The Scottish League One, known as William Hill League One for sponsorship reasons,[1] 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.[2]
 | |
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Promotion to | Scottish Championship |
| Relegation to | Scottish League Two |
| Domestic cup(s) | Scottish Cup |
| League cup(s) | Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Falkirk (1st title)[note 1] (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Dunfermline Athletic (2 titles)[note 1] |
| TV partners | BBC Alba |
| Website | spfl |
| Current: 2024–25 Scottish League One | |
Format
editTeams 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]
Promotion and relegation
editThe champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Championship, swapping places with the bottom club of the championship.[3] The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th in League One, and the 9th placed team in the Championship then enter the two-legged Championship play-off. The 2nd-placed League One club plays the 3rd-placed League One club, whilst the team who finished 4th in League One will play the 9th-placed Championship side. The winners of these ties will then play each other. If a League One play-off winner prevails, that club is promoted, with the championship club being relegated. If the Championship side is victorious, they then retain their place in the Championship.[3]
For promotion and relegation, the League One play-off system closely mirrors its Championship counterpart, in which the bottom club of League One is automatically relegated and the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs from League Two.[3]
Teams
editListed below are all the teams competing in the 2024–25 Scottish League One season, with details of the first season they entered the third tier; the first season of their current spell in the third tier; and the last time they won the third tier.
| Team | Position in 2023–24 | First season in third tier |
First season of current spell in third tier |
Last title (3rd tier) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloa Athletic | 3rd, Scottish League One | 1975–76 | 2021–22 | — |
| Annan Athletic | 8th, Scottish League One | 2023–24 | 2023–24 | — |
| Arbroath | 10th, Scottish Championship (relegated) | 1986–87 | 2024–25 | 2018–19 |
| Cove Rangers | 5th, Scottish League One | 2020–21 | 2023–24 | 2021–22 |
| Dumbarton | 4th, Scottish League Two (promoted) | 1954–55 | 2024–25 | 1991–92 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 9th, Scottish Championship (relegated) | 1997–98 | 2024–25 | — |
| Kelty Hearts | 6th, Scottish League One | 2022–23 | 2022–23 | — |
| Montrose | 4th, Scottish League One | 1923–24 | 2018–19 | 1984–85 |
| Queen of the South | 7th, Scottish League One | 1923–24 | 2022–23 | 2012–13 |
| Stenhousemuir | 1st, Scottish League Two (promoted) | 1974–75 | 2024–25 | — |
Stadiums
edit| Alloa Athletic | Annan Athletic | Arbroath | Cove Rangers | Dumbarton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation Park | Galabank | Gayfield Park | Balmoral Stadium | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 3,100[4] | Capacity: 2,504 | Capacity: 6,600[5] | Capacity: 3,023 | Capacity: 2,020[6] |
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| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Kelty Hearts | Montrose | Queen of the South | Stenhousemuir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonian Stadium | New Central Park | Links Park | Palmerston Park | Ochilview |
| Capacity: 7,512[7] | Capacity: 2,181[8] | Capacity: 4,936[9] | Capacity: 8,690[10] | Capacity: 3,746[11] |
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Statistics
editChampionships
editTop goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Club(s)[note 2] | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rory McAllister | Peterhead (2014–2017; 2019–2020) Cove Rangers (2020–2022) Montrose (2022–2023) |
83 |
| 2 | Calum Gallagher | Rangers (2013–2014) Dumbarton (2018–2019) Airdrieonians (2019–2023) |
68 |
| Ryan Wallace | Dunfermline Athletic (2013–2016) Albion Rovers (2016–17) Stranraer (2017) Arbroath (2018–2019) East Fife (2019–2022) | ||
| 4 | Alan Trouten | Brechin City (2013–2015) Ayr United (2015–2016) Brechin City (2016–2017) Albion Rovers (2017–2018) Alloa Athletic (2021–2022) |
58 |
| 5 | Liam Buchanan | East Fife (2013–2014) Livingston (2016–2017) Raith Rovers (2017–2019) |
55 |
Italics denotes players still playing football,
Bold denotes players still playing in Scottish League One.
Notes
edit- ^ a b Scottish League One has only existed since 2013. For a complete record of clubs that have won the Scottish third tier, see List of winners of the Scottish League One and predecessors.
- ^ Clubs only include those where players scored goals in the Scottish League One.
References
edit- ^ "WILLIAM HILL AND SPFL AGREE LANDMARK TITLE SPONSORSHIP DEAL". spfl.co.uk. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "SPFL: New Scottish league brands unveiled". BBC Sport. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d "The Rules and Regulations of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). Scottish Professional Football League. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Alloa Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Arbroath Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Dumbarton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Kelty Hearts Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Montrose Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Queen of the South Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Stenhousemuir Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Dundee Utd, Raith & Cove win titles & reconstruction talks start after Dundee vote". BBC Sport. BBC. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2013–14". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2014–15". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2015–16". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2016–17". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2017–18". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2018–19". Soccerbase. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2019–20". Soccerbase. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2020–21". Soccerbase. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2021–22". Soccerbase. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2022–23". Soccerbase. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Scottish League One 2023–24". Soccerbase. Retrieved 29 September 2023.