Scottish Premier League

The Scottish Premier League, usually called the SPL, was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. It was founded in 1998, after the clubs of the old Premier Division decided in September 1997 to break away from the Scottish Football League so that they could keep more of the revenue the game produced. It began with ten clubs and grew to twelve from the 2000-01 season, after which it used a split format in which the league divided into a top six and a bottom six after 33 matches. Teams earned three points for a win and one for a draw, and the bottom club was relegated in favour of the First Division winner if that club met the entry criteria. Nineteen clubs played in it over its life, but only Celtic and Rangers, the Old Firm of Glasgow, ever won the title. The league was abolished in 2013 when it merged with the Scottish Football League to form the Scottish Professional Football League, whose top division became the Scottish Premiership.