There have been at least three competitions in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

known as the Central Football League The first was originally formed in 1896 by five clubs - Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, Fair City Athletic, Kirkcaldy and St Johnstone. In 1897 this version was superseded by the Central Football Combination. Champions *1896–97 Cowdenbeath *1897–98 not completed Membership *

Alloa Athletic Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa, Clackmannanshire. Formed as Alloa in 1880, the football club shortly changed its name to Alloa Association, and then to Alloa Ath ...

1897–1898 *

Cowdenbeath Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 18 ...

1896–1898 *

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

'A' 1897–98 *

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

1896–1898 * Fair City Athletic 1896–1897 * Hearts of Beith 1897–1898 * Kircaldy 1896–1898 * Lochgelly United 1896–1898 * St Johnstone 1896–97 The Central League was reformed in 1909 with twelve members - Alloa Athletic, Arbroath, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Broxburn Athletic, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife, King's Park, Kirkcaldy United, Lochgelly United and St Johnstone. The League closed down after 1915 because of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and a number of clubs transferred to the new Eastern Football League. Champions *1909–10 Bo'ness *1910–11 Dunfermline Athletic *1911–12 Dunfermline Athletic *1912–13 Alloa Athletic *1913–14 Armadale *1914–15 Armadale Membership *

1909–1915 *

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen. The ...

1909–1915 * Armadale 1911–1915 *

Bathgate Bathgate ( sco, Bathket or , gd, Both Chèit) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Armadale, Blackburn, Linlithgow, Livingston, West Calder and Whitburn. Situated sout ...

1909–1914 *

Bo'ness Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Falki ...

1909–1915 *

Broxburn Broxburn ( gd, Srath Bhroc, IPA: �s̪ɾaˈvɾɔʰk is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the A89 road, from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Etymology The name Broxburn is a corruption of ...

1911–1912 * Broxburn Athletic 1909–1910 * Broxburn United 1912–1915 *

Clackmannan Clackmannan ( ; gd, Clach Mhanainn, perhaps meaning "Stone of Manau"), is a small town and civil parish set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated within the Forth Valley, Clackmannan is south-east of Alloa and south of Tillicoultry. Th ...

1914–1915 *

'A' 1912–1915 *

1909–1912 * East Fife 1909–1915 *

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

'A' 1912–1912 *

Forfar Athletic Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two. They play their home games a ...

1913–1915 * Heart of Midlothian 'A' 1910–1911 * King's Park 1909–1915 * Kirkcaldy United 1909–1915 * Lochgelly United 1909–1912, 1913–1914 * Montrose 1914–1915 * St Johnstone F.C. 1909–1911 * Stenhousemuir 1909–1915 The league closed down in 1915 because of the War but when the

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

refused to re-institute the Second Division in 1919, the Central Football League was re-formed. Since this competition was independent, member clubs could attract players by paying higher wages than those allowed under the maximum wage rules that applied to Scottish League clubs. Champions *1919–20 Bo'ness *1920–21 Bo'ness Membership *Alloa Athletic 1919–1921 *Armadale 1919–1921 *Bathgate 1919–1921 *Bo'ness 1919–1921 *Broxburn United 1919–1921 *Clackmannan 1920–1921 *Cowdenbeath 1920–1921 * Dundee Hibernian 1920–1921 *Dunfermline Athletic 1919–1921 *East Fife 1919–1921 *

East Stirlingshire East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish association football club based in the town of Falkirk. The club was founded in 1881 and competes in the , in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. The club's origins ca ...

1919–1921 *Falkirk 'A' 1919–1921 *Heart of Midlothian 'A' 1919–1921 *King's Park 1919–1921 *Lochgelly United 1920–1921 * St Bernard's 1919–1921 *St Johnstone 1920–1921 *Stenhousemuir 1919–1921 In 1921, the Central League was absorbed by the Scottish League as the Second Division.

References

{{Defunct football competitions in Scotland Defunct football leagues in Scotland