Champions Birkirkara to face Sliema Wanderers in first league match

Champions Birkirkara were drawn to meet Sliema Wanderers in their first match from the BOV Premier League. The National League draws were held on Monday at the Centenary Hall, Ta’ Qali.

Runners-up Valletta take on newly-promoted Vittoriosa Stars while BOV First Division champions will be meeting Tarxien Rainbows. The other games for Day 1 are: Floriana vs Hibernians and Qormi vs Hamrun Spartans. These matches will be played between September 11 and 13.

Photos: Copyright © domenic aquilina

MFA President Dr Joe Mifsud thanked Bank of Valletta for their support throughout this sponsorship and said that the project through which the association is helping member clubs and associations in the improvement of facilities is also possible thanks to BOV as the loan obtained from the bank enabled the association to increase the funds available from €2 million to €4.5 million.

Dr Mifsud once again emphasised on the MFA’s battle against corruption, urging anyone who is aware of any such case to come forward. This was the only way to keep the game clean.

Charles Borg, Chief Officer Financial Markets and Investments assisted Dr Joe Mifsud in the drawing of fixtures for all divisions of the BOV National Football Leagues. He said that six years ago, when the two parties discussed the possibility of sponsorship, the bank accepted this offer with enthusiasm as this was a means of participation by BOV in the largest sport on the island.

Mr Borg said “This is the sixth season that Bank of Valletta is supporting the National Football Leagues. We are very happy with the level of competition, with the outcome of the last two seasons being decided in the
very last matches. This has led to an increased interest in local football by the public and a better performance by our teams in European competitions.”

The BOV Premier League first round comes to an end on November 28 while the last game from the first phase will be played on February 14. There will be no matches between December 20 and January 6.

The second phase gets underway on February 18 while the last league game will be played on May 8.

The match sequence is as follows:

Valletta: VIT – HIB – QOR – BKR – TAR – MXL – SLI – HAM – FLO
Vittoriosa Stars: VAL – QOR – TAR – SLI – FLO – HIB – BKR – MXL – HAM
Floriana: HIB – BKR – MXL – HAM – VIT – QOR – TAR – SLI – VAL
Hibernians: FLO – VAL – BKR – MXL – HAM – VIT – QOR – TAR – SLI
Qormi: HAM – VIT – VAL – TAR – SLI – FLO – HIB – BKR – MXL
Hamrun Spartans: QOR – TAR – SLI – FLO – HIB – BKR – MXL – VAL – VIT
Tarxien Rainbows: MXL – HAM – VIT – QOR – VAL – SLI – FLO – HIB – BKR
Marsaxlokk: TAR – SLI – FLO – HIB – BKR – VAL – HAM – VIT – QOR
Sliema Wanderers: BKR – MXL – HAM – VIT – QOR – TAR – VAL – FLO – HIB
Birkirkara: SLI – FLO – HIB – VAL – MXL – HAM – VIT – QOR – TAR

The BOV Super Cup will be played on Saturday 21st August while the first round of the U*BET FA Trophy will be played on November 13 and 14. The second round is scheduled for December 8, the quarter-finals for March 18 and 19, semi-finals for May 14 and 15 and the final for May 22.