Scotland is
regarded as the land of golf, and its home at St Andrews is a must
on any serious players itinerary. Yet even though this is the case
the Scottish people have a passion for another sport more than any
other.
Yes, in Scotland soccer, or football as it is known in these parts,
is the number one sport. The Scots follow the sport with such a
passion that their fervour is almost religious (some would say it is
religious but that’s another story).
 |
|
Glasgow Celtic picking up the Scottish
Premier League Trophy last year. |
The main soccer league in Scotland is the Premier League, which
contains the 12 best teams in the land. Over the past 20 years only
two clubs have won the league title, Glasgow giants Celtic and
Rangers.
There are a total of 38 games a season in the league and the league
splits into two groups of six after 33 games. The top six play each
other again only once and the bottom six also play each other once
more. The winner of the league is the team with the most points at
the end of these games.
If two teams have the same points total, as happened only 2 years
ago, the team with the better goals average is the winner. Goals
average is the amount of goals scored minus the amount of goals
against.
The bottom team in the league is relegated to a lower division with
the top side from that division being promoted to the Premier League
for the next season.
The top three teams from each year qualify for European competition,
with 1st and 2nd playing Champions League qualifying games, and the
3rd team playing UEFA Cup matches.
As well as the Premier League Trophy there are two other trophies to
play for in Scottish tournaments. The Scottish FA Cup is regarded as
the 2nd most important prize as it comes with a UEFA Cup place for
the winner. The League Cup is 3rd choice trophy and not regarded as
anything like as important as the league or Scottish Cup.
The main prize at the start of the season is the Premier League
title and this is the one that all the teams covet in Scotland.
Unfortunately Celtic and Rangers have monopolised the league title
and the most that other teams can realistically hope for is 3rd
place.
