Founded | 1901 disbanded 2023 |
---|---|
Country | Scotland |
Confederation | UEFA |
Divisions | Premier Division 1 Championship |
Number of teams | 23 |
Level on pyramid | 3 |
Promotion to | 2 up |
Relegation to | 2 Down |
Domestic cup(s) | Scottish Amateur Cup West of Scotland Cup/ Jimmy Marshall Trophy / Centenary Cup |
The Scottish Amateur Football League (SAFL) was Scotland's oldest football league competition for amateur teams in Scotland, before disbanding in 2023 when it merged with the Central Scottish Amateur League to form the Scottish Premier Amateur League.
Although the League officially records itself as having been founded in 1909, when Scottish Football League club Queen's Park decided that their fourth team needed regular competition, research published by the Scottish Football Historical Archive confirms that the league was actually founded by six clubs at a meeting at Glasgow University in late June 1901, with Paisley Academicals winning the first championship. Queen's Park were successful in winning the league title in 1909–10, but Edinburgh Civil Service won the league the following year, so Queen's Park decided to enter their third team for the third season of the competition, indicating a high standard of football was played at this level from an early stage.[citation needed]