Third Lanark enjoyed great success in the early days of Scottish football but disbanded in the 1960s.

The Scottish Football League ("SFL") was established in 1890, initially as an amateur league as professionalism had not been legalised in Scottish football.[1] In 1893 a Second Division was formed, with the existing single division renamed the First Division. The Second Division was discontinued during the First World War but revived in 1921.[2] A Third Division was added in 1923 but collapsed three years later as a number of its member clubs found themselves unable to complete their fixtures for financial reasons, with many folding altogether. After the Second World War the divisions were rebranded as Division A and Division B and a Division C was added. This included a mixture of new member clubs and the reserve teams of clubs from the higher divisions, but this division was dropped in 1955.[3]

A major re-organisation of the SFL in 1975 led to the existing two divisions being split into three smaller divisions, with a new Premier Division at the highest level. This structure remained in place until 1998, when the teams then in the Premier Division broke away to form the Scottish Premier League, which supplanted the Premier Division as the highest level of football in Scotland.[4] In 2013 the two leagues merged to form the new Scottish Professional Football League, ending the 123-year existence of the SFL.

For the whole history of the SFL, there was no mechanism in place for club(s) at the bottom of the league to be relegated.[5] A number of clubs who resigned or were expelled from the SFL went on to play in non-league football, either in senior leagues such as the East of Scotland Football League or in leagues governed by the Scottish Junior Football Association (SJFA).[6][7] Whenever a club left the league (for example, when Gretna was liquidated in 2008), a new club was elected in its place.[8] This closed-shop system was changed soon after the leagues merged, when a play-off between the bottom-placed SPFL club and the winner of a play-off between the Highland League and Lowland League champions was introduced in 2015. Edinburgh City became the first club to be promoted to the SPFL when they won a playoff against East Stirlingshire in 2016.[9]

Clubs

The tables show the first and last seasons in which each club competed in the league. Some clubs' membership was intermittent between their first and last seasons. Clubs shown in bold were among the founder members of the league. Where a former club has become defunct, any phoenix club formed as a successor side is noted.

Former member clubs currently playing in the SPFL

Club First SFL
season		 Last SFL
season		 Notes
Aberdeen 1904–05 1997–98 [10]
Airdrieonians[note 1] 2002–03 2012–13 [11]
Albion Rovers 1903–04 2012–13 [12]
Alloa Athletic 1921–22 2012–13 [13]
Annan Athletic 2008–09 2012–13 [14]
Arbroath 1921–22 2012–13 [15]
Ayr United 1910–11 2012–13 [16]
Brechin City 1923–24 2012–13 [17]
Celtic 1890–91 1997–98 [18]
Clyde 1891–92 2012–13 [19]
Cowdenbeath 1905–06 2012–13 [20]
Dumbarton 1890–91 2012–13 [21]
Dundee 1893–94 2011–12 [22]
Dundee United 1910–11 1997–98 [23]
Dunfermline Athletic 1912–13 2012–13 [24]
East Fife 1921–22 2012–13 [25]
Elgin City 2000–01 2012–13 [26]
Falkirk 1902–03 2012–13 [27]
Forfar Athletic 1921–22 2012–13 [28]
Hamilton Academical 1897–98 2012–13 [29]
Heart of Midlothian 1890–91 1997–98 [30]
Hibernian 1893–94 1998–99 [31]
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1994–95 2009–10 [32]
Kilmarnock 1895–96 1997–98 [33]
Livingston 1995–96 2012–13 [34]
Montrose 1923–24 2012–13 [35]
Morton 1893–94 2012–13 [36]
Motherwell 1893–94 1997–98 [37]
Partick Thistle 1893–94 2012–13 [38]
Peterhead 2000–01 2012–13 [39]
Queen of the South 1923–24 2012–13 [40]
Queen's Park 1900–01 2012–13 [41]
Raith Rovers 1902–03 2012–13 [42]
Rangers 1890–91 2012–13 [43]
Ross County 1994–95 2011–12 [44]
St Johnstone 1897–98 2008–09 [45]
St Mirren 1890–91 2005–06 [46]
Stenhousemuir 1921–22 2012–13 [47]
Stirling Albion 1946–47 2012–13 [48]
Stranraer 1949–50 2012–13 [49]

Other former member clubs

Club First SFL
season		 Last SFL
season		 Current status Notes
Abercorn 1890–91 1914–15 Defunct effectively from 1920 due to being unable to secure a new ground, officially in 1922 (an annual club dinner however was held until 1939). [50]
Airdrieonians 1894–95 2001–02 Officially defunct, but former owners took over the Clydebank club and renamed it as Airdrie United, before re-adopting the name Airdrieonians in 2013. [51][52]
Armadale 1921–22 1931–32 Defunct, reconstituted as Armadale Thistle currently playing in the East of Scotland League Second Division [53]
Arthurlie 1901–02 1928–29 Reformed in 1931, currently competing in the West of Scotland League Premier Division [6][54][55]
Ayr 1897–98 1909–10 Merged with Ayr Parkhouse to form Ayr United [56][57]
Ayr Parkhouse 1902–03 1909–10 Merged with Ayr to form Ayr United [57][58]
Bathgate 1921–22 1928–29[note 2] Defunct [59]
Beith 1923–24 1925–26 Reformed as Beith Juniors and currently competing in the West of Scotland League Premier Division [6][60][61][55]
Berwick Rangers 1951–52 2012–13 Playing in the Lowland League [62]
Bo'ness 1921–22 1931–32 Merged with Bo'ness Cadora to form Bo'ness United and currently competing in the Lowland League [63][64][55]
Broxburn United 1921–22 1925–26 Defunct [65][55]
Cambuslang 1890–91 1891–92 Defunct [66][55]
Clackmannan 1921–22 1925–26 Defunct [67]
Clydebank (original club) 1914–15 1930–31 Defunct [68][55]
Clydebank (second club) 1965–66 2001–02 Taken over by the former owners of the defunct Airdrieonians, who renamed the club as Airdrie United whilst selling the rights to the name Clydebank FC to that side's supporters club, which currently competes in the West of Scotland League Premier Division [52][69][55]
Cowlairs 1890–91 1894–95 Defunct [70]
Dumbarton Harp 1923–24 1924–25 Defunct - although amateur side continues [71]
Dundee Wanderers 1894–95 1894–95 Defunct [72]
Dykehead 1923–24 1925–26 Defunct [73]
East Stirlingshire 1900–01 2012–13 Playing in the Lowland League [74]
Edinburgh City 1931–32 1948–49 Defunct. The name was revived in 1986 when Postal United were renamed Edinburgh City; this club gained promotion from the Lowland League to the SPFL in 2016 [75][76]
Galston 1923–24 1925–26 Defunct [77]
Gretna 2002–03 2006–07[note 3] Defunct, though a 'new' club set up by its supporters, Gretna 2008, play in the Lowland League at the same ground [78][79]
Helensburgh 1923–24 1925–26 Defunct [80]
Johnstone 1912–13 1925–26 Defunct [81]
King's Park 1921–22 1938–39 Technically defunct - but see Stirling Albion [82][55]
Leith Athletic 1891–92 1952–53 Defunct - revived version of the club currently competing in the East of Scotland League First Division [83]
Linthouse 1895–96 1899–1900 Defunct [84][55]
Lochgelly United 1914–15 1925–26 Defunct [85]
Meadowbank Thistle 1974–75 1994–95 Relocated and became Livingston. The current club considers its founding date to be 1995. [86][87]
Mid-Annandale 1923–24 1925–26 Defunct, revived version of the club currently competing in the South of Scotland League [7][88][55]
Nithsdale Wanderers 1923–24 1926–27 Defunct, revived version of the club currently competing in the South of Scotland League [7][89][55]
Northern 1893–94 1893–94 Defunct [90][55]
Peebles Rovers 1923–24 1925–26 Competing in the East of Scotland League Second Division [91][92][55]
Port Glasgow Athletic 1893–94 1910–11 Officially defunct, however the current Port Glasgow Juniors celebrated their "centenary" in 1993. [93][55]
Renton 1890–91 1897–98 Defunct in 1922. Resurrected several times, most recently in 2008 [94]
Royal Albert 1923–24 1925–26 Reformed in 1928, currently competing in the West of Scotland League Fourth Division [6][95][55]
Solway Star 1923–24 1925–26 Defunct [96]
St Bernard's 1893–94 1938–39 Defunct, revived version of the club joined local Edinburgh & District Amateur League [97][55]
Third Lanark 1890–91 1966–67 Defunct 1967, however amateur side has continued haphazardly in Glasgow amateur leagues [98][55]
Thistle 1893–94 1893–94 Defunct [99][55]
Vale of Leven 1890–91 1925–26 Reformed in 1939, currently competing in the West of Scotland League Third Division [6][100][55]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Formally a continuation of Clydebank, who relocated to Airdrie in 2002 and were renamed Airdrie United. The name was changed in 2013 to Airdrieonians, the same name as the original Airdrieonians club that was liquidated in 2002.
  2. ^ Bathgate resigned during the 1928–29 season and the club's record was expunged from the table.
  3. ^ Gretna officially returned to the Scottish League upon being relegated from the Scottish Premier League at the conclusion of the 2007–08 season, but resigned from the league before the start of the subsequent season.

References

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