Scottish Football League

The Scots Fitbaa League (Inglis: Scottish Football League) is a league o fitbaw teams in Scotland. It is dividit intae three diveesions ilkane o 10 clubs. These are the Scots First Diveesion, Scots Seicont Diveesion an Scots Thrid Diveesion. The league is kennt as the Irn-Bru Scottish Football League for sponsorship reasons.

History

Formation

The league was creatit in 1890 as a wey o giein the vast nummer o fitbaw teams in Scotland a mair consistent set o fixtures frae year tae year. In it's first year, the teams competin in the league were:

Renton anely spielt five o thair fixtures in the first season for thay were forcit oot on the grunnd that thay spielt conter a perfaissional side. Thay were readmittit the neist season.

O the teams abuin, but ane o thaim (Dumbarton) still plays in the league, in the thrid diveesion. The rest are aither defunct or play in ither leagues across the kintra. Tho anely ane o the oreeginal teams plays in the league itsel, this is acause o an up-brak o the league that saw the top ten (later twal) teams create the Scots Premier League that haes relegation tae the league. Takin this intae acoont, the're five teams o the oreeginal eleiven that are still in the league structure: Celtic, Dumbarton, Herts, Rangers an St. Mirren.

The first season o the league saw Rangers an Dumbarton tie for the title efter a play-aff endit in a 2–2 draw. This was the first an anely time that the league was drawn, occurin acause there were nae thocht gied tae hou tae brek a tie. Goal average an goal deeference were brocht in for the 1921–22 an 1971–72 seasons respectively.

Twa diveesions

The league split inta twa diveesions for the 1893–94 season by the inclusion o a nummer o teams frae the Scots Fitbaa Alliance. At this point there was nae automatic forderment atween the twas diveesions. The process was o a ballot o the teams in each diveesion.

Houaniver, this new set-up didna last very long, wi the beginnin o World War I callin a halt tae the leagues. A new seicont diveesion was startit for the 1921–22 season that includit automatic forderment. This was creatit by a strait absorbtion o teams frae the Central Fitbaa League.

Three diveesions

In 1923, a thrid diveesion was creatit that lastit for juist three years afore it forcit tae withdraw due tae lairge financial losses. This diveesion was made up o teams frae the Wastle Fitbaa League an a few ither teams frae elsewhaur. Atween 1926 an 1946, the league haed tae retour tae a twa diveesion set-up wi the thrid diveesion no makin an appearance again til efter World War II.

The new three diveesions were renamit "A", "B" an "C". Diveesion C includit the reserve teams o a few o the heicher diveesion sides. In 1946, diveesion C was expandit an split inta twa - diveesion C North-Wast an diveesion C Sooth East.

In 1955, the reserve teams left diveesion C an it was disbandit wi the top five teams bein fordert tae diveesion B. There were nou anely twa diveesions again, diveesion A haein 18 teams and diveesion B haein 19. The diveesions were renamit Diveesion 1 an Diveesion 2 in 1956. This format conteenat til the neist major chynge took place.

This chynge was in 1975 whan the league ance again split inta three diveesions that were kennt as the Premier, First an Seicont Diveesions. This was tae allou the tapmaist teams in the league tae play mair gemmes conter ane-anither an less conter the wee-er sides. A new club jynt the league at this time - Meidaebank Thristle (wha later chyngit thair name tae Livingston). This structure o three diveesion an 38 teams was uised til 1994.

Fower diveesions an SPL split

The first season wi fower diveesions was spielt in 1994 wi the diveesions cryt the Premier, First, Seicont an Thrid Diveesion. Each diveesion haed ten teams wi Innerness Caledonian Thristle an Ross Coonty makin up the nummers. This lastit a further fower year til, in 1998, the Premier Diveesion brochen awa frae the rest o the league tae create the Scots Premier League (SPL).

The last chynge took place in 2000 whan the Scots Premier League expandit tae twal teams. This meant that the Scots Fitbaa League haed tae tak twa new teams: Peterheid an Elgin Ceety, baith frae the Hieland Fitbaa League. This is the set-up that's in place the day. The're 42 teams in aw - 12 in the Scots Premier League an 10 in each the first, seicont and thrid diveesions o the Scots Fitbaa League.

Links

Scotland football site Archived 2016-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
Scotland's amazing football history^{[deid airtin]}