Founded | 2013 |
---|---|
Country | Scotland |
Confederation | UEFA |
Number of teams | 10 |
Level on pyramid | 2 |
Promotion to | Scottish Premiership |
Relegation to | Scottish League One |
Domestic cup(s) | Scottish Cup |
League cup(s) | Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup |
Current champions | Dundee (2nd title) [note 1] (2022–23) |
Most championships | Dundee Heart of Midlothian (2 titles) [note 1] |
TV partners | BBC Scotland BBC ALBA |
Website | spfl |
Current: 2023–24 Scottish Championship |
The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, [1] is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Championship was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League. [2]
Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion. If points are equal, the goal difference determines the winner. If this still does not result in a winner, the tied teams must take part in a playoff game at a neutral venue to determine the final placings. [3]
The champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Premiership, swapping places with the bottom club of the Premiership. [3] The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th then enter the two-legged Premiership play-off. The 3rd-placed club plays the 4th-placed club, with the winner then playing the 2nd-placed club. The winner of that game then plays against the 11th-placed Premiership club. If the Championship play-off winner prevails, the club is promoted and the Premiership club is relegated; otherwise, the Premiership club remains in its league while the Championship club is not promoted. [3]
For promotion and relegation, the Championship play-off system closely mirrors its Premiership counterpart—the bottom-ranked club in the Championship is automatically relegated while the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs from League One. [3]
Listed below are all the teams competing in the 2023–24 Scottish Championship season, with details of the first season they entered the second tier; the first season of their current spell in the second tier; and the last time they won the second tier.
Team | Position in 2022–23 | First season in second tier | First season of current spell in second tier | Last second tier title |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airdrieonians | 3rd, Scottish League One (promoted) | 2004–05 | 2023–24 | — |
Arbroath | 8th, Scottish Championship | 1921–22 | 2019–20 | — |
Ayr United | 2nd, Scottish Championship | 1910–11 | 2018–19 | 1965–66 |
Dundee United | 12th, Scottish Premiership (relegated) | 1910–11 | 2023–24 | 2019–20 |
Dunfermline Athletic | 1st, Scottish League One (promoted) | 1912–13 | 2023–24 | 2010–11 |
Greenock Morton | 5th, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2015–16 | 1986–87 |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 6th, Scottish Championship | 1999–00 | 2017–18 | 2009–10 |
Partick Thistle | 4th, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2021–22 | 2012–13 |
Queen's Park | 3rd, Scottish Championship | 1922–23 | 2022–23 | 1955–56 |
Raith Rovers | 7th, Scottish Championship | 1902–03 | 2020–21 | 1994–95 |
Airdrieonians | Arbroath | Ayr United | Dundee United | Dunfermline Athletic |
---|---|---|---|---|
Excelsior Stadium | Gayfield Park | Somerset Park | Tannadice Park | East End Park |
Capacity: 10,101 [4] | Capacity: 6,600 [5] | Capacity: 10,185 [6] | Capacity: 14,223 [7] | Capacity: 11,480 [8] |
Greenock Morton | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Partick Thistle | Queen's Park | Raith Rovers |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cappielow Park | Caledonian Stadium | Firhill Stadium | Hampden Park [9] | Stark's Park |
Capacity: 11,589 [10] | Capacity: 7,512 [11] | Capacity: 10,102 [12] | Capacity: 51,866 [13] | Capacity: 8,867 [14] |
Rank | Player | Club(s) [note 3] | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Stephen Dobbie | Queen of the South (2016–2021) | 69 |
2 | Jason Cummings | Hibernian (2014–2017) Dundee (2020–2021) | 63 |
3 | Lawrence Shankland | St Mirren (2015–2017) Greenock Morton (2017) Ayr United (2018–2019) Dundee United (2019–2020) | 62 |
4 | Nicky Clark | Rangers (2014–2016) Dunfermline Athletic (2016–2018) Dundee United (2018–2020) | 54 |
5 | Derek Lyle | Queen of the South (2013–2018) | 51 |
Italics denotes players still playing professional football,
Bold denotes players still playing in the Scottish Championship.
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Premiership was established in July 2013, after the SPFL was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League. There are 12 teams in this division, with each team playing 38 matches per season. Sixteen clubs have played in the Scottish Premiership since its creation in the 2013–14 season. Celtic are the current league champions, having won the 2022–23 Scottish Premiership.
The Scottish League One, known as Cinch League One for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.
Lee Ashcroft is a Scottish footballer who plays as a defender for Dundee. Ashcroft previously played for Kilmarnock and Dunfermline Athletic.
The 2014–15 Scottish League Cup was the 69th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. It is also known as The Scottish League Cup presented by QTS for sponsorship reasons.
Lawrence Shankland is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian and the Scotland national team.
The 2015–16 Scottish Premiership was the third season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The season began on 1 August 2015. Celtic were the defending champions.
The 2015–16 Scottish League One was the 21st season in the current format of 10 teams in the third-tier of Scottish football.
The 2015–16 Scottish League Cup was the 70th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. It is also known as The Scottish League Cup presented by Utilita for sponsorship reasons.
Simon Murray is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premiership club Ross County.
Colin Hamilton is a Scottish footballer who plays as a defender for Arbroath.
The 2016–17 Scottish Championship is the 22nd season in the current format of 10 teams in the second tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 17 June 2016.
The 2016–17 Scottish League One was the 22nd season in the current format of 10 teams in the third-tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 17 June 2016.
Lewis Robert Spence is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Edinburgh City. Spence has previously played for Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Ross County, Hamilton Academical, and had two short loan spells with Brechin City.
The 2017–18 Scottish Championship was the 23rd season in the current format of 10 teams in the second tier of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 23 June 2017.
The 2019–20 Scottish Premiership was the seventh season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football. The fixtures were published on 21 June 2019 and the season began on 3 August 2019. Celtic were the defending champions.
The 2019–20 Scottish League Two was the 25th season in the current format of 10 teams in the fourth-tier of Scottish football. Ten teams contested the league: Albion Rovers, Annan Athletic, Brechin City, Cove Rangers, Cowdenbeath, Edinburgh City, Elgin City, Queen's Park, Stenhousemuir and Stirling Albion.
The 2019–20 Scottish Championship was the 25th season in the current format of 10 teams in the second-tier of Scottish football. Ten teams contested the league: Alloa Athletic, Arbroath, Ayr United, Dundee, Dundee United, Dunfermline Athletic, Greenock Morton, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Partick Thistle and Queen of the South.
The 2020–21 Scottish League Two was the 26th season in the current format of 10 teams in the fourth-tier of Scottish football. The season commenced later than usual on 17 October, being played over a shortened 27-game period due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020–21 season was Raith Rovers' first season back in the second tier of Scottish football after being promoted from Scottish League One at the premature end of the 2019–20 season. Raith Rovers also competed in the League Cup & the Scottish Cup.
The 2020–21 season was the 124th season of competitive football by Heart of Midlothian (Hearts), with the team participating in the Scottish Championship. It was the club's first season of play in the second tier of Scottish football since 2015, and only the second since 1983, having been relegated from the Scottish Premiership, after the previous season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. On 10 April 2021, Hearts earned automatic promotion back to the Scottish Premiership, having been in first place for most of the season. They also competed in this season's Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup, losing in the second round of each competition respectively.