History of Scottish Premier League in Timeline
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top tier of Scottish professional football from 1998 to 2013. Formed after a breakaway from the Scottish Football League, it featured 19 clubs. However, the league's history is largely dominated by the "Old Firm" clubs, Celtic and Rangers, who were the only teams to ever win the SPL championship before it was replaced by the Scottish Premiership after merging with the SFL to form the Scottish Professional Football League.
1975: Scottish Football League Split into Three Divisions
In 1975, the Scottish Football League was split into a three divisional structure: Premier Division, First Division, and Second Division. This came into force for the 1975–76 season.
1982: Scotland's European representatives collected the most coefficient points
During the 2007-08 season, Scotland's European representatives collected the most coefficient points since the 1982–83 season.
1985: Old Firm Dominance
Since 1985, no team outside the Old Firm (Celtic and Rangers) has won the Scottish league championship, highlighting their long-standing dominance.
1987: Dundee United reached European final
In 1987, Dundee United reached a European final.
1992: English League Split
In 1992, England's league split happened, which was followed by the SPL split in September 1997.
1992: Breakaway 'Super League' Attempt
In 1992, the biggest clubs attempted to form a breakaway 'Super League', which led to the introduction of a four divisional structure in the Scottish Football League in 1994.
1994: Four Divisional Structure Introduced
In 1994, in response to a breakaway attempt in 1992, a four divisional structure was introduced to the Scottish Football League, creating a Third Division, with all four divisions consisting of ten clubs.
September 1997: Premier Division Clubs Split to Form SPL
On September 8, 1997, clubs in the Premier Division decided to split from the Scottish Football League to form a Scottish Premier League, driven by a desire to retain more revenue.
1998: Teams playing in the Scottish Premier League
All ten of the clubs that played in the 1998–99 Scottish Premier League also participated in the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League.
1998: Scotland's UEFA coefficient
1998: Scottish Premier League Founded
In 1998, the Scottish Premier League (SPL) was founded as the top-level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland, breaking away from the Scottish Football League (SFL).
1998: Winter Break Instituted
In 1998, the Scottish Premier League instituted a 'winter break' during the January of each season, beginning with the 1998–99 season.
1998: Founder members of SPL
In 1998, the teams listed competed in the 1998–99 competition as founder members of the Scottish Premier League.
1998: Start of SPL matches
The SPL matches table is accurate from the 1998–99 season to the end of the 2012–13 season.
March 1999: Bank of Scotland Sponsorship
In March 1999, the Bank of Scotland began sponsoring the Scottish Premier League.
June 2000: Internet webcasts introduced by BBC Radio Scotland
In June 2000, BBC Radio Scotland became the first broadcaster to introduce internet webcasts to all Scottish Premier League matches.
2000: Celtic's peak season
Celtic had a 14% decline in attendance since a peak season of 2000–01, when the club won the domestic treble.
2000: Winter Break Removed
In 2000, the 'winter break' was removed beginning in the 2000–01 season, forcing clubs to play throughout January and sometimes resulting in postponement of matches and significant damage to clubs' pitches.
2000: SPL Enlarged to 12 Clubs
In 2000, the Scottish Premier League (SPL) was enlarged from 10 clubs to 12 for the 2000–01 season as part of a deal to obtain approval from SFL member clubs.
2001: SPL Clubs' Total Debt Estimated
During 2001–02, total debt among SPL clubs was estimated to be around £132m.
2001: Combined Losses for SPL Clubs During
In September 2003, combined losses for SPL clubs during 2001–02 were estimated to have been £60 million.
January 2002: SPL rejects Sky Sports offer
In January 2002, the SPL rejected a £45 million offer from Sky Sports for exclusive television rights and began considering setting up its own pay-per-view channel.
April 2002: Motherwell Enters Administration
In April 2002, Motherwell became the first SPL club to enter administration, with debts of £11 million.
April 2002: SPL TV plans break down
In April 2002, plans for "SPL TV", a pay-per-view channel, broke down when the Old Firm clubs, Rangers and Celtic, vetoed the proposals using the 11–1 voting system.
July 2002: Television deal agreed with BBC Scotland
In July 2002, a two-year television deal was agreed with BBC Scotland for a significant amount less than previously offered by Sky Sports.
January 2003: Ten clubs withdraw resignations
In January 2003, the ten clubs withdrew their resignations from the SPL after an agreement was reached to change some of the voting procedures and the distribution of TV revenue.
September 2003: Combined Losses for SPL Clubs Revealed
In September 2003, combined losses for SPL clubs during 2001–02 were estimated to have been £60 million.
November 2003: Dundee Sacks Staff and Faces Debts
In November 2003, Dundee sacked 25 staff after debts of £20 million.
2003: Falkirk Ground Share Rejected
In 2003, member club chairmen voted against Falkirk's proposed ground share with Airdrie United, preventing the club from meeting the 10,000 capacity stadium requirement and saving Motherwell from relegation.
February 2004: Livingston Enters Administration
In February 2004, Livingston became the third SPL club to enter administration with debts of £3.5 million.
February 2004: Television rights deal with Setanta Sports
In February 2004, the SPL agreed a television rights deal with Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports in a four-year deal worth £35 million.
August 2004: Dundee came out of administration
In August 2004, Dundee Football Club emerged from administration as the finances of SPL clubs began to show signs of improvement after widespread cost-cutting measures.
September 2004: Rangers Chairman Announces Plan to Raise Funds
In September 2004, Rangers chairman David Murray announced a plan to raise £57 million via a rights issue to eliminate a large proportion of the club's debts.
2004: Scottish players in SPL clubs
As a result of a decline in television revenue, most clubs became reliant on developing their own young players and selling them on for profit which resulted in a large proportion of SPL clubs' squads being made up of Scottish players (73% in the 2004–05 season).
2004: Inverness Caledonian Thistle Promotion Controversy
In 2004, Inverness Caledonian Thistle's promotion was contentious, ultimately resolved by a ground share agreement with Aberdeen at Pittodrie after threats of court cases from Partick Thistle.
2005: Stadium Size Criterion Reduced
In 2005, the stadium size criterion for entry to the SPL was reduced to 6,000, allowing Inverness Caledonian Thistle to return to their home stadium during the 2005–06 season.
2005: Rangers qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage
In 2005–06, Rangers became the first Scottish club to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League.
2005: Hearts Finish Second
The 2005-06 SPL season was the only season until Rangers were ejected from the SPL when both Celtic and Rangers did not occupy first and second position in the league, with Hearts finishing second behind Celtic.
2006: Bank of Scotland Sponsorship
At the end of the 2006–07 season, the Bank of Scotland did not renew its sponsorship of the Scottish Premier League.
2006: Setanta Sports deal revision
In 2006, the television rights deal with Setanta Sports was revised, with a two-year extension to the original deal agreed, making the new four-year deal worth £54.5 million and running to 2010.
2006: SPL clubs make collective profit
The 2006 report by PWC on SPL finances revealed operating profits of £2.8 million among SPL clubs, marking the first collective operating profit made by Scotland's top-flight clubs in over a decade.
July 2007: Clydesdale Bank Sponsorship
In July 2007, Clydesdale Bank began sponsoring the Scottish Premier League with a four-year contract worth £8 million.
2007: Celtic repeated Rangers' feat
In the 2007-08 season, Celtic repeated Rangers' feat, reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League.
March 2008: Gretna enters administration
In March 2008, Gretna became the fourth SPL club to enter administration after their main benefactor, Brooks Mileson, withdrew financial support due to failing health.
March 2008: Jim Jefferies Calls for League Revamp
In March 2008, Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies called for a revamp of the Scottish Premier League, criticizing the potential for playing the same opponent four times in a season.
June 2008: Further four-year deal
In June 2008, it was announced that a further four-year deal would commence for the 2010–11 season, worth £125 million.
September 2008: Launch of BBC Alba
In September 2008, BBC Alba was launched, showing one full SPL match per week in delayed coverage.
December 2009: Kris Boyd sets new goal record
On December 30, 2009, Kilmarnock and Rangers player Kris Boyd scored five goals for Rangers in a 7–1 win against Dundee United, breaking Henrik Larsson's previous record of 158 goals and setting a new record of 167 goals in the SPL.
2009: Sky and ESPN deal
In 2009, Sky and ESPN agreed a five-year deal with the SPL where they would pay a total of £65 million for the rights to show 30 matches each per season.
2010: Dunfermline promoted to the SPL
Dunfermline, who were newly promoted to the SPL in 2011–12, only saw an increase of 939 in average attendance from the 2010–11 Scottish First Division season.
2010: Hearts' financial situation
In 2010, Hearts was described by The Scotsman as the only true financial "basket case" in the SPL, with the club having a wages-to-turnover ratio of 126% and debt of over three times turnover.
2010: Deals with ESPN and Sky Sports
In 2010, Setanta lost the rights to show live SPL matches as it was unable to pay the £3 million it owed to the SPL. The SPL then agreed a deal with ESPN and Sky Sports worth £13 million per season to the clubs.
2010: Clydesdale Bank Contract Extension
In 2010, the contract with Clydesdale Bank was extended until 2013.
November 2011: Five-year extension to contract
In November 2011, it was announced that a five-year extension to the contract with Sky and ESPN would commence from the 2012–13 season.
2011: Teams playing in the Scottish Premier League
All ten of the clubs that played in the 1998–99 Scottish Premier League also participated in the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League. Dunfermline were newly promoted to the SPL in 2011–12, only saw an increase of 939 in average attendance from the 2010–11 Scottish First Division season.
2011: SPL Season Start in July
In 2011, the SPL season of 2011–12 began in July, deviating from the usual August start.
February 2012: Rangers enter administration
On February 14, 2012, Rangers entered administration, owing approximately £9 million in unpaid taxes and facing an ongoing tribunal with HMRC.
June 2012: HMRC blocks Company Voluntary Arrangement
In June 2012, HMRC blocked a proposed Company Voluntary Arrangement, forcing preferred bidder Charles Green to use a new company to buy out the business and assets of Rangers.
2012: Live matches on BBC Alba
In 2012, BBC Alba showed some live matches in the 2012–13 season.
2012: Rangers Enter Administration and Liquidation
In 2012, Rangers entered administration and were subsequently liquidated after failing to reach an agreement with creditors. The club was then relaunched in the Scottish Football League Third Division.
2012: Contract amended
In 2012, the five-year extension to the contract was amended after Rangers entered insolvency and was not allowed to transfer its SPL membership to a new company.
2012: End of SPL matches
The SPL matches table is accurate from the 1998–99 season to the end of the 2012–13 season.
March 2013: Charles Green Suggests Rangers Could Join Football Conference
In March 2013, Rangers chief executive Charles Green suggested that Rangers could join the Football Conference and that EU competition law banning restraints of trade could be used to overcome any legal barriers to such a plan.
2013: Clydesdale Bank Contract
In 2010, the contract with Clydesdale Bank was extended until 2013.
2013: Scottish Premier League Abolished
In 2013, the Scottish Premier League (SPL) was abolished when it merged with the Scottish Football League (SFL) to form the Scottish Professional Football League, with its top division being known as the Scottish Premiership.
2013: SPL Retained 12 Club Structure Until Abolishment
Until 2013, the Scottish Premier League retained a structure of 12 clubs.
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