The break was abolished to avoid fixture congestion caused by more Scottish clubs participating in UEFA competitions and the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

[4] Results in European competition over the previous five years saw the league move down from 15th to 16th in the UEFA country coefficient ranking.

They were replaced by Livingston, who secured the First Division title and promotion to the SPL with a 3–2 victory away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 28 April 2001.

However, he was sacked after only two months and 15 matches,[38] having been eliminated from the League Cup in a shock loss to Ayr United, and the team second from bottom in the table.

Newly promoted Livingston, under Jim Leishman, confounded pundits by finishing their first ever season in the top league in third-place, earning a spot in the 2002–03 UEFA Cup.

[49] Total debt among all twelve SPL clubs was estimated during 2001–02 to be around £132m, having been barely into double figures two years previously.

[49] The end of television coverage from Sky Sports caused multiple clubs in the league to suffer severe financial difficulties.

[41] In pre-season, Motherwell lost a number of players, including Andy Goram and Lee McCulloch, in an attempt to reduce the clubs wage bill.

Their relegation to the First Division was confirmed on 6 April 2002, after a 1–1 draw against Motherwell left them 14 points adrift with 4 matches to play.