By Adam Morris and Chris Green
It is the unique league format designed to inject high drama into the conclusion of Scotland’s football season.
But it has now emerged the country’s “top six split” places additional stress on the police, and incurs extra costs of tens of thousands of pounds.
New figures have shown the final Old Firm game of last season cost almost £200,000 to police – compared to an average of closer to £35,000.
Each season, the top league separates into two halves of six in the final weeks, ensuring those at the top and the bottom are playing their closest competitors.
But the nature of the scheduling – where the dates and times of crunch fixtures are decided sometimes just a couple of weeks in advance – leaves shift managers scrambling resources to cover the events.
Depending on the notice given, officers working at the fixtures may be paid time-and-a-half or double time.
Despite the additional cost, football experts defended the system, arguing it makes the conclusion to the football season more exciting, drawing hordes of fans and generating extra revenue for clubs and local businesses.
Police Scotland said it works closely with clubs to ensure safety at matches, with each fixture risk assessed.
“The closing stages of the season present particular challenges for policing, especially following the announcement of the post-split fixtures,” a spokesperson added.
“Due to the dynamic nature of the Scottish football league, planning is constrained until match dates, times and venues are confirmed by the football authorities.
Police Scotland
“This can have implications for police resources, local communities and overall policing costs.”
The freedom of information response from Police Scotland shows Celtic-Rangers fixtures in March, August and November last year cost between £24,000 and £37,000 to police.
But in May 2025 – shortly after the “top six” fixtures were announced – the game cost £196,000 to cover.
The response stated: “The fixture in May was shortly after the Scottish Premiership ‘split’ where there was short notice on the first fixtures with insufficient time to roster officers without incurring additional costs.”
Another Glasgow derby will take place this coming weekend. As well as being a top six fixture, giving police less time than usual to plan, it has added complications.
The clubs are locked in a three-way battle with Heart of Midlothian for the title, and the previous Old Firm fixture – a clash at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup in April – triggered unsavoury scenes on and off the pitch involving both sets of fans.
Police Scotland acknowledged “challenges have been heightened” because of the unusually competitive end to the season.
However, the split – a version of which also takes place in Belgium but isn’t generally replicated in major European leagues – has added spice to this year’s calendar.
Duncan McKay, Terrace podcast
It ensures the trio of teams vying for the crown will play each other, and it often also provokes drama at the other end of the table, where sides seeking to avoid the drop must also face off.
“For a long while it felt like Scottish football was in a death spiral with our glory days long behind us,” said Scottish football expert Duncan McKay, from the Terrace Podcast.
“The last decade has seen a rejuvenation across the game in Scotland with more fans of all backgrounds attending matches as the game has accepted what it is, and what it is not.
“The long decried ‘split’ is now an integral part of the season, bringing drama, excitement and heartache. It’s become a USP for the league that for so long struggled to assert its identity.”
Some costs can be recovered from the clubs involved, but those rarely cover the additional challenges which can feature before and after the match.
“Of course you know there’s going to be an Old Firm game that will require heavy policing, but you don’t know when,” said David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation.
“Depending on how much notice the fixture schedule provides, a lot of officers will either be due time-and-a-half or double-time for being called in at such short notice.”
