Tournaments | Celtic Games | Honours | Club Records
Details
Competition: Glasgow League, Inter-city League
aka: Glasgow Football League, Inter-city Football League, Intercity League
Dates: Glasgow League: 1896-99, 1905-06, Inter-city League: 1899-1906
Titles for Celtic: Glasgow League (1898-99), Inter-city League (1899-00)
Background
The Glasgow League was founded in 1895 in order to increase the number of competitive fixtures for the city’s Scottish League clubs. It disbanded in 1899 when four of its clubs joined with Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian to form the Inter-City League.
The Glasgow League was reformed for two seasons in 1904.
The Inter-City League was formed in 1899 by Celtic, Queen’s Park, Rangers and Third Lanark of the Glasgow League plus Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. When Dundee, Partick Thistle and St Mirren joined in 1902, the fixture list was adjusted and the clubs met each other once only. This remained the league’s line-up until 1904 when the Glasgow sides left to reform the Glasgow League.
The Glasgow clubs left the league in 1904 to reform the Glasgow League and the Inter-City League continued with Airdrieonians, Dundee, Falkirk, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian and St Mirren and in 1905-06 with Aberdeen, Airdrieonians, Dundee and St Mirren before disbanding.
Celtic in the tournament
Celtic won only one Glasgow League & one Inter-City league title in 1898-99 & 1899-00 respectively.
Interestingly, the most successful side through this tournament’s history was actually Third Lanark! Two Glasgow League titles and one Inter-city League title for the Hi-Hi’s, whilst Celtic and Rangers had to to settle with two titles (Rangers won two Glasgow Leagues, and Celtic won one Glasgow League & one Inter-City league title). Hearts won two Inter-city League titles. Queen’s Park won one Glasgow League title and Dundee one Inter-city League title.
Most curious point is that Celtic finished a Glasgow League campaign in 1904/05 bottom of the table! That despite Celtic having won the Scottish Division One (top tier) league title the same season. Possibly an indicator for the decline in the Glasgow League in terms of commitment by Celtic and even by others, with the attendances reflecting the lack of interest too from the terraces.