The 2014 BOV Winter League will comprise two divisions, the Premier and the First Division.
The top division will have six teams, with the seventh team, the ASA U-19 selection, playing out of competition while the second tier league will have four participants.
Aquatic Sport Association (ASA) president Joe Caruana Curran told a press conference yesterday that they were pleased to witness a heightened interest in the winter competition.
“It is the first time that this league will consist of two divi-sions and this was due to a large number of participating teams,” he said.
The competition, due to start on February 21 and end on May 17, will coincide with the play-offs of the European Championship in which Malta play against France in Montpellier (February 15) and the return tie at home on March 1.
The break of the Winter League during April will also see the national team take part in an eight-nation tournament in Limerick, Ireland, in preparation for the Commonwealth Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Caruana Curran thanked the BOV for their continued spon-sorship which has now reached its seventh consecutive year.
He said that the top league will be played over one round with each team involved in six matches, while the second division will be contested over two rounds so that the teams will also play six matches.
Whereas the Premier teams will be Exiles, Neptunes, San Ġiljan, Sirens, Sliema and Valletta, the First Division sides are Marsascala, Marsaxlokk, Otters and Ta’ Xbiex.
In yesterday’s draw, last year’s winners, Neptunes, alongside tp guns San Ġiljan and Sliema, were separated from Exiles, Sirens and Valletta to ensure that the com-petition would reach a climax with matches between the more fancied teams.
In the Premier Division opener, San Ġiljan will take on Sirens preceded by the Ta’ Xbiex-Otters match.
The press conference at Tal-Qroqq, yesterday, was also addressed by Anthony Scicluna, BOV Chief Officer.
He said that the close contests which have marked the most recent competitions, with the winners being decided in the last seconds of the final matches, will definitely continue to raise inter-est in the game among the Maltese public.
Opening matches
Feb. 21: 18.45 Ta’ Xbiex vs Otters. 20.00 San Ġiljan vs Sirens.
Feb. 22: 14.45 Marsascala vs Mar-saxlokk. 16.00 Valletta vs Sliema; 17.15 Exiles vs Neptunes.