Scottish Football League

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The Scottish Football League was the second to fourth football league in Scotland from 1998 until the league reform in 2013 . These consisted of the SFL First Division , the SFL Second Division and the SFL Third Division . Before it was the highest football league in Scotland before it was replaced in this capacity for the 1998/99 season by the newly created Scottish Premier League .

Since July 2007, the league was named Irn-Bru Scottish Football League after sponsoring with AG Barr.

Founding members

The first season of the SFL took place in the season 1890/91. The following teams were founding members:

Of the founding members, only Celtic Glasgow never relegated . Glasgow Rangers was also never relegated, but was forcibly transferred to the Scottish Football League Third Division for the 2012/2013 season due to bankruptcy . Heart of Midlothian and FC St. Mirren also play in the Scottish Premier League . In addition, FC Dumbarton is represented in the Scottish league system - in the SFL Third Division . All other clubs have either disbanded or play in leagues outside the SFL.

history

After the establishment

The league was established in the early 1890s to better manage football in Scotland and to better organize it due to the growing number of new teams. In the first season, the Glasgow Rangers and Dumbarton FC were tied on top. Since one did not go to goal difference, a play-off game was played. That game ended 2-2, so both were declared champions equally. They received the trophy for six months each.

First changes

Since the soccer league was very popular, it was expanded in 1893 and expanded to include a second league - mainly teams from the Scottish Football Alliance . Due to the events of the First World War , it was decided to dissolve the Second Division, and the game operations were completely stopped until 1921. Then the Central Football League was introduced as a new league with automatic promotion.

Expansion and restructuring

In 1923 a third division was added to the SFL for the first time, but this failed after just three years after a financial disaster. So until 1946 there were two leagues. Only after the Second World War was a third division reinstated. The leagues were now named A, B and C. Reserve teams were also allowed to compete in the C-League. As early as 1949, the C Division was expanded into two divisions - North West and South East. From 1955 to the founding of the Premier League in 1975, two leagues were played again.

Introduction of the Premier League

With the new Premier League, the SFL automatically expanded back to the three-tier system. This consisted of Premier, First and Second Division. Meanwhile, a new team came into the league -  Meadowbank Thistle  - the third team from the capital Edinburgh , which moved in 1995 and became FC Livingston . From 1994 the SFL was divided into four leagues with ten teams each. It came Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Ross County in the Football League.

The last few years

In 1998, the first division side separated from the SFL to create the Scottish Premier League . The SPL was now the first division, while the SFL only consisted of first, second and third division. The Premier Division was not replaced, but the other leagues kept their names.

When the SPL was increased to twelve teams in 2000, the SFL took on two new teams from the Highland Football League: Elgin City and FC Peterhead . With 42 teams - twelve in the Scottish Premier League and ten each in the three Scottish Football League divisions, Scottish professional football achieved record participation.

Ascent and descent

Every season the First Division champion has the opportunity to advance to the Scottish Premier League . This is linked to a number of criteria. Among other things, a 6,000-seat, fully-seated stadium has to be owned by the club since March 2005. There must also be underfloor heating. For this reason FC Falkirk failed in 2003 despite the championship in the First Division - at that time the minimum capacity was 10,000 places. In the meantime, Falkirk has a new stadium with a capacity of 7,000 that meets the new requirements and was able to get promoted to the SPL in the 2004/2005 season. The last of the SPL will be relegated to the First Division if an eligible club becomes First Division champion.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ German press agency : The Rangers fall into the fourth division . In: Stuttgarter Zeitung . July 14, 2012, p. 40 .