Scottish League One is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the governing body for senior men’s professional football in Scotland. The division was established in July 2013 when the Scottish Premier League (SPL) and the Scottish Football League (SFL) merged to form the SPFL. Scottish League One replaced the old SFL Second Division as part of that restructure.[1]
Design and History
Scottish League One does not have a standalone crest. Instead, it uses the parent SPFL brand identity, which was unveiled on 23 July 2013 at Hampden Park by SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster alongside former Scotland internationals Graeme Souness and John Collins.[2] The four divisions were named Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship, Scottish League One and Scottish League Two, each carrying the same core SPFL mark.[1]
The branding was created by Glasgow-based agency Material (also referred to as Material_Works).[3] The identity was designed to represent the merger of the two former league bodies by combining visual elements from each predecessor: the football image from the SPL logo and the lion from the SFL logo.[3] Material account manager Natalie Ward described the result as “a clear and contemporary representation of the merged bodies within the new logo, which portrays their shared vision for the future.”[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The lion in the SPFL mark was carried over from the former Scottish Football League identity. At the brand launch, Graeme Souness commented on the symbolism directly: “A lion shows that you are strong and fear no one, and the colours are a true representation of Scotland.”[4] The football element, taken from the SPL design, represents the other half of the merged organisation.[5]
Typography and Design
Each division within the SPFL is distinguished by a wordmark beneath the shared lion-and-football icon, identifying the tier as Premiership, Championship, League One or League Two. The division-specific logos were produced as part of the same Material branding project and made available for download at the time of the launch.[1] The SPFL continues to use the lion-based identity on its official website, where the current League One page is branded “William Hill League One” following a title sponsorship arrangement.[6]
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