The Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, following the example set 6 years earlier by England’s Premier League. There are 12 clubs in the league. Last place is relegated. The winner qualifies for the Champions League; 2nd place gets a spot in the 3rd round Qualifiers for the Champions League; 3rd place enters the UEFA Cup; as does the Scottish Cup winner ( the other Cup finalist gets that spot, if the Cup winner finishes in the top 3). Scotland’s domestic league is currently ranked #10 by UEFA for European competitions {see this}.
The Title this season is pretty much sewn up by Rangers, even though they lost to 2nd place Celtic last Thursday, allowing the Hoops to pull within 2 pts. That’s because Rangers have 3 games in hand. The season is in it’s rather strange, final Split phase, when the 12-team league splits in half, to play 5 final games within it’s half {see this}.
This map show the 12 clubs in the 2007-’08 SPL season. Both major domestic trophies are listed: the National Title (Scottish First Division Title/ Scottish Premier Division Title/ Scottish Premier League Title); and the Scottish Cup. Seasons in the first division, and consecutive seasons there, are also listed.
Rangers and Celtic, both from Glasgow (and often referred to as the Old Firm) have dominated the Scottish football world. Rangers have 51 National Titles, Celtic have 41. The third highest tally is 4 Titles, won by three clubs: Hearts and Hibernian (both from Edinburgh); and Aberdeen. In spite of Rangers’ higher domestic tally, it is Celtic who have had the success in Europe, winning the European Cup in 1967, famously with a squad comprised entirely of players born within 30 miles of Celtic Park.
Celtic also has a larger fan base than Rangers, drawing around 57,000; Rangers draw around 49,000; no other club in Scotland draws over 20,000 per game. Hearts averages around 16,000; Hibs around 14,000; and Aberdeen around 12,000. After that, the clubs in the league have fan bases similar to clubs in the 3rd or 4th Level in England, drawing well below 10,000.
For a while, in the mid 1980′s, it looked like the grip the Old Firm has on the Scottish game was weakening, as Aberdeen won 3 Titles, and Dundee United won 1. But there has been no winner other than Rangers or Celtic since 1985, when the crown was won by Aberdeen.
Click the following, for the SPL table: http://www.soccerstats.com/leaguetable.asp?league=scotland
**Click here, for the Scottish Premier League website: (http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk.
Click here, for Scottish Premier League attendances (SPL website).
Click here, for Wikipedia’s entry on Rangers FC.
Click here, for Wikipedia’s entry on Celtic FC.
Thanks to Colours-Of-Football site, for the kits (http://www.colours-of-football.com).
