The BOV Winter League starts off today.
Held for the first time in 1994, this pre-season competition has now reached its 20th edition, with the 2005 competition not being held.
The novelty of this year’s league, which has attracted 11 teams, is that it will consist of two divisions, the Premier and First Division.
Six teams plus the out-of-competition ASA junior side will make up the top-tier played over one round, while four teams will contest the lower one played over two rounds.
All teams will thus play six matches each over a 12-week period, with a stoppage throughout April to allow for the commitments of the national team.
Holders and eight-times winners Neptunes, Sliema, who won the title seven times, Sirens (three) and San Ġiljan (one) will be joined by Exiles and Valletta in the race for the first honour of the year in a 21-game programme which ends on May 17 with the Sliema-Neptunes clash.
The three teams which ended at the top of the summer league last year, Neptunes, San Ġiljan and Sliema, were seeded so as they would meet each other towards the end of the winter campaign and thus make for an exciting finish.
This split in the divisions will definitely do away with highly one-sided dreary matches we had over the past years. At the same time, the teams in the lower division will relish the competitive element when they face one another.
Neptunes will be for the time being without Steve Camilleri, on duty with RN Bogliasco, Sean Gravina, who is understood to have called it a day, and possibly for the first few matches Niki Lanzon.
Meanwhile, Benji Lanzon has joined Exiles on loan. The Reds should, however, have new signing Andrew Zarb Cousin, who was on loan from Exiles to Sirens.
Sliema have offloaded Daniel Paolella, Michael Spiteri Staines and David Abela, all of whom are now on loan at Valletta, with Nicky Bonello Ghio likewise being retained by the City team, and Michael Cordina now permanently on Valletta’s books.
The Blues have made up for these departures by signing Alex Attard and Jurgen Borg from Sirens, and goalkeeper Keith Schembri from Marsascala.
San Ġiljan should have Christian Gialanze missing but are expected to have the promising Andreas Galea back after his loan spell with Ta’ Xbiex.
Sirens, on their part, will be relying mostly on their promising youngsters following some departures, while the same can be said of Exiles. The latter have signed Ian Bugeja on a permanent basis from Neptunes.
With several new acquisitions Valletta, winners of the lower division double last year, will be a much stronger outfit and will certainly offer stiff opposition to the other contestants.
In the First Division, there have been cosmetic changes for Marsascala, Marsaxlokk, Otters and Ta’ Xbiex as a result of movement of players during the off-season.
Fixtures
Today: 6.45pm Ta’ Xbiex vs Otters; 8pm Exiles vs Neptunes.
Tomorrow: 2.30pm Marsascala vs Marsaxlokk.
Sunday: 10.45am Valletta vs Sliema; noon San Ġiljan vs Sirens.