Why is it called the Championship?

[Eyrie]

What exactly is it the Championship of?

It's not the top tier of the SPFL, so its winners aren't the champions of anything except their own division in the same way that the winners of the First and Second divisions are champions.

[HibbyAndy]

Fair point

[Diclonius]

Because the second tier in England is called the Championship.

[lapsedhibee]

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What exactly is it the Championship of?

It's not the top tier of the SPFL, so its winners aren't the champions of anything except their own division in the same way that the winners of the First and Second divisions are champions.

Agree. Call all leagues The Championship.

[Keith_M]

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What exactly is it the Championship of?

It's not the top tier of the SPFL, so its winners aren't the champions of anything except their own division in the same way that the winners of the First and Second divisions are champions.

In England, they used to have four leagues in one entity: the First, Second, Third and Fourth Divisions

They then split of into what are technically two separate league structures, with different ruling bodies, the EPL and the Football League (initially One, Two and Three)

For purely PR reasons, the Football League then changed the name of it's top tier to The Championship, and the two lower tiers to League One and League Two.


Then......


Scotland then merged the Premier League and the SFL into a single entity, and had to come up with names for each division.

The people in charge of Scottish Football were so lazy that they just chose to copy the four league names in use in England.... even though it made no sense whatsoever

[Lancs Harp]

If Im not mistaken the Championship winners in England still win the old Championship (first division in old currency) trophy hence why its called the Championship in England.

[Waxy]

I thought it was weird when they called the English second division the first division.
Then they got weirder and called it the championship.
I got used to that but then Scotland did the same.
The championship now just sounds like a lower league whereas the word itself championship means otherwise.
They should have just left it.

[Mikey]

I think it's so that lower league clubs, such as Hearts, can feel they've achieved something.

[Since452]

Just copying England. Rediculous name

[PatHead]

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In England, they used to have four leagues in one entity: the First, Second, Third and Fourth Divisions

They then split of into what are technically two separate league structures, with different ruling bodies, the EPL and the Football League (initially One, Two and Three)

For purely PR reasons, the Football League then changed the name of it's top tier to The Championship, and the two lower tiers to League One and League Two.


Then......


Scotland then merged the Premier League and the SFL into a single entity, and had to come up with names for each division.

The people in charge of Scottish Football were so lazy that they just chose to copy the four league names in use in England.... even though it made no sense whatsoever

Re the last paragraph, wait until Tom English finds this out. He will create hell on Sportsound.

[CropleyWasGod]

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If Im not mistaken the Championship winners in England still win the old Championship (first division in old currency) trophy hence why its called the Championship in England.

Yeah. Goes back to the spilt between the FA (who took over the running of the top league) and the Football League, who were left with "their" First Division.

[hibbysam]

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If Im not mistaken the Championship winners in England still win the old Championship (first division in old currency) trophy hence why its called the Championship in England.

Which is the same in Scotland. Still doesn’t make sense as it’s the first division trophy, but never mind.

[Scouse Hibee]

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If Im not mistaken the Championship winners in England still win the old Championship (first division in old currency) trophy hence why its called the Championship in England.

Yeah, Leeds were the last team to lift it as 1st Division Champions in 92, now awarded to Championship winners.

[Lancs Harp]

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Which is the same in Scotland. Still doesn’t make sense as it’s the first division trophy, but never mind.

Its just a marketing ploy pure and simple which ever way you look at it fella.

[Skol]

If you go back to the 70s (75/6 I think) Scotland were firs with reconstruction with the old 1st and 2nd division becoming the Premier League and 1st/2nd/3rd divisions I think when we went fro 34 clubs in 16/18 to 36 in 4 x 10.

[nellio]

In England it's the football league championship which was superseded by the newly created premier league which was created with the co operation of sky and their money in 1993 I think it was.

The winner of the championship gets the same trophy that Leeds last raised before the premier league was born.

[The 90+2]

Glamour it up when the huns kicked about the lower leagues. All to just copy England.

[Eyrie]

Cheers all. So it's an inept attempt to copy England.

Been bugging me for a while and it's nice to know I'm not the only one to find it ridiculous.

[ScottB]

It’s daft, but then so was having both a Premier and a First Division if you think about it.

[ballengeich]

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The people in charge of Scottish Football were so lazy that they just chose to copy the four league names in use in England.... even though it made no sense whatsoever

It was worse than that. They didn't just copy the English names, they paid consultants to recommend it.

[JeMeSouviens]

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If you go back to the 70s (75/6 I think) Scotland were firs with reconstruction with the old 1st and 2nd division becoming the Premier League and 1st/2nd/3rd divisions I think when we went fro 34 clubs in 16/18 to 36 in 4 x 10.

Initially it was all still the Scottish Football League with a Premier, First and Second divisions. The split into Scottish Premier League and SFL happened in1998 with Hibs not in the SPL. It was basically a greedy move to cut the wee clubs out of what they thought were going to be TV riches.