Founded | 1892 (original) 1946 (current) |
---|---|
Country | Scotland |
Confederation | UEFA |
Divisions | 1 |
Number of teams | 15 |
Level on pyramid | 6 |
Promotion to | Lowland Football League |
Domestic cup(s) |
Scottish Cup SFA South Regional Challenge Cup |
League cup(s) | South of Scotland League Cup Cree Lodge Cup Haig Gordon Cup Potts Cup Southern Counties Challenge Cup Tweedie Cup |
Current champions | Saint Cuthbert Wanderers |
Most championships | 14 titles Stranraer Reserves |
Website | Official Website |
2017–18 South of Scotland Football League |
The South of Scotland Football League (SoSFL) is a senior football competition based in the south of Scotland. The league is currently composed of fourteen member clubs in a single division, which sits at level six on the proposed pyramid system on a par with the East of Scotland Football League and is intended to act as a feeder to the Lowland Football League.
From the 2014–15 season, it is proposed that the winner of the South of Scotland Football League will face the winner of the East of Scotland Football League for a place in the 2015–16 Lowland Football League. This will be subject to the club meeting the sufficient licensing criteria to satisfy the terms of promotion.
A league of the same name briefly existed during the early days of competitive football. The original South of Scotland Football League was created in 1892–93 and featured seven clubs:
The clubs preferred to play in cup competitions and traditional friendlies, so most of the league fixtures were not played. The competition was subsequently abandoned and no championship was awarded.
When league football was re-established in 1946, the title Southern Counties League could not be used because Ayr United 'A' and Kilmarnock 'A' were not members of the Southern Counties F.A.. Instead, the new competition was called the South of Scotland Football League. The first season saw the league played in two sections, East and West, but it has been played as a single league ever since.
Teams play each other on a home and away basis. In seasons where league membership has been low, clubs have played each other four times, instead of the usual twice. Recent changes in league membership have been:
For the 2017–18 season, the league will feature the following 15 clubs:
Notes:
(1) Crichton was known as Blackwood Dynamos until 1999. The club was to be called Crichton Royal, but the suffix has never been used. (2) Dumfries was formed by the merger of Dumfries High School Former Pupils and Dumfries Amateurs.| (3) Heston Rovers Youth (formed in 1978) merged with Dumfries in 2008, retaining Heston Rovers as the name of the new club. (4) Annan Athletic (1987–2008), Dalbeattie Star (2001–2009) and Threave Rovers (1998–2004) have all run teams in the East of Scotland League. From the 2008–09 season, Annan Athletic has played in the Scottish Football League. Dalbeattie Star and Threave Rovers joined the newly formed Scottish Lowland Football League for the 2013–14 season. (5) The following clubs have resigned during the season: