a report stating the league structure was "outdated": the report found that the Football Conference had four employees looking after 68 clubs, while the SFL had 14 people running leagues with just 30 clubs. No clubs were relegated from

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2024-447: The 1992–93 season . This decision was fuelled by a desire by the top clubs in Scotland to retain more of the revenue generated by the game. Originally, league sponsorship money was divided proportionally between clubs in all four divisions. After the SPL was formed, its clubs retained all of its commercial revenues except for an annual payment to the SFL and a parachute payment to recently relegated clubs. Teams received three points for

2116-492: The 2000–01 season and retained this structure until 2013. The increase from 10 clubs to 12 was part of the deal offered to obtain approval from SFL member clubs. After the expansion to 12 clubs, the SPL operated a "split" format. This was done to prevent the need for a 44-match schedule, based on playing each other four times. That format had been used in the Scottish Premier Division but was considered to be too high

2208-503: The 2004–05 season ). Due to its relatively low income from television and commercial partners, Scottish clubs were highly dependent on revenues from fans attending matches. More people in Scotland per head of population watched their domestic top-level league than any other European nation. All ten of the clubs that played in the 1998–99 Scottish Premier League also participated in the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League . Nine of those ten clubs recorded lower average attendance. Celtic had

2300-487: The Central Football League was absorbed as a new division with automatic promotion. Note: in contemporary sources the divisions were often referred to as 'First' and 'Second' rather than 'One' and 'Two'; the latter format has been used throughout the site to avoid confusion with the league's First and Second Division , each one tier lower than their predecessor, introduced in the 1970s (see below). In 1923,

2392-475: The Football Conference and that EU competition law banning restraints of trade could be used to overcome any legal barriers to such a plan. Green also suggested that Rangers and Celtic would not be playing in the Scottish league system in ten years time. Scotland manager Gordon Strachan said he believed the Old Firm clubs would join a future new 38-club two-division European Super League. The SPL instituted

2484-679: The Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Challenge Cup . Organised football in Scotland began in 1873 with the formation of the Scottish Football Association (SFA). During the next 15 years or so, clubs would play friendly matches , Scottish Cup ties and local cup (e.g. Glasgow Cup or East of Scotland Shield ) ties. The Football League , initially containing clubs from the North West and Midlands of England,

2576-515: The Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Challenge Cup . The League Cup was established in 1946, succeeding the wartime Southern League Cup. Unlike the Scottish Cup , organised by the Scottish Football Association , the League Cup was only open to Scottish Football League clubs. Scottish Premier League clubs continued to participate in the League Cup after the top tier clubs broke away in 1998. Until

2668-572: The Scottish League Cup first attracting sponsorship in 1979. The competition was revamped in 1984, adopting a straight knock-out format, when Skol Lager began its sponsorship. The Co-operative Insurance company sponsored the League Cup for 12 seasons, until the 2010–11 competition. It has since been sponsored by the Scottish Government , under the name of the Scottish Communities League Cup . The Scottish Challenge Cup

2760-647: The Scottish football league system . In June 2013, the SFL merged with the SPL to form the Scottish Professional Football League . The SFL was associated with a title sponsor from the 1985–86 season. As this sponsor changed over the years the league was known in turn as the Fine Fare League , B&Q League , Bell's Scottish Football League and finally as the Irn-Bru Scottish Football League . The SFL also organised two knock-out cup competitions,

2852-435: The Scottish league championship since 1985. Until Rangers were ejected from the SPL due to their liquidation , there was only one SPL season ( 2005–06 ) where both clubs failed to occupy first and second positions, with Hearts finishing second behind Celtic. While other European leagues were dominated by a few clubs in the 2000s, the Old Firm dominance in Scotland dated back to the beginning of Scottish league football, with

Scottish Football Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

2944-564: The 1890–91 season for playing against St Bernard's , who had been found guilty of concealed professionalism. Renton raised an action against the SFA in the Court of Session and won, which meant that their SFA and SFL memberships were restored. In the 1890–91 season, Rangers and Dumbarton were level at the top of the league on 29 points. The teams drew 2–2 in a play-off match, but no further thought had been given to separating teams by another method and

3036-411: The Alliance was amalgamated again into one division. In 1938, the First Division clubs decided to create a formal league for reserve teams, which meant that Beith and Galston had to be expelled because they were first teams. It also meant that Dundee's reserve team were expelled; as the club had been relegated from the First Division but had still maintained a reserve team in the Alliance. In 1939

3128-495: The Challenge Cup, from its launch in 2008. Live coverage on English language channels returned to Scottish Football League games in the 2012–13 season, as Sky and ESPN agreed contracts to show Third Division matches involving Rangers . These arrangements secured revenues that had been under threat due to the financial collapse of Rangers . Of the original SFL clubs, Celtic, Heart of Midlothian, St Mirren and Dumbarton are

3220-402: The Challenge Cup, to give a round number of 32 clubs participating. Both the League Cup and the Challenge Cup continued under the auspices of the Scottish Professional Football League . From 1985, the League accepted sponsorships for its main competition. Below is a list of sponsors and the League's name under their sponsorship: The League's cup competitions have had different sponsors, with

3312-508: The EU were able to obtain UK work permits. The only restriction on selection was the "Under-21 rule". This rule stated that each club must include at least three players under the age of 21 in its matchday squad. Opinions on this rule were divided among SPL managers. Walter Smith , Gus MacPherson and Jim Jefferies expressed their disapproval of the policy. John Collins approved of the ruling, claiming it

3404-443: The League decided to introduce a third tier. The Western League was used as its backbone but the new set-up lasted only three years before it collapsed under heavy financial losses. From 1926 until 1946, the League reverted to two divisions with many of the third tier clubs joining the second iteration of Scottish Football Alliance. Post- World War II reforms saw the League resume with three divisions, renamed 'A', 'B' and 'C' with

3496-408: The League's television rights when the SPL rejected its offer of £45 million, hoping a better deal would arise from another broadcaster. However, a superior deal failed to arise, adding to the clubs' already delicate financial position. Total debt among SPL clubs was estimated during 2001–02 to be around £132m, having been barely into double figures two years previously. Motherwell became

3588-485: The Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal, or forming a new European Super League . While some observers believed the departure of the Old Firm from the Scottish football setup would be detrimental to Scottish football as a whole, others, such as Craig Levein , believed it would benefit Scottish football due to increased competition among the remaining clubs for the SPL title. World football's governing body FIFA ruled out

3680-448: The Old Firm experienced difficulty in competing with big clubs from other leagues in terms of transfer fees and player wages due to the SPL's relatively low television revenue. A recurring theme during the existence of the SPL was the prospect of the two clubs leaving the Scottish football set-up to join the English football league system , an Atlantic League with clubs from countries such as

3772-559: The SPL and SFL merged to form the new Scottish Professional Football League , with its top division being known as the Scottish Premiership . A total of 19 clubs competed in the SPL, but only the Old Firm clubs of Glasgow— Celtic and Rangers —won the league championship. For most of its history, the Scottish Football League had a two divisional structure (Divisions One and Two) between which clubs were promoted and relegated at

Scottish Football Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

3864-489: The SPL of taking Scottish football "back to the Dark Ages" after its decision to scrap the mid-season hiatus. In the seasons after the SPL's inception, Scotland's UEFA coefficient improved significantly, having been ranked 26th in 1998–99, they reached a high of 10th at the end of the 2007–08 season. The SPL ranking thereafter declined, the league falling back to the 24th position at the end of 2012–13. In 2003, Celtic became

3956-405: The SPL rejected a £45 million offer from Sky Sports and began considering setting up its own pay-per-view channel, dubbed "SPL TV". However, these plans broke down in April 2002 when the Old Firm clubs – Rangers and Celtic – utilised the 11–1 voting system to veto the proposals. This caused discontent among the remaining ten SPL clubs, which subsequently announced their intention to resign from

4048-409: The Scottish Alliance was re-formed by Babcock & Wilcox , Galston, Girvan Athletic , Nithsdale Wanderers, Queen's Park Strollers, Stranraer and Vale of Leven but disbanded after only a couple of games because of World War II . In 1956–57, six reserve sides formed a new Alliance – Dumbarton, St Johnstone, Clyde, Dundee United , Third Lanark, and Queen's Park Victoria XI. Cowdenbeath came in for

4140-677: The Scottish Football League at the end of the 2007–08 Scottish Premier League . Gretna fans formed a new club, Gretna 2008 , which entered the East of Scotland Football League . SPL clubs were badly affected by the Great Recession in Europe . The 21st PWC annual review found that SPL clubs made a collective loss of £22 million during the 2008–09 season, although this loss was almost entirely due to problems at two clubs. Rangers incurred

4232-804: The Scottish Football League to form the Scottish Premier League . The remaining Scottish Football League divisions continued as before. The SFL was the organising body of the Scottish Football League XI , a select side which represented the SFL in matches against other leagues, including the English Football League , the League of Ireland , the Northern Irish league and the Italian Serie A . These matches began in 1892, soon after

4324-681: The Scottish Premier League. Teams in italics were founder members, who played in the 1998–99 competition. The following stadia were used by clubs in the Scottish Premier League. This table is a cumulative record of all SPL matches played. The table is accurate from the 1998–99 season to the end of the 2012–13 season, inclusive. P = Position; Ssn = Number of seasons; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; Ppg = Points per game Kilmarnock and Rangers player Kris Boyd scored

4416-456: The Spring tournament. Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League ( SFL ) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland . From its foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League (SPL) was formed in 1998, the SFL was the top level of football in Scotland . After 1998, the SFL represented levels 2 to 4 of

4508-471: The United States by Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus . Radio broadcasting rights were held by BBC Radio Scotland . BBC Radio Scotland also provided internet webcasts to all Scottish Premier League matches, having become the first broadcaster to introduce such a service in June 2000. Old Firm matches were also broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live and 102.5 Clyde 1 . The clubs listed below competed in

4600-561: The additional costs involved. In 1932–33 season they were joined by Beith, Galston and Bo'ness, who were unable to pay their opponents match guarantees. From 1920, it had a policy of including at least one non-reserve team. On the collapse of the Scottish Football League Third Division in 1926, a large number of clubs found a place in the Alliance. So much so that for one season the competition was split into regional sections. This split lasted only one season, after which

4692-509: The agreement was that the SPL would expand to 12 clubs in 2000. The SFL then took in two new members to replace the two clubs lost to the SPL; Highland League clubs Elgin City and Peterhead were admitted, increasing the total number of clubs in the Scottish football league system to 42. From 2005, the SFL determined a promotion and relegation place between each division according to playoffs between four clubs. The playoffs were contested between

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4784-403: The basis that they would ground share with Aberdeen at Pittodrie . In 2005, the stadium size criterion for entry to the SPL was reduced to 6,000, thereby allowing Inverness Caledonian Thistle to return to their home stadium during the 2005–06 season . One of the main criticisms of the SPL was the dominance of the two Old Firm clubs, Celtic and Rangers. No team outside the Old Firm has won

4876-485: The biggest clubs to form a breakaway 'Super League' in 1992 – a four divisional structure was introduced. This involved the creation of a Third Division , with all four divisions consisting of ten clubs. On 8 September 1997, the clubs in the Premier Division decided to split from the Scottish Football League and form a Scottish Premier League. This followed an earlier example in England , which came into force during

4968-489: The bottom end of the Scottish Football League, although there were changes of membership due to clubs going out of business. The Scottish Football Association were keen for a pyramid system to be instituted. SFL First Division clubs wanted to gain a greater share of the media revenue generated by the SPL. In 2013, both the SPL and SFL voted in favour of merging to form the new Scottish Professional Football League . The number of divisions and clubs in each division remained

5060-604: The championship was shared. Goal average was introduced for the 1921–22 season and replaced by goal difference for the 1971–72 season. The league proved to be highly successful, and in 1893, a second tier was formed by the inclusion of a number of clubs previously in the Scottish Football Alliance . Promotion was initially based on a ballot of clubs; automatic promotion was not introduced until 1922. The onset of World War I saw Division Two but not Division One being suspended, not restarting again until 1921 when

5152-400: The city) and Ross County were elected to round out the league. At the same time, the SFL adopted the system of three points for a win . In 1998 the Premier Division clubs 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 reconstituted, leaving First, Second and Third Divisions. Part of

5244-434: The companies paying less than £1000 per match in the mid-1970s. BBC Radio Scotland had exclusive rights for live radio coverage of matches at this time, with independent stations such as Radio Clyde providing coverage via score updates and analysis. The first live television broadcast of a Scottish league match was not until April 1986. Earlier in the 1985–86 season, there had been no television coverage at all due to

5336-422: The end of each season. However, by the mid-1970s, this organisation was perceived to be stagnant, and it was decided to split into a three divisional structure: Premier Division (formerly Division One), First Division (formerly Division Two) and a newly added Second Division . This system came into force for the 1975–76 season . This setup continued until the 1994–95 season , when – in response to an attempt by

5428-462: The finances of SPL clubs began to show signs of improvement. Both Motherwell and Dundee came out of administration in April and August 2004 respectively, while Livingston ended its 15-month spell in administration in May 2005. The 2006 report on SPL finances by PWC revealed operating profits of £2.8 million among SPL clubs, the first collective operating profit made by Scotland's top-flight clubs in over

5520-730: The first SPL club to enter administration in April 2002, with debts of £11 million and a wage bill totalling 97% of the club's annual turnover. Dundee were next to follow, when in November 2003 it sacked 25 staff after debts of £20 million. The severity of the SPL's financial problems were revealed in September 2003 when combined losses for SPL clubs during 2001–02 was estimated to have been £60 million. A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in 2003 described five SPL clubs – Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic, Hearts, Hibernian and Livingston – as "technically insolvent". Livingston became

5612-574: The first Scottish club since Dundee United in 1987 to reach a European final, eventually losing 3–2 to Porto after extra time in the UEFA Cup final . In 2003–04, two Scottish clubs, Celtic and Rangers, qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. In 2005–06, Rangers became the first Scottish club to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League, a feat repeated by Celtic

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5704-517: The following two seasons. In the 2007–08 season, three Scottish clubs were competing in Europe after Christmas for the first time since 1970, while in the same season, Rangers reached the 2008 UEFA Cup final , but lost 2–0 to Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg . During the season, Scotland's European representatives collected the most coefficient points since the 1982–83 season . Scottish Premier League clubs had almost complete freedom to sign whatever number and category of players they wish. There

5796-485: The foundation of the SFL. Before the Second World War, inter-league matches were only second in importance to Scotland international matches. After the war, however, the inter-league matches became less important as European club football was instituted and clubs withdrew players due to fixture congestion. The last inter-league match was played in 1980, while a Scottish Football League XI was last selected in 1990 for

5888-414: The last section also including reserve sides . In 1947, league championship trophies were introduced for the first time for the top two divisions, until then only flags had been presented to the winners. The new trophies were engraved with the names of all previous winners. In 1949, the 'C' Division was expanded to two sections – South-East (North-East from 1950) and South-West. The withdrawal of

5980-502: The league since March 1999 (the League was unsponsored for most of the inaugural season ), did not renew its sponsorship at the end of the 2006–07 season . Talks began with Clydesdale Bank , and a four-year contract worth £8 million came into effect from July 2007; in 2010, the contract was extended until 2013. During the SPL era, six of its member clubs entered administration . Serious financial difficulties first arose in 2002 when broadcaster Sky Sports withdrew its interest in

6072-415: The league was reconstituted with a smaller membership; the league decided to reduce to 10 clubs, and, with 2 vacancies, attracted applications from nine clubs. St Bernard's – who had sought to leave – was re-elected, and Vale of Leven were also elected; the disappointed clubs were Albion Rovers , Arthurlie , East Stirlingshire, Hurlford , Morton, Port Glasgow Athletic, and Glasgow Wanderers . In 1893

6164-495: The league. Despite a two-year television deal being agreed with BBC Scotland in July 2002 for a significant amount less than previously offered by Sky Sports, the ten non-Old Firm clubs confirmed their resignation from the SPL in August 2002, citing discontent with the voting system. The ten clubs withdrew their resignations in January 2003 after an agreement was reached to change some of

6256-436: The member clubs voted against Falkirk 's proposed ground share with Airdrie United and stopped the club from having the 10,000 capacity stadium it required, therefore saving Motherwell from relegation. The same situation nearly materialised in 2004. After several votes and discussion, including threats of court cases from Partick Thistle , the team threatened with relegation, Inverness Caledonian Thistle were promoted on

6348-457: The mid-1990s, the competition winner was eligible to participate in the UEFA Cup , but this was discontinued due to a loss of European places. The Scottish Challenge Cup was instituted in 1990, to celebrate the League's centenary. The Challenge Cup was only open to Scottish Football League clubs outside the top division of the Scottish football league system . From 2011, two Highland Football League clubs were allowed to participate each year in

6440-415: The most goals in the SPL, with 167 goals. He broke the previous record of 158, set by Henrik Larsson , by scoring five goals for Rangers in a 7–1 win against Dundee United on 30 December 2009. Boyd and Larsson were the only players who scored more than 100 goals in the SPL era. There are players who scored far more goals in the predecessor Scottish Football League competition, with Jimmy McGrory holding

6532-539: The ninth placed (second bottom) club in the higher division and the second, third and fourth placed clubs in the lower division. It was therefore possible for a team finishing fourth in the Second Division or Third Division to be promoted, rather than the clubs finishing immediately above them in the standings. It was also possible for the ninth placed club to retain their position in the higher division. Our review of non-financial matters indicate an organisation which

6624-414: The only clubs today playing in the successor Scottish Professional Football League . Every other club is either defunct or out of the League. When the Scottish Football League was established in 1890, all of the clubs played in just one division. In 1893 the Scottish Football League absorbed many clubs from the Scottish Football Alliance and had enough clubs to form another division. The existing division

6716-491: The prospect of any Old Firm move to the English set-up. The duopoly was effectively broken when Rangers entered administration in 2012 and was liquidated after it failed to reach an agreement with creditors. Rangers was relaunched by a new company and were voted into the Scottish Football League Third Division . In March 2013, Rangers chief executive Charles Green suggested that Rangers could join

6808-483: The reserves from 'C' Division in 1955 saw a return to two divisions with the 5 first teams in Division C being given automatic promotion. There were then 18 clubs in Division A and 19 in Division B. In 1956 the divisions were renamed Division 1 and Division 2. Clydebank were elected to Division Two as the 20th club in 1966, but following the demise of Third Lanark in 1967, Division Two kept operating with just 19 clubs;

6900-450: The restructuring, a new club entered the league, Meadowbank Thistle (which would eventually become Livingston ). This three-divisional structure of 38 clubs continued until 1994. After a couple of decades, in 1994 the league again reorganised (following an attempted 'Super League' breakaway by the top clubs in 1992) with four divisions of 10 teams, as Highland League clubs Inverness Caledonian Thistle (a merger of two existing clubs in

6992-545: The rights to broadcast highlights of each match first on terrestrial TV. The BBC also held the rights to show online Internet highlights to UK users for one week after each match. BBC Alba , launched in September 2008, showed one full SPL match per week in delayed coverage. BBC Alba also showed some live matches in the 2012–13 season. The SPL was broadcast in Australia by Setanta Sports Australia , in Canada by Sportsnet World and in

7084-455: The same, but there were changes to the financial distribution model. The first club to be promoted to the SPFL from the new Lowland League via playoffs was Edinburgh City in 2016 at the expense of East Stirlingshire , while in 2019 Cove Rangers were the first Highland League champions to go up, replacing Berwick Rangers . The Scottish Football League organised two knock-out cup competitions:

7176-411: The secretary of Renton wrote to thirteen other clubs inviting them to discuss the organisation of a league. All of the clubs accepted the invitation, except Queen's Park and Clyde . Amateur club Queen's Park, who were the oldest organised club in Scotland and had played a key role in the development of football, were opposed to the league because it would lead to professionalism and eliminate many of

7268-453: The situation would not be corrected until the next change of format, which happened in 1975. This 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 dropped alarmingly. One year before

7360-552: The smaller clubs. These concerns were to prove well-founded, as six of the founder members would leave the league before 1900. The Scottish Football League (SFL) was inaugurated on 30 April 1890. The first season of competition, 1890–91 , commenced with 11 clubs because St Bernard's were not elected. The eleven original clubs in membership were Abercorn , Cambuslang , Celtic , Cowlairs , Dumbarton , Heart of Midlothian , Rangers , Renton , St Mirren , Third Lanark and Vale of Leven . Renton were expelled after five games of

7452-433: The third SPL club to enter administration in February 2004 with debts of £3.5 million. Dunfermline Athletic 's financial position also looked bleak, with several players asked to take wage-cuts, while Rangers chairman David Murray announced in September 2004 a plan to raise £57 million via a rights issue in an attempt to eliminate a large proportion of the club's debts. After widespread cost-cutting measures,

7544-414: The voting procedures and to change the distribution of TV revenue. The SPL agreed a television rights deal with Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports in February 2004 in a four-year deal worth £35 million. This deal was revised in 2006, with a two-year extension to the original deal agreed, the new four-year deal now being worth £54.5 million and running to 2010. In June 2008, it was announced that

7636-604: Was abolished after the 1954–55 season. Since the 1975–76 season there has been a third tier, known as the Second Division . The top tier became the Premier Division and the second tier became known as the First Division. A fourth tier, known as the Third Division , was introduced in 1994. The last major change within the Scottish football league system was in 1998–99 , when the Premier Division clubs broke away from

7728-404: Was around half the amount Setanta was due to pay from 2010. The Old Firm criticised the decision of nine of the other SPL clubs to accept that offer from Setanta, instead of taking an alternative package from Sky that would have been worth significantly more than the deal signed after Setanta went into administration. In 2009, Sky and ESPN agreed a five-year deal with the SPL where they would pay

7820-435: Was created by League sponsor B&Q in 1990, but it was cancelled in 1998–99 due to a lack of sponsorship. Since 2008, the Challenge Cup has attracted its own sponsor, with BBC Alba and Ramsdens providing support. Before 1979, the major source of revenue to Scottish Football League clubs, apart from their attendances, was from the football pools . In the year ended 31 March 1983, the pools generated £1.08 million out of

7912-512: Was first established in the 1923–24 season, but it only lasted for two full seasons due to financial difficulties. A third tier league (called Division C) was reintroduced in 1946–47 . Division C, which also included reserve teams of higher division clubs, operated as a national competition for the first three seasons but thereafter it was split into two regional sections. During this period only full-strength clubs (not reserve teams) were promoted if they finished as champions. The two-division tier

8004-496: Was formed in 1888. This had been done in response to the professionalisation of football in England in 1885, with the regular diet of league fixtures replacing the haphazard arrangement of friendlies. Many Scottish players, known as the Scotch Professors , moved to the English league clubs to receive the relatively high salaries on offer. This prompted Scottish clubs into thinking about forming their own league. In March 1890,

8096-402: Was no team or individual salary cap, no squad size limit, no age restrictions other than those applied by general employment law, no restrictions on the overall number of foreign players and few restrictions on individual foreign players. All players with EU nationality, including those able to claim an EU passport through a parent or grandparent, were eligible to play, and top players from outside

8188-462: Was predicted to finish, it faced the possibility of playing an unequal number of home and away matches. For example, one club would sometimes play another three times at home and once away. There was criticism of the split season format. However, the SPL defended the split format, dismissing the possibility of expanding the league due to a lack of strong enough clubs within the Scottish Football League . In March 2008, Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies

8280-475: Was renamed Division One and the new division was called Division Two. Nevertheless, promotion and relegation between the top two divisions was not automatic until 1921–22 when Division Two was brought back after a hiatus provoked by World War I which affected only that division; hence some teams of the era winning Division Two twice in a row before being promoted, and some Division Two winners being never promoted at all. A third tier of Scottish league football

8372-477: Was the latest to call for a league revamp, claiming the potential for four matches per season against the same opponent was too many. The bottom placed SPL club at the end of the season was relegated, and swapped places with the winner of the Scottish First Division , provided that the winner satisfied the SPL entry criteria. These promotion criteria sometimes caused controversy. In 2003, the chairmen of

8464-468: Was wound up. The Scottish Alliance was reformed for a season in 1905–06. However it was unfinished and was eventually superseded by the creation of the Scottish Football Union . In 1919, the Scottish Alliance was re-formed for a second time, principally as a reserve team league for Scottish Football League First Division clubs. Not all of the First Division clubs fielded a reserve team due to

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