Champions Hibernians will kick off their title defence against St Andrews as the draws of the MFA leagues were held at the governing body headquarters in Ta’ Qali yesterday.
This year the BOV Premier League is being played on a new format after it was expanded to 14 teams who will face each other on a round-robin format for a total of 182 matches.
The championship gets underway on August 18 with the final match scheduled for April 21.
The top team will be crowned champions while the runners-up and the third-placed side will qualify for the Europa League.
The 12th-placed side in the division will face a play-off with the team finishing third in Division One. The bottom two sides will be relegated.
The Paolites, who won their 13th league title last May, were handed a rather plain-sailing start as after playing St Andrews they will be up against less-quoted opposition in their first six league matches with Floriana providing the stiffest test on matchday three.
The Greens will be involved in the plum fixture of the opening programme when the FA Trophy winners will be up against Birkirkara while they are also scheduled to face Balzan on matchday 6.
Balzan and Valletta were both handed comfortable openers as they face newly-promoted Naxxar Lions and Mosta respectively.
Sliema Wanderers will play Senglea Athletic while Division One champions Lija Athletic take on Gżira United.
Ħamrun Spartans will open their campaign against Tarxien Rainbows.
“We are just a few weeks away from the start of the much-talked-about Premier League championship with 14 teams,” Angelo Chetcuti, general secretary of the Malta FA, told a news conference yesterday.
“A lot has been said about the changes in the championship format but we’re looking forward to what promises to be another exciting title race.
“Last season, we saw four teams battling for the title until the final weeks of the season despite the fact that points were not halved and this year we are expecting a similar battle.”
The general secretary also revealed that this year’s champions will be presented with a new league trophy which is currently being manufactured by Thomas Lyte, the same London company that produced the newly-designed FA Trophy last season.
Season tickets
Dr Chetcuti also announced that the Malta FA have revived talks with the Premier Division Standing Committee regarding the introduction of season tickets as from this season.
“I am pleased to announce that talks with the Premier League clubs regarding the introduction of season tickets this season are progressing well and we are hopeful of reaching an agreement soon,” the MFA secretary said.
“The new agreement will see clubs receive a bigger share from the sales of the season tickets and hopefully we will be able to launch this initiative in the coming weeks.”
Premier League matches will be spread over three days this season with one match scheduled for Friday evening, four pencilled for Saturday while the other two games will be played on Sunday.
The Premier League top matches will be held at the National Stadium while the other games will be played in three other venues, the Hibs Stadium, the Tedesco Stadium and the Centenary Stadium who will again start hosting top-flight encounters as from this season.
The draws of the First, Second and Third Division were also held yesterday.
The Division One championship gets underway on September 8 and comes to a close on April 22.
The top two sides will be promoted while the bottom two teams will be relegated.
The team who finishes 12th will be involved in a relegation/promotion play-off with the third-placed side in Division Two.
Thirteens teams will form the Second Division that gets under way on September 9 and finishes on April 15.
The top two teams are promoted to Division One while the bottom two go down to Division Three.
Here a relegation/promotion play-off will also be played between the 11th-placed side in the division and the third placed in Division Three.
The Third Division will see the participation of 14 teams and will be played between September 8 and April 21.
The teams placing in the top two positions will be promoted while the bottom two will have to apply for re-admission.
2017-18 Match Sequence
BALZAN
vs Naxxar; St Andrew’s; Sliema; Ħamrun; Valletta; Floriana; Lija; Gżira; Birkirkara; Mosta; Tarxien; Senglea; Hibernians.
BIRKIRKARA
vs Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Lija; Balzan; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun.
FLORIANA
vs Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Balzan; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Lija.
GŻIRA UNITED
vs Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana; Balzan; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta.
ĦAMRUN SPARTANS
vs Tarxien Rainbows; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Balzan; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Lija Athletic; Birkirkara.
HIBERNIANS
vs St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Balzan.
LIJA ATHLETIC
vs Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Balzan; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana.
MOSTA
vs Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun Spartans; Floriana; Gżira United; Balzan; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema Wanderers.
NAXXAR LIONS
vs Balzan; Sliema; Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea.
SENGLEA ATHLETIC
vs Sliema; Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Balzan; Naxxar.
SLIEMA WANDERERS
vs Senglea; Naxxar; Balzan; Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta.
ST ANDREW’S
vs Hibernians; Balzan; Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien.
TARXIEN RAINBOWS
vs Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira; Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Valletta; Lija; Birkirkara; Balzan; Hibernians; St Andrew’s.
VALLETTA
vs Mosta; Senglea; Naxxar; Sliema; Balzan; Lija; Birkirkara; Tarxien; Hibernians; St Andrew’s; Ħamrun; Floriana; Gżira.
Opening programmes
Premier League (August 18-20)
Balzan vs Naxxar Lions; Hibernians vs St Andrews; Sliema vs Senglea; Tarxien vs Ħamrun Spartans; Valletta vs Mosta; Birkirkara vs Floriana; Lija Athletic vs Gżira.
Division One (September 8-10)
Żejtun vs Qrendi; Pieta vs Rabat Ajax; San Ġwann vs Vittoriosa; Mqabba vs Żebbuġ Rangers; Marsa vs Qormi; Żabbar vs Pembroke Athleta; Sirens vs Melita.
Division Two (September 9-10)
Kalkara vs Siġġiewi; Attard vs Sta Luċija; Birżebbuġa vs Għargħur; St George’s vs Luqa; Swieqi vs Mġarr; Fgura vs Marsaxlokk, Gudja bye.
Division Three (September 16-17)
Msida SJ vs Mdina Knights; Ta’ Xbiex vs Mtarfa; Xgħajra vs Għaxaq; Dingli vs Sta Venera; Mellieħa vs Marsaskala; Żurrieq vs Kirkop.