Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League 2007-08
Logo of Scottish Premier League
Founded
1998
Nation
Scotland
Relegation to
S.F.L. First Division
Number of teams
12
European qualification
Champions League UEFA Cup Intertoto Cup
Champions (2006-07)
Celtic FC
Most Successful Club
Celtic FC (5)
Website
Official

The Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League commonly known as the Scottish Premier League, Premier League or SPL is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top level of the Scottish football league system - above the Scottish Football League. Per head of population, more people in Scotland watch their domestic top level league than any other nation in Europe.^[1] The Scottish Premier League is currently ranked eleventh in the UEFA rankings of European leagues, which are based on the performances of member clubs in European competitions.^[2] The current champions of Scotland and holders of the SPL title are Celtic.

History

Previously, the Scottish Football League had a two divisional structure (Divisions One and Two) between which clubs were promoted and relegated at 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, First Division and Second Division).

This setup continued until the mid-1990s when it was decided to split into a four divisional structure with the addition of a Third Division.

Formation of the SPL

In 1998, the football clubs in the Premier Division decided to split from the Scottish Football League and form the Scottish Premier League, following an earlier example in England in 1992. 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 between clubs in every league; after the SPL was formed, this was no longer the case.

Originally the SPL contained 10 clubs, but it subsequently enlarged to 12 for the 2000-01 season onwards. The increase from 10 clubs to 12 was part of the deal offered to obtain approval from SFL member clubs. Since then, the SPL has operated a "split league format" to prevent the need for a 44-game schedule, which has been tried in the past, but is now considered to be too high a number of games in a league season. Under this system, after 33 games (i.e. when every club has played every other club 3 times, either twice away and once at home, or vice-versa), the division is split into 2 halves, and clubs play a further 5 matches, against the teams in their half of the division, taking their total to 38 games.

This can (and often does) result in the team placed 7th having a higher points total than the team placed 6th, because their final 5 games are considerably easier. In the 2005/2006 season, the 7th-placed club (Inverness Caledonian Thistle) gained more points than the 4th-placed club (Hibernian).

Promotion and relegation

Providing they meet certain criteria regarding their stadium, the top club from the Scottish First Division is promoted to the SPL, with the 12th-placed SPL club relegated.

In 2003, the league's promotion criteria caused controversy as the chairmen of the member clubs voted against Falkirk's proposed ground share with Airdrie United and stopped the club from having the 10,000 fan stadium capacity it required, thus saving Motherwell from relegation.

The same situation nearly materialised in 2004, but after several votes and discussion, including threats of court cases from Partick Thistle, the team then threatened with prospect of relegation, Inverness Caledonian Thistle were finally allowed promotion provided that they groundshared with north rivals Aberdeen at Pittodrie, a ground over 160 km (100 miles) away. 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 partway during the season.

SPL 2?

On Thursday, 17 August 2006, SPL Chairman Lex Gold announced a proposal to create an "SPL 2" with the teams from the First Division.^[3] The new league structure would started in the 2008-09 season and would have promotion and relegation from the next highest level of the SFL.

The SPL 2 concept is unpopular with fans of some SFL clubs because they fear that their clubs would be cut off from the higher levels of the game due to the entry criteria that are proposed for membership of SPL 2. These include having full-time football, a 3000 all-seated stadium and pitch protection, each of which would be uneconomic for most clubs in the Scottish Second Division and the Scottish Third Division.

Some SFL clubs, however, were very much in favour of the proposal because the SFL had no title sponsor in place for either the league or Challenge Cup competitions. In July 2007, however, Scottish drink manufacturers AG Barr agreed to sponsor the SFL with their main brand, Irn-Bru. This deal seemingly weakened the argument for an SPL2. Setanta Sports have been rumoured to be interested in broadcasting SFL highlights because this would allow access to the archives of SFL Premier Division games.

Many supporters disagree with the formation of the SPL 2, and would prefer to see a reduction in Scottish leagues to two enlarged divisions in order to see teams playing less frequently than 4 times a season. The small league format has been criticised as boring and repetitive, particularly as cup competitions can result in teams playing each other up to 7 times in one season. Another option would be a pyramid system to provide access to the SFL for clubs presently outside senior football, similar to the format of the English Conference.

Sponsorship

The Bank of Scotland, who had sponsored the league since its formation, did not renew their sponsorship at the end of the 2006-07 season. Talks began with Clydesdale Bank,^[4] and a deal was confirmed shortly afterwards. A four-year deal for £8m came into effect from July 2007.^[5]

Media coverage

Irish broadcasting firm Setanta Sports currently hold the rights to broadcast televised live and exclusive Scottish Premier League games. Setanta won the rights in 2004^[6] and began broadcasting in season 2004-05. The rights were previously owned by Sky Sports and BBC Scotland. STV's Scotsport currently own the rights to broadcast highlights of each game, held jointly with BBC Scotland's Sportscene from season 2007-08 onwards. Radio broadcasting rights are held by BBC Radio Scotland,^[7] who also own Internet broadcasting rights of all matches to online listeners.

SPL clubs

SPL members for 2007-08

The following twelve clubs will be competing in the Scottish Premier League during the 2007-08 season.

Club	Finishing position in 2006–07
Aberdeen	3rd
Celtic	1st
Dundee United	9th
Falkirk	7th
Gretna	1st in Scottish First Division
Hearts	4th
Hibernian	6th
Inverness	8th
Kilmarnock	5th
Motherwell	10th
Rangers	2nd
St. Mirren	11th

Former SPL members

These are previous members in reverse order of them losing membership, dates are the period that the club was in the SPL.

Club	Period in SPL
Dunfermline	1998 - 1999, 2000 - 2007
Livingston	2001 - 2006
Dundee	1998 - 2005
Partick Thistle	2002 - 2004
St. Johnstone	1998 - 2002

Current member club, St Mirren, were previously in the SPL for one season during 2000/2001, having won promotion the previous season but were relegated the at the end of the 2000/2001 season. Currently they are the only club to be relegated after just one SPL season after promotion, but are also the only club to have managed to be promoted into the SPL twice. Dunfermline are the only club to have been relegated twice.

Stadia

Overall Rank	Stadium	Capacity	Club	Notes
1	Celtic Park	60,832	Celtic F.C.	Celtic Park took 59.9% of the votes in a BBC Radio Five Live Poll on the UK's favourite sporting venue. It is also the second-largest club football stadium in the UK after Old Trafford.
2	Ibrox Stadium	51,444	Rangers F.C.	Ibrox Stadium is one of two UEFA 5 Star Stadiums in Scotland (the other being Hampden Park).
3	Pittodrie Stadium	22,199	Aberdeen F.C.
4	Rugby Park	18,128	Kilmarnock F.C.
5	Easter Road	17,500	Hibernian F.C.
6	Tynecastle Stadium	17,420	Heart of Midlothian F.C.	Hearts often play European and big games at Murrayfield Stadium.
7	Tannadice Park	14,209	Dundee United F.C.
8	Fir Park	13,742	Motherwell F.C. & Gretna F.C.	Gretna will groundshare with Motherwell while they redevelop their Raydale Park into an SPL-compliant venue.
9	Love Street	10,800	St. Mirren F.C.	St Mirren will move to a new 8,000 seater stadium for 2008/2009 season
10	Caledonian Stadium	7,500	Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
11	Falkirk Stadium	6,935	Falkirk F.C.	Falkirk are currently in building work to expand their newly built stadium.
12	Raydale Park	0	Gretna F.C.	Currently being rebuilt.

All-Time SPL Table

The All-Time SPL Table is a cumulative record of all SPL matches played since the inception of the SPL, in 1998. The table is accurate from the 1998/1999 season through the 2006/2007 season, inclusive.[1]

Pos.	Club	Seasons	Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	Goals for	Goals against	Goal +/-	Points total	Points average	1st	2nd	3rd
1	Celtic	9	338	252	46	40	804	277	527	802	2.37	5	4
2	Rangers	9	338	229	63	46	715	272	443	750	2.22	4	4	1
3	Hearts	9	338	143	83	112	473	395	78	512	1.51		1	3
4	Kilmarnock	9	338	124	82	132	430	491	-61	453	1.34
5	Aberdeen	9	338	118	79	141	408	489	-81	433	1.28			1
6	Hibernian	8	302	112	73	117	435	435	0	409	1.36			2
7	Motherwell	9	338	102	79	157	404	533	-129	385	1.14
8	Dundee United	9	338	85	91	162	351	539	-188	346	1.02
9	Dunfermline	8	302	78	79	145	295	483	-188	313	1.04
10	Dundee	7	262	80	61	121	308	412	-104	301	1.14
11	Livingston	5	190	48	46	97	205	306	-101	189	0.94			1
12	St. Johnstone	4	148	39	43	66	139	200	-61	160	1.08			1
13	Inverness CT	3	114	37	37	40	134	133	1	148	1.30
14	Falkirk	2	76	23	14	39	84	111	-27	83	1.09
15	St. Mirren	2	76	16	18	42	63	123	-60	66	0.87
16	Partick Thistle	2	76	14	19	43	76	125	-49	61	0.80			|17||Gretna||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||||||

Top scorers

Former Celtic player Henrik Larsson has scored the most goals in the SPL since its inauguration in season 1998-99, with 173 goals. Rangers striker Kris Boyd has the most goals of any currently active Premier League player.

Up to date as of 13 August 2007 (match(es) inclusive)

Rank	Player	Nationality	Club(s)[8]	Goals
1	Henrik Larsson	Sweden	Celtic (1998-2004)	173
2	Kris Boyd	Scotland	Kilmarnock (2000-2006) Rangers (2006-)	100[9]
3	John Hartson	Wales	Celtic (2001-2006)	88
4	Stevie Crawford	Scotland	Hibernian (1998-2000) Dunfermline Athletic (1999-2004) Dundee United (2005) Aberdeen (2005-2006) Dunfermline Athletic (2006-)	63
=	Chris Sutton	England	Celtic (2000-2006)	63
6	Billy Dodds	Scotland	Rangers (1999-2003) Dundee United (2003-2006)	60
7	Derek Riordan	Scotland	Hibernian (2001-2006) Celtic (2006-)	57
8	Stilian Petrov	Bulgaria	Celtic (1999-2006)	55
9	Nacho Novo	Spain	Dundee (2002-2004) Rangers (2004-)	53
10	Garry O'Connor	Scotland	Hibernian (1999-2006)	46
11	Craig Dargo	Scotland	Kilmarnock (2000-2005) Inverness CT (2005-2007) St. Mirren (2007-)	45
=	Steve Lovell	England	Dundee (2000-2005) Aberdeen (2005-)	45
=	Gary McSwegan	Scotland	Hearts (1998-2002) Kilmarnock (2002-2004)	45
14	Shota Arveladze	Georgia	Rangers (2001-2005)	44
15	Darren Mackie	Scotland	Aberdeen (1998-)	43

• Players emboldened are currently active in Premier League team's squad

SPL managers

Main article: List of managers in the Scottish football league system by date of appointment

The following is a list of the current managers in the SPL. The list is arranged chronologically by appointment.

Manager	Club	Appointed
Jim Jefferies	Kilmarnock	February 28, 2002
John Hughes[10]	Falkirk	January 31, 2003
Gus MacPherson[10]	St Mirren	December 18, 2003
Jimmy Calderwood	Aberdeen	May 28, 2004
Gordon Strachan	Celtic	June 1, 2005
Craig Levein	Dundee United	October 30, 2006
John Collins	Hibernian	October 31, 2006
Walter Smith	Rangers	January 10 2007
Mark McGhee	Motherwell	June 18, 2007
Davie Irons	Gretna	July 18, 2007
Anatoly Korobochka	Hearts	July 30 2007
Craig Brewster	Inverness CT	August 27 2007

SPL season summary

Season	Winners	Runners-up	Relegated	Top Scorer	PFA Player of the Year	Writers' Player of the Year
1998-99	Rangers	Celtic	Dunfermline Athletic	Henrik Larsson 29 (Celtic)	Henrik Larsson (Celtic)	Henrik Larsson (Celtic)
1999-00	Rangers	Celtic	No Relegation	Mark Viduka 25 (Celtic)	Mark Viduka (Celtic)	Barry Ferguson (Rangers)
2000-01	Celtic	Rangers	St Mirren	Henrik Larsson 35 (Celtic)	Henrik Larsson (Celtic)	Henrik Larsson (Celtic)
2001-02	Celtic	Rangers	St Johnstone	Henrik Larsson 29 (Celtic)	Lorenzo Amoruso (Rangers)	Paul Lambert (Celtic)
2002-03	Rangers	Celtic	No Relegation	Henrik Larsson 28 (Celtic)	Barry Ferguson (Rangers)	Barry Ferguson (Rangers)
2003-04	Celtic	Rangers	Partick Thistle	Henrik Larsson 30 (Celtic)	Chris Sutton (Celtic)	Jackie McNamara (Celtic)
2004-05	Rangers	Celtic	Dundee	John Hartson 25 (Celtic)	John Hartson (Celtic) / Fernando Ricksen (Rangers)	John Hartson (Celtic)
2005-06	Celtic	Hearts	Livingston	Kris Boyd 32 (15 - Kilmarnock, 17 - Rangers)	Shaun Maloney (Celtic)	Craig Gordon (Hearts)
2006-07	Celtic	Rangers	Dunfermline Athletic	Kris Boyd (Rangers) 20	Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic)	Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic)

SPL records

Data accurate as at 21 May 2007

• Most goals in a season: Celtic, 105 goals, 2003/04
• Fewest goals in a season: St Johnstone, 24 goals, 2001/02
• Most points in one season: Celtic, 103 points, 2001/02
• Fewest points in a season: Livingston, 18 points, 2005/06
• Fewest goals conceded in one season: Celtic, 28 goals, 2001/02
• Most goals conceded in a season: Aberdeen, 83 goals, 1999/00
• Biggest goal difference in a season: Celtic, 70, 2003/04
• Biggest home win: Celtic 7-0 Aberdeen (1999/00 and 2002/03); Hibernian 7-0 Livingston (2005/06)
• Biggest away win: St. Johnstone 0-7 Rangers (1998/99); Dunfermline Athletic 1-8 Celtic (2005/06)
• Most away wins in a season: Celtic, 13, 2000/2001
• Fewest away wins in a season: Dunfermline, 0, 1998/1999
• Most away defeats in a season: Livingston, 16, 2005/2006
• Fewest home defeats in a season: Celtic, 0, 2001/2002
• Top goalscorer in any one season: Henrik Larsson, 35 goals, 2000/01 Celtic
• Player with most hat-tricks: Henrik Larsson, 12, 1998-2004
• Top goalscorer in any one game: Kenny Miller, 5, 4/11/2000, Rangers v St Mirren; Kris Boyd, 5, 25/9/2004, Kilmarnock v Dundee Utd
• Oldest player: Andy Millen, for St. Mirren vs Inverness Caledonian Thistle, 41 years 343 days, 19 May 2007
• Youngest player: Jamie McCluskey, for Hibernian vs Kilmarnock, 16 years 2 months and 18 days, 24 January 2004
• Youngest goalscorer: David Goodwillie, for Dundee United vs Hibernian, 16 years 11 months and 4 days, 4 March 2006
• Most consecutive clean-sheets: Robert Douglas, Celtic, 7 games, 16 December 2000 - 21 February 2001
• Most SPL appearances: Steven Pressley, 285 (correct to the end of the 2006-07 season)

References

See also

• Scottish Football League Premier Division
• List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues
• Scottish Premier League monthly awards

External links

• Official Site
• SPL BBC page

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