by The first fixtures for the Assikura Women’s Youth League were drawn last Friday, while those of the BNF Women’s National League were also confirmed on Saturday. The two leagues will also undergo several changes and will feature a few new faces.
Age Brackets, Playing Schedules and Teams All Among the Expected Changes
Similar to the Assikura Women’s League, The Sporting Fan understands that the two youth leagues will also undergo a few changes. The ages of the players competing in both leagues will differ from previous years and will become more aligned with UEFA standard age groups. The Assikura Women’s Youth League is expected to be limited to players who are under nineteen years of age, with a few caveats that will be confirmed in due course. As its name implies the U16 league will be limited to those who are between twelve and fifteen years of age.
The days on which matches are to be played are also expected to change for the Assikura Women’s Youth League. The revision in fixture schedules is understood to be in an effort to address the controversy raised last May, which highlighted the fact that certain players were playing in different leagues on consecutive days. Further details on the changes, including the way competitions will be set up throughout the season, are expected to be confirmed following executive signoff.
It is not only the league structures that will be changing. Both competitions will see a mixture of new and returning faces in the clubs and players competing. As things stand, six sides are expected to take part in the Assikura Women’s Youth League, while the U16 league will feature nine teams.
First Matchups in the Assikura Women’s Youth League
The number of teams will not change from last year, but there are some developments in the teams. Similar to the senior’s league (Assikura Women’s League), Raiders Lija has ceased to exist with the majority of the players transferring into the newly formed side of Valletta FC Women.
Meanwhile, the team of Mtarfa Mgarr Zebbug (MMZ) has been disbanded. In its stead, Mtarfa and Mgarr have teamed up with the Gozitan side of S.K. Victoria Wanderers to form SKMM.
Similarly to the Assikura Women’s League, the first matchday will see Valletta FC Women pitted against Hibernians FC. Meanwhile, the defending champions Birkirkara will be welcomed by San Gwann. Lastly, SKMM will debut against Swieqi United.
Opening Fixtures in the Women’s U16 League
The league will feature two new teams in Santa Lucia and Lija Athletic. The two are expected to debut against each other on the Sunday the 27th of August. As noted above, SKMM is also a new name and will also introduce a few faces. The side will participate in both youth leagues and the U16s will debut against Gudja United.
Meanwhile, Valletta FC Women will kick off its maiden campaign against San Gwann FC. There will also be a heavy-weight matchup between Birkirkara and Hibernians, whilst defending champions Swieqi United will receive a bye and thus sit out the first matchday.
The calendar for the first nine matchdays has been set as indicated in the graphic below.
Stay up to date by following The Sporting Fan on social media: Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Twitter
1 Response
[…] Julian Buhagiar will have an additional trio at his disposal. The club confirmed that Ana Vella, Carla Giles and Zealand Attard will be forming part of the U16 squad next season. The trio will first face San Gwann. […]