The 2021/22 BOV Premier league kicks off on August 12. The fixtures of the opening five matchdays of the 2021/22 BOV Premier League have been issued.

This season, there will be twelve teams in the Premier League, twenty-two in the Challenge League, and nineteen in the National Amateur League. In 2022/23, the number of teams in the Premier League would get back to fourteen and the number of teams in the Challenge League would go down to eighteen so that in season 2023/24, the proper format with fourteen teams in the Premier League, sixteen in the Challenge League and the remaining teams in the National Amateur League would be obtained.

Premier League 2021/22

The League shall be played in two phases, namely a First Phase which will be followed by a Second Phase, as follows:

During the First Phase, the League shall be played by all the twelve clubs on a double-round basis.
At the end of the First Phase, the clubs classified between the first and the sixth place during the First Phase shall play against each other on a single round basis known as Top Six – Final Round.
The clubs classified between the 7th and 12th place during the First Phase shall play against each other on a single round basis known as Play-Out – Final Round.

At the end of the Second Phase:
(a) the highest placed club of the Top Six – Final Round shall be declared the Champion of the Premier Division; and
(b) the bottom two clubs of the Play-Out – Final Round shall be relegated to the Challenge League.

In short, this is the format for this season:

PREMIER LEAGUE (12 teams)
First Phase – two rounds
Second Phase: Top Six Final Round – one round
Play-Out Final Round – one round
Relegated (2): Teams placing 5th and 6th in Play-Out Final Round

CHALLENGE LEAGUE (22 teams)
Two groups of 11 teams each playing on two rounds
Championship Decider: 1st in Group A vs 1st in Group B
Promoted (4): 1st and 2nd in Group A; 1st and 2nd in Group B
Relegated (6): 9th, 10th and 11th in Group A; 9th, 10th and 11th in Group B

NATIONAL AMATEUR LEAGUE (19 teams)
Two groups – one of 10 teams and one of 9 teams each playing on two rounds
Championship Decider: 1st in Group A vs 1st in Group B
Promotion (4): 1st in Group A, 1st in Group B, winner of Promotion Decider and winner of Promotion Play-Offs
(Promotion Decider: 2nd in Group A vs 2nd in Group B)
(Promotion Play-Offs:
First Round – Match 1: 4th in Group A vs 5th in Group B and Match 2: 4th in Group B vs 5th in Group A
Second Round – Match 3: 3rd in Group A vs Winner Match 2 Match 4: 3rd in Group B vs Winner Match 1
Third Round – Winner Match 3 vs Winner Match 4
Final – Winner Third Round vs Loser Promotion Decider)

Source: maltafootball.com

Below are Gudja United’s first 5 Matchdays.