Scottish Women's Football League Second Division

The Scottish Women's Football League Second Division (SWFL 2) was a division in the Scottish women's football pyramid between 1999 and 2019. The third league tier from 1999 to 2015, it later became the fourth tier. Its top teams won promotion to the SWFL First Division.

Scottish Women's Football League Second Division
Divisions1 (19992008)
4 (20122019)
Number of teams10–40
Level on pyramid3 (19992015)
4 (20162019)
Promotion toScottish Women's Football League First Division
Domestic cup(s)Scottish Women's Cup
League cup(s)SWFL Second Division Cup
WebsiteScottish Women's Football

The Second Division began as a single national division,[1][2] but became three regional divisions in 2008–09, the North, East and West. It was further enlarged in 2012 to four divisions. From 2016 to 2019, SWFL 2 had forty clubs in four regional divisions. The champions of each division were eligible to enter play-offs for promotion to the First Division.[3]

In 2020, Scottish Women's Football replaced the First Division with the SWF Championship, and the Second Division took the existing name of the Scottish Women's Football League. The SWFL is now a standalone 'Recreational' league with multiple regional divisions, resembling the former Second Division, but now with no regular promotion or relegation.[4]

History

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The Second Division was initially a single national competition,[5] played as a double round-robin.

Champions

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National division champions – league level 3:

Regional division champions – league level 3:

  • 2009: South-West / West Troon[6]
  • 2009: South-East / East / Central Airdrie United[6]
Season North group West group East group South East group Ref
2010 Aberdeen City Paisley Saints Ladies[11][12] Hibernian 2000 [13]
2011 Buchan Kilwinning Sports Club[14] Forfar Farmington
2012 Stonehaven Murieston United Dunfermline Athletic Heart of Midlothian[15]
Season North West/South West East/Central South East Ref
2013 Aberdeen Reserves Claremont Jeanfield Swifts Hibernian Development
2014 Dee Vale Mill United East Fife Boroughmuir Thistle
2015 Dee Vale Glasgow City Development[16] Central Girls Academy Motherwell [17]

Regional division champions – league level 4:

Season North/East West/South West West/Central South East/Central Ref
2016 Granite City[18] Renfrew[19] Partick Thistle[20] Dundee United[21]
2017 Deveronvale[22] Morton[23] Blackburn United[24] Bayside[25]
2018 Montrose[26] Ayr United[27] Glasgow City B[28] Kelty Hearts[29]
2019 Dundee West[30] Morton[31] Bishopton[32] Edinburgh Caledonia[33]

Seasons

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1999–2008

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In the season 2000–01, Hamilton Athletic finished top of the 10-team national Second Division.[1]

Falkirk Ladies had won promotion from the SWFL Third Division in 1999–2000,[34] and they became the Second Division champions in 2002–03, ahead of Dundee City and Civil Service Strollers.[35][36] Falkirk sealed the title with late-season wins over St. Johnstone away and Dundee City at Brockville.[7][8]

In 2005–06, the top teams in the division were champions Buchan Girls, Crichton, Cowdenbeath, Arsenal North 2nd LFC and Thistle LFC.[37] Cowdenbeath won the 2006–07 championship.[9][10]

2007–08 was the last season of the national SWFL Second Division. The member clubs were:[2]

2008–2012

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After the switch to the three regional divisions (North, East and West) in 2008–09, the Second Division's member clubs were:

The Scottish women's football divisions used the autumn–spring season calendar until 2008–09. From the season 2009, they switched to a summer schedule (March–November).[39]

The three-division system continued with the new schedule, in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.[40][41]

Owing to an influx of new clubs, for the 2012 season the Second Division East was split into two separate East and South-East divisions. The East division was now based around Fife and Tayside while the South-East division was centred on Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Hearts, Hibernian 1875, Falkirk FC and a Spartans Reserve team moved from the East division to the South East in 2012. Boroughmuir Thistle, Football Club of Edinburgh, Leith Athletic, Musselburgh Windsor and Seton Ladies were new clubs.[42]

2011 North champions Buchan Ladies were promoted to the First Division while Dundee City and Forfar Farmington Blues transferred to the East. New clubs were a Buchan Ladies Youth side, Turriff United and Dee Ladies, part of the Dee Boys Club set-up.[43]

2013

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Member clubs in the 2013 season:

2017

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The following teams played in the SWFL Second Division during the 2017 season.[45] As well as first teams, the SWFL structures also incorporated a number of development or youth teams of other SWPL and SWFL clubs.

  1. ^ a b c d Withdrew during the season, results removed

2019

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Member clubs in the 2019 season:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tables: Leagues: 2nd Division". SWFL. Archived from the original on 24 July 2001.
  2. ^ a b "League Tables: Scottish Women's Football". Football Central. Archived from the original on 11 Oct 2007.
  3. ^ "Regional league winners seal play-off place". SWF News. Scottish Women's Football Association. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  4. ^ "New Senior Structure for 2020 and beyond". SWPL. 19 September 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Scottish Women's Football League Division 2 clubs". SWFA. Archived from the original on 17 May 2003.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Women's League Competitions". sfha.org.uk. Scottish Football Historical Archive. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Falkirk promoted!". Falkirk FC. Archived from the original on 27 Jun 2003.
  8. ^ a b "Ladies clinch title in league decider". Falkirk FC. May 2003. Archived from the original on 27 Jun 2003.
  9. ^ a b "SWF Notice Board". SFA Football Central. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 Nov 2007.
  10. ^ a b "SWFL Division 2 - 2006-2007 (incomplete)". SWFA. Archived from the original on 10 Mar 2007.
  11. ^ "Paisley Saints win promotion to First Division". Daily Record. 18 Nov 2010. Archived from the original on 19 Apr 2022.
  12. ^ "Hibs Ladies out to unravel Paisley pattern still further". The Scotsman. 2012. Archived from the original on 19 Apr 2022.
  13. ^ "League Tables (2010 Season)". SFA. Archived from the original on 30 Jan 2011.
  14. ^ "Airdrie United Ladies win promotion". Daily Record. 26 Oct 2011. Archived from the original on 19 Apr 2022. runner-up position in the Second Division West table behind champions Kilwinning Sports Club
  15. ^ "Jambo girls clinch South East title". The Scotsman. 16 Oct 2012. Archived from the original on 19 Apr 2022.
  16. ^ Scottish Women's Football, Twitter 10 Nov 2015
  17. ^ "League Tables (2015 Season)". SFA. Archived from the original on 23 Mar 2016.
  18. ^ SWFL 2 | 2016 | North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  19. ^ SWFL 2 | 2016 | South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  20. ^ SWFL 2 | 2016 | Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  21. ^ SWFL 2 | 2016 | East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  22. ^ SWFL 2 | 2017 | North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  23. ^ SWFL 2 | 2017 | South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  24. ^ SWFL 2 | 2017 | Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  25. ^ SWFL 2 | 2017 | East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  26. ^ SWFL 2 | 2018 | North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  27. ^ SWFL 2 | 2018 | South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  28. ^ SWFL 2 | 2018 | Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  29. ^ SWFL 2 | 2018 | East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  30. ^ SWFL 2 | 2019 | North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  31. ^ SWFL 2 | 2019 | South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  32. ^ SWFL 2 | 2019 | Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  33. ^ SWFL 2 | 2019 | East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
  34. ^ "Senior Ladies". Falkirk Girls FC. Archived from the original on 7 Apr 2001.
  35. ^ "Tables: Leagues: 2nd Division (incomplete)". Archived from the original on 18 April 2003.
  36. ^ "Fixtures/Results: 2nd Division 2002-03 (incomplete)". SWFL. Archived from the original on 18 Apr 2003.
  37. ^ "SWFL Division 2 - 2005-2006 (incomplete)". SWFA. Archived from the original on 4 Jan 2006.
  38. ^ "The South Deeside View: March 2010" (PDF). Dee Vale Ladies FC switched home pitch to Corbie Park for the 2009 season. This proved to be a good move as the team won the SWFL North Division 2 League for the first time in their history.
  39. ^ "Scottish football season: Should it be moved to the summer?". BBC Sport. 2 May 2013.
  40. ^ "League Tables (2010 Season, incomplete)". SFA. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010.
  41. ^ "League Tables (2011 Season, incomplete)". SFA. Archived from the original on 29 Jun 2011.
  42. ^ "League Tables (2012 Season)". SFA. Archived from the original on 4 Jun 2013.
  43. ^ "The History of Dee Boys Club". Dee Boys Club. 21 January 2012. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
  44. ^ "Introduction". Cupar Soccer Sevens. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  45. ^ "Fixtures, Results & League Tables". Scottish Women's Football. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  46. ^ "SWFL - North/East".
  47. ^ "SWFL - Central/South East".
  48. ^ "SWFL Division 2 - West/Central | Scottish Women's Football". scotwomensfootball.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09.
  49. ^ "SWFL - West/South West".
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