Scots' Participation In Scottish Premiership In Sharp Decline

The percentage of players in Scotland's top football league who were born in the country has "dropped sharply since the turn of the century," research found, according to Chris McCall of the SCOTSMAN. Scots made up 54% of players in the Scottish Premiership in '17, down from 59% in '00 and 96% in '60. The changes "mirror a growing internationalisation of professional football leagues across Europe," analysis by the New York Times found. The Scottish Premiership, known as the Scottish Premier League until '13, is "now more cosmopolitan in its make-up than at almost any point in its history." English players account for 17% of the rosters at the 12 Premiership clubs, up from 6% in '00 and 2% in '60. Northern Irishmen accounted for 5% of Scottish Premiership players in '17, while those from elsewhere in Europe accounted for 9% (SCOTSMAN, 1/3).