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HISTORY In Medieval documents, there are frequent historical references to 'futeball' etc. These include medieval village games, involving carrying the ball as well as kicking, passing and dribbling etc, see Ba Game . Many towns and villages across Scotland have a tradition of an annual football challenge game, in which almost the whole community participated in, backed up by such historical evidence as a Medieval King of Scots having to ban such games temporarily, as they were disrupting the commerce of society and the general economy of the day. 'Fitba' was a game enjoyed by everyone in Scotland and was seen as a truelly inclusive past-time that anyone could participate in. Indeed there are historical variants of football in the urban, rural, Lowland, Island and Highland communities across Scotland. Scotland was one of the earliest modern footballing nations, it's game being developed closely following the regulation of the game, as influenced by the Rugby Football Code Developed In England's Private School System , which evolved into the basic 'laws of the game' as we know them today. Queen's Park was one of the world's first football clubs and due to the level of its fame was entitled to play in not only the Scottish competitions, but English competitions such as the FA Cup , reaching the final in 1884 and 1885 . There was a distinct clash of styles in 1872 when Scotland drew 0-0 with England in the world's first football international. England played a 1-1-8 formation, in which whoever had the ball would dribble at the opponents and kick it up field before he was tackled. One of the seven forwards, following behind, would then chase the ball. Scotland played with a 2-2-6 system, with three banks of forwards divided into pairs. Each pair of players - in defence, midfield and attack - knew who their partner was and their job was to pass to them when possible. This revolutionary tactic of 'passing and running' was known as the combination game The rules of football in England were decided in the public schools where individualism was an important factor. In Scotland, it was a societal thing. There was no class bias to football and everyone grew up playing the game in the streets. Queen's Park were made up of 13 northern lads from between Aberdeen and Inverness who came to Glasgow to get white-collar work in banks and commerce. They formalised the team in July 1867, a time when Clydeside was producing one quarter of the world's ships and railways. After the game, English players returned home to tell of Scotland's combination game. Soon hundreds of Scots - known as 'Scotch Professors' - were playing in England. Preston North End fielded eight Scots in one team while Liverpool were founded in 1892 with eleven Scots. The goalless score of that 1872 fixture has become irrelevant. More important is that the combination game that Scotland used was copied first in England and then all over the world. Scots have been credited with introducing that style of football to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Sweden. Queen's Park can therefore be credited with developing the art of football through the dribbling skill, craft, technical ability and agility of individual players; as well as the science of football through developing strategy and tactics into ball retention, where team players kept possession by a passing technique which kept the ball throughout the field of play until finishing the ball in the opposition goal. SCOTTISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is the principal organising body for Scottish football. LEAGUE League football in Scotland is split between the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. Beneath these leagues is a system of regional amateur leagues. Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) is the top league in Scotland, and consists of a single division of 12 teams. It has existed since 1998 (before then the top league was the Premier Division of the Scottish Football League). This league has the worlds's most famous Football rivalry between Rangers Football Club (known as Glasgow Rangers outside of Scotland) and Celtic Football Club . This rivalry is also known as the ' Old Firm ' as they are the oldest successful teams in Scotland with no other team doing as well as they have. Both teams have won more awards than other teams such as Real Madrid and AC Milan who struggle to keep up with the Old Firm with League Wins ( Rangers have 51 league championships and Celtic have 40) although Rangers have won more trophies than any other club in the world. Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League resides below the SPL , and consists of three divisions, each of 10 teams. Teams are relegated and promoted between the divisions, but relegation from the Third Division does not occur. The top team in the First Division is eligible for promotion to the SPL, but in the past some teams have been unable to do so due to not meeting the stadium requirements. Minor leagues Beneath the SFL are a series of smaller regional leagues:
Junior Football At a fourth level, below the three 'senior' amateur leagues, are the 'junior' leagues. Although called junior, this refers to the level of football played, not the age of the participants. The junior leagues are organised by the Scottish Junior Football Association . CUP COMPETITIONS Scottish Cup The Scottish Cup is one of the world's oldest national cup competition, first contested in 1873 . It is open to any club affiliated with the SFA, and is a pure knockout tournament with single matches; replays are held if the first match is a tie. The final is played at Hampden Park . Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup is open to members of the SPL and SFL, and has been contested since 1947 . Scottish League Challenge Cup The Scottish League Challenge Cup is open to members of the SFL, and has been contested since 1990 . NATIONAL TEAM The Scotland National Team hosted the first international match in football history against England , a 0-0 draw in 1872 , with whom they've enjoyed a long-standing rivalry. Scotland won the British Home Championship 41 times (24 outright), and qualified for 8 World Cup s and 2 European Championships , but have never progressed beyond the first round. The national team's supporters, dubbed the '' Tartan Army '' are well-known for their vocal but also good-natured behaviour. See List Of Scotland National Football Team Results CLUBS See List Of Football Clubs In Scotland . SEASONS IN SCOTTISH FOOTBALL The following articles detail the major results and events in each season since 1890-91, when the Scottish Football league was formed. Wartime seasons, when only unofficial competitions took place, are shown in a darker grey. SEE ALSO
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