Scottish Championship
 | |
| 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 |
| International cup(s) | Europa League (via domestic cups) |
| Current champions |
St Mirren (1st title)[note 1] (2017–18) |
| Most championships |
Dundee Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Rangers St Mirren (1 title)[note 1] |
| TV partners |
Sky Sports BT Sport BBC Alba |
| Website |
spfl |
 | |
The Scottish Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the Ladbrokes Championship,[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]
Format
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]
Promotion and relegation
The champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Premiership, swapping places with the bottom club of the Premiership. 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 tie then plays against the 11th-placed Premiership club. If the Championship play-off winner prevails, the club is promoted, with the Premiership club being relegated, otherwise the Premiership club can retain its position in Premiership with the promotion failure of the Championship club.
The Championship play-off system is consistent to its Premiership counterpart, in which the bottom club of Championship is automatically relegated and the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs from League One.[4]
Teams
Listed below are all the teams competing in the 2018–19 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 2017–18 | First season in second tier |
First season of current spell in second tier |
Last second tier title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloa Athletic | 4th, Scottish League One (promoted) | 1921–22 | 2018–19 | 1921–22 |
| Ayr United | 1st, Scottish League One (promoted) | 1910–11 | 2018–19 | 1965–66 |
| Dundee United | 3rd, Scottish Championship | 1923–24 | 2016–17 | 1928–29 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 4th, Scottish Championship | 1912–13 | 2016–17 | 2010–11 |
| Falkirk | 8th, Scottish Championship | 1902–03 | 2010–11 | 2004–05 |
| Greenock Morton | 7th, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2015–16 | 1986–87 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 5th, Scottish Championship | 1999–00 | 2017–18 | 2009–10 |
| Partick Thistle | 11th, Scottish Premiership (relegated) | 1893–94 | 2018–19 | 2012–13 |
| Queen of the South | 6th, Scottish Championship | 1923–24 | 2012–13 | 1950–51 |
| Ross County | 12th, Scottish Premiership (relegated) | 2000–01 | 2018–19 | 2011–12 |
Stadiums
| Alloa Athletic | Ayr United | Dundee United | Dunfermline Athletic | Falkirk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation Park | Somerset Park | Tannadice Park | East End Park | Falkirk Stadium |
| Capacity: 3,100[5] | Capacity: 10,185[6] | Capacity: 14,223[7] | Capacity: 11,480[8] | Capacity: 7,937[9] |
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| Greenock Morton | Inverness | Partick Thistle | Queen of the South | Ross County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappielow Park | Caledonian Stadium | Firhill Stadium | Palmerston Park | Victoria Park |
| Capacity: 11,589[10] | Capacity: 7,512[11] | Capacity: 10,102[12] | Capacity: 8,690[13] | Capacity: 6,541[14] |
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Statistics
Championships
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Top scorer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | |||
| 2013–14 | Dundee | Hamilton Academical | Rory Loy (Falkirk) | 20 |
| 2014–15 | Heart of Midlothian | Hibernian | Jason Cummings (Hibernian) | 18 |
| 2015–16 | Rangers | Falkirk | Martyn Waghorn (Rangers) | 20 |
| 2016–17 | Hibernian | Falkirk | Jason Cummings (Hibernian) Stephen Dobbie (Queen of the South) |
19 |
| 2017–18 | St Mirren | Livingston | Stephen Dobbie (Queen of the South) | 18 |
Records and awards
- Biggest home win
- Heart of Midlothian 10–0 Cowdenbeath, 28 February 2015[15]
- Biggest away win
- Dumbarton 0–6 Rangers, 2 January 2016;[16]
- Most points in a season
- 91; Heart of Midlothian, 2014–15
- Fewest points in a season
- 4; Brechin City, 2017–18[17]
- Fewest goals scored in a season
- 20; Brechin City, 2017–18
- Most goals scored in a season
- 96; Heart of Midlothian, 2014–15
- Most goals conceded in a season
- 90; Brechin City, 2017–18
- Fewest goals conceded in a season
- 25; Hibernian, 2016–17
- Highest attendance
- 50,349; Rangers 1–1 Alloa Athletic, 23 April 2016
- Lowest attendance
- 318; Cowdenbeath 3–0 Greenock Morton, 25 March 2014
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club(s)[note 2] | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Cummings | Hibernian (2014–2017) | 55 |
| 2 | Derek Lyle | Queen of the South (2013–2018) | 51 |
| 3 | John Baird | Raith Rovers (2014) Queen of the South (2014–2015) Falkirk (2015–2017) Inverness CT (2017–2018) Greenock Morton (2018) | 48 |
| 4 | James Keatings | Hamilton Academical (2013–2014) Heart of Midlothian (2014–2015) Hibernian (2015–2017) Dundee United (2017–) | 41 |
| 5 | Nicky Clark | Rangers (2014–2016) Dunfermline Athletic (2016–2018) | 39 |
Broadcasting rights
Notes
- 1 2 The Scottish Championship has only existed since 2013. For a complete record of clubs that have won the Scottish second tier, see List of winners of the Scottish Championship and predecessors.
- ↑ Clubs only include those where players scored goals in the Scottish Championship.
References
- ↑ "SPFL names Ladbrokes as sponsor in £4m deal". BBC News. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ "SPFL: New Scottish league brands unveiled". BBC Sport. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ↑ "The Rules and Regulations of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). Scottish Professional Football League. 19 January 2016. pp. 36–7. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ↑ "Scottish Championship". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Alloa Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ↑ "Ayr United Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ↑ "Dundee United Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ↑ "Dunfermline Athletic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ↑ "Falkirk Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Morton Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ↑ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ↑ "Partick Thistle Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ↑ "Queen of the South Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Ross County Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ↑ "Heart of Midlothian F.C. 10–0 Cowdenbeath". BBC Sport. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ↑ "Dumbarton 0–6 Rangers". BBC Sport. 2 January 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ Sutherland, Jonathan (28 April 2018). "Brechin City: Scottish Championship side go entire league season without victory". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ↑ "Scottish Champion Statistics - Top Scorers 2013–14". ESPN. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ↑ "Scottish Champion Statistics - Top Scorers 2014–15". ESPN. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ↑ "Scottish Champion Statistics - Top Scorers 2015–16". ESPN. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ↑ "Scottish Champion Statistics - Top Scorers 2016–17". ESPN. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ↑ "Scottish Champion Statistics - Top Scorers 2017–18". ESPN. Retrieved 11 September 2017.