Scotland Football grounds guides for the 23/24 season
Scottish Football leagues
The Scottish football league system is a series of leagues for Scottish football clubs. It is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of several completely separate systems or ‘grades’ of leagues and clubs. As well as senior football there is junior football, and also amateur football and welfare football.
In senior football in Scotland there is one national league, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), which has four divisions:
- Scottish Premiership (Tier 1)
- Scottish Championship (Tier 2)
- Scottish League One (Tier 3)
- Scottish League Two (Tier 4)
The SPFL is a closed league, meaning that clubs can only be promoted or relegated to it through a play-off system.
In addition to the SPFL, there are a number of regional leagues in Scotland, including:
- Highland League (Tier 5)
- Lowland Football League (Tier 5)
- East of Scotland Football League (Tier 6)
- West of Scotland Football League (Tier 6)
- South of Scotland Football League (Tier 7)
These leagues are all open leagues, meaning that clubs can be promoted or relegated to them based on their results.
There are also a number of junior football leagues in Scotland, which are not part of the SPFL or the regional leagues. These leagues are for amateur clubs and are not as well-known as the senior leagues.
The Scottish football league system is a complex and varied one, but it provides a pathway for clubs of all levels to compete and progress.