| Country: | Scotland |
| Confed: | UEFA |
| Teams: | 10 |
| Promotion: | Scottish Championship |
| Relegation: | Scottish League Two |
| Level: | 3 |
| Pyramid: | Scottish football league system |
| Domest Cup: | Scottish Cup |
| League Cup: | Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Champions: | Falkirk (1st title)[1] |
| Season: | 2023–24 |
| Most Successful Club: | Dunfermline Athletic (2 titles) |
| Tv: | BBC Alba |
| Current: | 2024–25 Scottish League One |
The Scottish League One, known as William Hill League One for sponsorship reasons,[2] is the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish League One was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.[3]
Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion. If points are equal, the goal difference determines the winner. If this still does not result in a winner, the tied teams must take part in a playoff game at a neutral venue to determine the final placings.[4]
The champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Championship, swapping places with the bottom club of the championship.[4] The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th in League One, and the 9th placed team in the Championship then enter the two-legged Championship play-off. The 2nd-placed League One club plays the 3rd-placed League One club, whilst the team who finished 4th in League One will play the 9th-placed Championship side. The winners of these ties will then play each other. If a League One play-off winner prevails, that club is promoted, with the championship club being relegated. If the Championship side is victorious, they then retain their place in the Championship.[4]
For promotion and relegation, the League One play-off system closely mirrors itsChampionship counterpart, in which the bottom club of League One is automatically relegated and the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs from League Two.[4]
Listed below are all the teams competing in the 2024–25 Scottish League One season, with details of the first season they entered the third tier; the first season of their current spell in the third tier; and the last time they won the third tier.
| Team | Position in 2023–24 | First season in third tier | First season of current spell in third tier | Last title (3rd tier) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloa Athletic | 3rd, Scottish League One | 1975–76 | 2021–22 | — |
| Annan Athletic | 8th, Scottish League One | 2023–24 | 2023–24 | — |
| Arbroath | 10th, Scottish Championship (relegated) | 1986–87 | 2024–25 | 2018–19 |
| Cove Rangers | 5th, Scottish League One | 2020–21 | 2023–24 | 2021–22 |
| Dumbarton | 4th, Scottish League Two (promoted) | 1954–55 | 2024–25 | 1991–92 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 9th, Scottish Championship (relegated) | 1997–98 | 2024–25 | — |
| Kelty Hearts | 6th, Scottish League One | 2022–23 | 2022–23 | — |
| Montrose | 4th, Scottish League One | 1923–24 | 2018–19 | 1984–85 |
| Queen of the South | 7th, Scottish League One | 1923–24 | 2022–23 | 2012–13 |
| Stenhousemuir | 1st, Scottish League Two (promoted) | 1974–75 | 2024–25 | — |
See also: List of Scottish Professional Football League stadiums.
| Alloa Athletic | Annan Athletic | Arbroath | Cove Rangers | Dumbarton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recreation Park | Galabank | Gayfield Park | Balmoral Stadium | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| Capacity: [5] | Capacity: | Capacity: [6] | Capacity: 3,023 | Capacity: [7] |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Kelty Hearts | Montrose | Queen of the South | Stenhousemuir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonian Stadium | New Central Park | Links Park | Palmerston Park | Ochilview |
| Capacity: [8] | Capacity: 2,181[9] | Capacity: [10] | Capacity: 8,690[11] | Capacity: [12] |
See main article: List of winners of the Scottish League One and predecessors.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Top scorer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=270 | Player | Goals | ||
| 2013–14 | Rangers | Dunfermline Athletic | Michael Moffat (Ayr United) | 26 |
| 2014–15 | Greenock Morton | Stranraer | Declan McManus (Greenock Morton) | 20 |
| 2015–16 | Dunfermline Athletic | Ayr United | Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Dunfermline Athletic) Rory McAllister (Peterhead) | 22 |
| 2016–17 | Livingston | Alloa Athletic | Andy Ryan (Airdrieonians) | 23 |
| 2017–18 | Ayr United | Raith Rovers | Lawrence Shankland (Ayr United) | 26 |
| 2018–19 | Arbroath | Forfar Athletic | Kevin Nisbet (Raith Rovers) | 30 |
| 2019 - 20[13] | Raith Rovers | Falkirk | David Goodwillie (Clyde) | 20 |
| 2020 - 21 | Partick Thistle | Airdrieonians | Mitch Megginson (Cove Rangers) | 14 |
| 2021 - 22 | Cove Rangers | Airdrieonians | Mitch Megginson (Cove Rangers) | 18 |
| 2022 - 23 | Dunfermline Athletic | Falkirk | Callum Gallagher (Airdrieonians) Ruari Paton (Queen of the South) | 22 |
| 2023 - 24 | Falkirk | Hamilton Academical | Callumn Morrison (Falkirk) | 23 |
[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
| width=45 | Rank | Player | Club(s)[25] | width=45 | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | 1 | Rory McAllister | Peterhead (2014–2017; 2019–2020) Cove Rangers (2020–2022) Montrose (2022–2023) | 83 | ||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 2 | Calum Gallagher | Rangers (2013–2014) Dumbarton (2018–2019) Airdrieonians (2019–2023) | align=center rowspan=2 | 68 | |
| Ryan Wallace | Dunfermline Athletic (2013–2016) Albion Rovers (2016–17) Stranraer (2017) Arbroath (2018–2019) East Fife (2019–2022) | |||||
| 4 | Alan Trouten | Brechin City (2013–2015) Ayr United (2015–2016) Brechin City (2016–2017) Albion Rovers (2017–2018) Alloa Athletic (2021–2022) | align=center | 58 | ||
| align=center | 5 | Liam Buchanan | East Fife (2013–2014) Livingston (2016–2017) Raith Rovers (2017–2019) | align=center | 55 | |
| align=center | 6 | Michael Moffat | Ayr United (2013–2014) Dunfermline Athletic (2014–2016) Ayr United (2017–2018) | align=center | 54 | |
| align=center | 7 | David Goodwillie | Clyde (2019–2022) | align=center | 46 | |
| align=center | 8 | Ayr United (2013–2014) Stranraer (2013–2017) Alloa Athletic (2017–2018) | align=center | 45 | ||
| align=center | 9 | Greig Spence | Cowdenbeath (2015–2016) Alloa Athletic (2016–2017) Raith Rovers (2017–2018) Arbroath (2019) East Fife (2021) Stirling Albion (2023–) | align=center | 44--> |