Football is a sport most associated with England. The game can trace back its roots to Sheffield, where the first rules were drafted. While England has fallen in love with the game, they aren’t alone, as it has become popular across the globe. But what about their neighbours to the north?
As you probably know, Scotland also shares a love of football, but they do so in their own way. They have a separate league, trophies, and a rivalry between two teams the likes of which no other nations have experienced. If you are unfamiliar with Scotland’s history with the sport, consider this your comprehensive guide and receive a Scottish perspective on everyone’s favourite game.
The Beginning
The first official football league in Scotland was founded in 1890 and it featured a total of eleven clubs. Before this time, the few Scottish teams that existed were folded in as part of the English Football League. However, when the English Football Association created a law that declared that all players within this league must be paid, Scotland decided to secede from this association to begin its own league.
Despite a close series of games, the first Scottish league title was shared between Dumbarton FC and Rangers, beginning the latter’s long reign as the club that has won the most Scottish league titles in history. Since this first league outing was such a success, the Scottish Football Alliance began to expand its league to include more teams. These were featured in three additional divisions, and the teams with the most points at the end of a season were promoted up a league, while those who finished at the bottom of the table were demoted.
The Scottish Premier League
The modern Scottish premier league did not deviate much from this initial concept. The name of the league has changed several times, with the official SPL being named in 2013. The roster of teams in the premier league has been extended to include twelve clubs to prevent teams from having to play each team four times a year.
Since this minor change, Scottish football has stayed very close to the English league. Teams will receive three points for a win, two points for a draw, and zero points when they lose. Of course, the team with the most points at the end of the season is declared the winner. However, the fixture issue remained prevalent, even with an even number of teams.
The Split
The split is a term that Scottish football fans use to describe the changes made to their premier league in 2013. Instead of every team playing each other three times a year, the league is split into the top six teams and the bottom, once each team has played 33 games. Then, a smaller league occurs between the two split leagues, with each team playing those in their section just once. Rangers are still the most frequent among these winners, as mentioned above, but that does not mean that they have not had to contend with some serious competition.
The Rivalry
Football teams will often share a friendly rivalry with another team based on their location, history, or win/lose ratio. Liverpool and Everton are two clubs that are located on opposite sides of the Merseyside River, which is why their rivalry is referred to as the Merseyside Derby. Chelsea F.C has often struggled in matches against fellow London club, Tottenham Hotspur, despite being many places above them in their respective league. However, there is one rivalry in modern football more compelling than the rest, and it includes all three of the factors above. That is, of course, the rivalry between the Rangers and Celtic.
The main reason why most cities have two football teams to represent them is because of the old protestant and catholic divide. One team formed under one banner of the Christian faith, while another club formed to represent another. Therefore, a historical rivalry was forged between the protestant leaning Ranger and the Catholic Celtic team. What’s more, both teams were founded in Glasgow, which means that the local fans are split between the two clubs. While all this history is enough to create a significant divide in Scottish football, their rivalry is furthered by both teams’ passion for success.
Scottish Betting
As a part of the UK, Scotland is a country that must adhere to all laws made by the UK government. This means that they, too, took advantage of the gambling act of 2005, which allowed gambling establishments to advertise to the British public.
Soon, every Scottish Football fan became witness to adverts boasting bonuses. It’s not just football that you can bet on, you will also be able to play online casino games, helping to mix up your style. You can get started with just a £5 deposit with some online casinos, helping you get started without wagering too much.
The Trophies
There was a long time in Scottish Football when the only two clubs at the top of the table were Rangers and Celtic, with their positions switching between first and second place each year, respectively. This rivalry was enough to make the results of each league even more tantalising; however, there are other trophies to play for during the standard season.
Both Rangers and Celtic are strong contenders in the Scottish Cup, the UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League. As it stands today Rangers have won the most Scottish League titles, but Celtic have won the Scottish Cup six more times than their blue-clad neighbours. As such, their success ratio is still even, so no one knows how this derby will continue to play out.
The Future
With so many changes occurring in such a short time, you can almost guarantee that Scottish football is going to change again at some point soon. Rangers still lead their old rivals by fifty-five league wins to fifty-two, which means that there is a real possibility that Celtic could catch up in the next few years. However, the only way to find out is by watching the games.
