[note 2] From its foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League (SPL) was formed in 1998, the SFL was the top level of football in Scotland.
In June 2013, the SFL merged with the SPL to form the Scottish Professional Football League.
[1] The Football League, initially containing clubs from the North West and Midlands of England, was formed in 1888.
[2] This had been done in response to the professionalisation of football in England in 1885, with the regular diet of league fixtures replacing the haphazard arrangement of friendlies.
[2] Many Scottish players, known as the Scotch Professors, moved to the English league clubs to receive the relatively high salaries on offer.
In March 1890, the secretary of Renton wrote to thirteen other clubs inviting them to discuss the organisation of a league.
[5] The eleven original clubs in membership were Abercorn, Cambuslang, Celtic, Cowlairs, Dumbarton, Heart of Midlothian, Rangers, Renton, St Mirren, Third Lanark and Vale of Leven.
[6] Renton were expelled after five games of the 1890–91 season[7] for playing against St Bernard's, who had been found guilty of concealed professionalism.
[8] The league proved to be highly successful, and in 1893, a second tier was formed by the inclusion of a number of clubs previously in the Scottish Football Alliance.
The Western League was used as its backbone[9] but the new set-up lasted only three years before it collapsed under heavy financial losses.
From 1926 until 1946, the League reverted to two divisions with many of the third tier clubs joining the second iteration of Scottish Football Alliance.
[10] Post-World War II reforms saw the League resume with three divisions, renamed 'A', 'B' and 'C' with the last section also including reserve sides.
[11][12] In 1947, league championship trophies were introduced for the first time for the top two divisions, until then only flags had been presented to the winners.
One year before the restructuring, a new club entered the league, Meadowbank Thistle (which would eventually become Livingston).
SFL First Division clubs wanted to gain a greater share of the media revenue generated by the SPL.
[23] In 2013, both the SPL and SFL voted in favour of merging to form the new Scottish Professional Football League.
Until the mid-1990s, the competition winner was eligible to participate in the UEFA Cup, but this was discontinued due to a loss of European places.
[32] The competition was revamped in 1984, adopting a straight knock-out format, when Skol Lager began its sponsorship.
[35] The Scottish Challenge Cup was created by League sponsor B&Q in 1990, but it was cancelled in 1998–99 due to a lack of sponsorship.
[37] During the 1970s and 1980s, the main terrestrial television companies (STV and BBC Scotland) produced shows (Scotsport and Sportscene respectively) containing highlights of league matches.
[43] A year later, the top division English clubs formed a breakaway Premier League, signing an exclusive television contract with Sky.
Scots Gaelic channel BBC Alba provided coverage of Scottish Football League games, including the Challenge Cup, from its launch in 2008.
[25] Live coverage on English language channels returned to Scottish Football League games in the 2012–13 season, as Sky and ESPN agreed contracts to show Third Division matches involving Rangers.