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.
The Second Division began as a single national division, 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.
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.
History The Second Division was initially a single national competition, played as a double round-robin.
Champions National division champions – league level 3: 1999-00: Forfar Farmington 2000–01: Hamilton Athletic 2001–02: Hawkcraig United 2002–03: Falkirk L.F.C. 2003–04: Arsenal North 2004–05: Inverness City 2005–06: Buchan 2006–07: Cowdenbeath 2007–08: Celtic Reserves
Regional division champions – league level 3: 2008–09: South-West / West: Glasgow City Reserves 2008–09: South-East / Central Musselburgh Windsor
2009: South-West / West Troon 2009: South-East / East / Central Airdrie United
Season North group West group East group South East group Ref 2010 Aberdeen City Paisley Saints Ladies Hibernian 2000 – 2011 Buchan Kilwinning Sports Club Forfar Farmington 2012 Stonehaven Murieston United Dunfermline Athletic Heart of Midlothian 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 DevelopmentScottish Women's Football, Twitter 10 Nov 2015 Central Girls Academy Motherwell
Regional division champions – league level 4:
Season North/East West/South West West/Central South East/Central Ref 2016 Granite CitySWFL 2 2016 North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 RenfrewSWFL 2 2016 South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Partick ThistleSWFL 2 2016 Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Dundee UnitedSWFL 2 2016 East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 2017 DeveronvaleSWFL 2 2017 North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 MortonSWFL 2 2017 South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Blackburn UnitedSWFL 2 2017 Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 BaysideSWFL 2 2017 East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 2018 MontroseSWFL 2 2018 North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Ayr UnitedSWFL 2 2018 South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Glasgow City BSWFL 2 2018 Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Kelty HeartsSWFL 2 2018 East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 2019 Dundee WestSWFL 2 2019 North. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 MortonSWFL 2 2019 South-West. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 BishoptonSWFL 2 2019 Central. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021 Edinburgh CaledoniaSWFL 2 2019 East. Soccerway. Retrieved 5 November 2021
Seasons 1999–2008 In the season 2000–01, Hamilton Athletic finished top of the 10-team national Second Division.
Arthurlie Falkirk GC Wellpark Hamilton Athletic Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Inverurie Utd Livingston Middlefield WSC Preston Whitehill Welfare
Falkirk Ladies had won promotion from the SWFL Third Division in 1999–2000, and they became the Second Division champions in 2002–03, ahead of Dundee City and Civil Service Strollers. Falkirk sealed the title with late-season wins over St. Johnstone away and Dundee City at Brockville.
In 2005–06, the top teams in the division were champions Buchan Girls, Crichton, Cowdenbeath, Arsenal North 2nd LFC and Thistle LFC. Cowdenbeath won the 2006–07 championship.
2007–08 was the last season of the national SWFL Second Division. The member clubs were:
Celtic 'B' Dundee City Dunfermline Athletic East Kilbride Thistle Hamilton Academical 'B'
Kemnay F.C. Kilmarnock Paisley Saints Maryhill Tynecastle
2008–2012 After the switch to the three regional divisions (North, East and West) in 2008–09, the Second Division's member clubs were:
North: Aberdeen University Buchan Dee Vale Dons Ladies Dundee City Dundee University Forfar Farmington Lassies Glendale Ladies Kemnay Monifieth SLB Harriers Stonehaven Ladies
West: Airdrie United (replaced Clyde LFC after two matches) Glasgow City Reserves Glasgow Ladies B Glasgow University Hamilton Accies 'B' Linwood Rangers Loudon Maryhill Paisley Saints Team Strathclyde Troon F.C. Kilmarnock withdrew before the season started
East: Boroughmuir Dunfermline Athletic East Fife Hibernian B Motherwell Murieston United Musselburgh Windsor Spartans B Stenhousemuir Ladies St. Johnstone
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).
The three-division system continued with the new schedule, in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
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.
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.
2013 Member clubs in the 2013 season:
North Division No clubs accepted promotion from the 2012 North competition, with champions Stonehaven and runners-up Dee Vale competing again in 2013.
Luthermuir were transferred from the Second Division East where they played in 2012. Elgin City were formerly known as Moray Ladies.
Aberdeen LFC Development, Aberdeen Aberdeen LFC Reserves Buchan Ladies Youth, Cruden Bay Dee Ladies, Aberdeen Dee Vale, Maryculter Elgin City, Elgin Kemnay, Kemnay Luthermuir Stonehaven, Stonehaven Turriff United, Turriff
East/Central Division 2012 champions Dunfermline Athletic and runners-up East Fife Ladies were promoted to the SWFL First Division, however both clubs entered reserve sides in the Second Division in 2013. East Fife added the suffix Violet after linking up with Cupar Violet GFC.
Raith Rovers were relegated from the 2012 First Division. Falkirk FC were transferred from the South East Division while Stenhousemuir arrived from the West Division. Tayside Ladies, a senior section of Celtic Girls (Tayside), entered for the first time. Arbroath CSC and Monifieth who resigned during the 2012 season did not return.
Dundee City, Dundee Dunfermline 2013, Dunfermline East Fife Violet, Levenmouth Falkirk FC, Falkirk Falkirk LFC Reserves Forfar Farmington Ladies Jeanfield Swifts, Perth Raith Rovers, Kirkcaldy Stenhousemuir, Stenhousemuir Tayside Ladies, Lochee
South East Division 2012 champions Hearts were promoted to the SWFL First Division but entered a development side in the Second Division in 2013. Edinburgh Caledonia, Hutchison Vale Reserves and Murieston United Reds were new clubs.
Boroughmuir Thistle Edinburgh Caledonia, Edinburgh FC Edinburgh Ladies, Edinburgh Hearts Development Hibernian Development Hutchison Vale Reserves Leith Athletic, Edinburgh Murieston United Reds, Livingston Musselburgh Windsor, Musselburgh Seton Ladies, Port Seton Spartans Reserves
West/South West Division 2012 champions Murieston United were promoted to the SWFL First Division. Hamilton Caledonian, Irvine Thistle, Kilwinning Development, Mill United and Whitburn joined the league in 2013; EK Galaxy dropped out, while Hamilton Academical Reserves withdrew to play in a new development league.
Claremont, East Kilbride Dumfries, Dumfries Glasgow Girls, Glasgow Hamilton Caledonian, Hamilton Irvine Thistle, Irvine Kilwinning Development Mill United, Hamilton Stranraer, Stranraer Viewfield Rovers, Lochwinnoch Whitburn, Whitburn
2017 The following teams played in the SWFL Second Division during the 2017 season. As well as first teams, the SWFL structures also incorporated a number of development or youth teams of other SWPL and SWFL clubs.
North: Buchan Youth Buckie Ladies Deveronvale Moray Ladies Ross County Stonehaven Turriff United
West: Ayr United Bishopton Dumbarton United F.C. Kilmarnock 23s Kilwinning Morton Pollok United Queen of the South Rutherglen St Roch'sWithdrew during the season, results removed Stranraer United Glasgow Westerlands B
Central: Airdrie Blackburn United Broxburn Athletic Colts Cumbernauld Colts Development East Kilbride Girls Glasgow Girls Development Hamilton Academical Development Hawick United Linlithgow Rose Motherwell Development Murieston United Stenhousemuir
East: Bayside Dundee City East Fife Violet Edinburgh Caledonia Edinburgh South Forfar Farmington Ladies Hutchison Vale Development Letham Montrose Raith Rovers Seton Ladies Spartans Development
2019 Member clubs in the 2019 season:
North/East: Buchan Youth Dryburgh Athletic Dundee City Dunfermline Athletic U21s East Fife Development Forfar Farmington Women Granite City Ladies Jeanfield Swifts Women Moray Westdyke Thistle Ladies
Details:
South East/Central: Airdrie Ladies Blackburn United Development Borders Ladies Edinburgh Caledonia FC Falkirk Lothian Murieston United Musselburgh Windsor Stenhousemuir Stirling University Development
Details:
West/Central: Bishopton BSC Glasgow Clyde FC Glasgow Girls U23s Motherwell Development Pollok United Renton Craigandro Ladies St Mirren WFC United Glasgow West Park United
Details:
West/South West: Annan Athletic Ladies FC Clark Drive Ladies East Kilbride Thistle Ladies Gleniffer Thistle Kilwinning Mid Annandale Ladies Morton Women Rutherglen Stewarton United Ladies Stranraer Ladies
Details:
See also Scottish Women's Football League Second Division Cup
References
External links Scottish Women's Football Scottish Women's League results and tables since 1972 at Scottish Football Historical Results Archive