The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League

Scottish Football League

The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...

 and the entire Scottish football league system

Scottish football league system

The Scottish football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Scottish football clubs. The Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football...

. It lay above the Scottish Football League First

Scottish Football League First Division

The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....

, Second

Scottish Football League Second Division

The Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....

 and (from 1994) Third

Scottish Football League Third Division

The Scottish Football League Third Division is the lowest division of the Scottish Football League and the fourth overall in the Scottish football league system....

 divisions.

Between the 1994-95 and 1996-97 seasons promotion and relegation

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 between the Premier and First Divisions was: automatic relegation for the Premier's bottom club and its replacement by the First's champion; the second-from bottom in the Premier and the First's runner-up then competed in a playoff series, home and away.

Before the start of the 1998–99 season, the clubs of the Premier Division resigned en masse to form the Scottish Premier League

Scottish Premier League

The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

, following the example of English clubs who formed the FA Premier League

FA Premier League

The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 in 1992. The Scottish Football League did not reform the Premier Division, instead leaving the league with just the First, Second and Third Divisions.

Clubs who competed in the SFL Premier Division but not in the SPL include Ayr United

Ayr United F.C.

Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...

, Airdrieonians

Airdrieonians F.C.

Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....

, Clydebank

Clydebank F.C.

Clydebank Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the town of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, near Yoker. The present club, formed in 2003, is a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association, and currently plays in West Super League Premier Division...

, Dumbarton

Dumbarton F.C.

Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park , Kilmarnock and Stranraer...

, Morton

Greenock Morton F.C.

Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....

, and Raith Rovers

Raith Rovers F.C.

Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...

. Clydebank is now a junior grade club, while Airdrieonians became defunct at the end of 2002 and its successor, Airdrie United

Airdrie United F.C.

Airdrie United Football Club are a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. They are currently managed by ex-Airdrieonians player and former Airdrie United Under 19s coach Jimmy Boyle. They are members of the Scottish Football League and play in the...

, has not experienced SPL football so far.

Champions

• 1976: Rangers
  Rangers F.C.
  Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
  
  
• 1977: Celtic
  Celtic F.C.
  Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
  
  
• 1978: Rangers
• 1979: Celtic
• 1980: Aberdeen
  Aberdeen F.C.
  Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
  
  
• 1981: Celtic
• 1982: Celtic
• 1983: Dundee United
  Dundee United F.C.
  Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
  
  
• 1984: Aberdeen
• 1985: Aberdeen
• 1986: Celtic
• 1987: Rangers
• 1988: Celtic
• 1989: Rangers
• 1990: Rangers
• 1991: Rangers
• 1992: Rangers
• 1993: Rangers
• 1994: Rangers
• 1995: Rangers
• 1996: Rangers
• 1997: Rangers
• 1998: Celtic