The SPL has been running since 1998/99 and in that time there have been 1,730 different players taking to the field in our top flight.

All time appearances

The following is a table of the players who have made the most appearances in the SPL since its inception. These are the players who have turned in week in and week out for their clubs and are considered the stalwarts of the division. They don't take too many injuries, they haven't had their heads turned by moves outside the division and have performed steadily for years.

Steven Hammell holds the record for the most SPL appearances, having been a first-pick at Fir Park in his two spells at the club. His club captain Stephen Craigan is in fourth place, with his Motherwell appearances topped up by his spell at Partick Thistle. Kilmarnock stalwarts James Fowler and Garry Hay also feature highly.

Scott Severin is in third place on the list, and is the only player to have played in every season of the SPL, making his debut with Hearts in 1998/99 and making 347 appearances with them, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Dundee United. Darren Mackie has over a decade at Pittodrie, with Steven Pressley just a single appearance behind following spells at Hearts, Celtic and Falkirk.

Colin Nish is also a man of many clubs, with spells at Kilmarnock, Hibs and Dunfermline, as was Darren Dods at St Johnstone, Dundee United and Inverness, while Kris Boyd fell just short of 300 games for Kilmarnock and Rangers.

One-club men

The following list is a top ten of players who have played the most games for a single club in the SPL. Some may have played for more than one club, but these stats only reflect their time at one team.

Six of the names also appear on the all time appearance list, but Stephen Craigan drops down when his appearances for Partick are removed, and Steven Pressley falls behind once his appearances at Celtic and Falkirk are removed. Ian Murray also drops once his spell at Rangers is discounted. Barry Ferguson climbs into this list with his two spells at Rangers, while Martyn Corrigan sneaks into the top ten. Barry Smith was a stalwart for Dundee during their time in the Scottish top flight, but both he and Corrigan are likely to be overtaken by Keith Lasley, who has made 240 appearances for Motherwell. Russell Anderson and Ross Tokely could also sneak into the top ten in the coming months.

But what about my club?

The following is a table of the leading SPL appearance makers for each team that has ever graced our top flight.

Obviously the clubs that have been in every season (Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Hearts, Motherwell and Rangers) tend to have players that have made more appearances. Gretna, Partick and St Johnstone have had less opportunity for their players to build up large numbers of games in the top flight.