INTRODUCTION
In 1998 the football clubs in the Premier Division decided to split from The Scottish Football League and form the SPL, following an earlier example in England in 1992. This decision was fuelled by a desire by the top clubs in Scotland to retain more of the revenue generated by the game.
The standard of play in The SPL is recognised as exceptionally high and some of the best players in Europe regularly played for teams like Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian. Craig Burley, Neil McCann, Ally Mcoist and European Football Golden Boot winner Henrik Larsson, are just some of the international stars who have played in The SPL.