2015–16_Maltese_Premier_League
2015–16 Maltese Premier League
Football league season
The 2015–16 Maltese Premier League was the 101st season of the Maltese Premier League. The season began on 21 August 2015 and concluded on 30 April 2016.[1] Hibernians were the defending champions, having won their 11th title the previous season.
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Valletta (23rd title) |
| Relegated | Qormi Naxxar Lions |
| Champions League | Valletta |
| Europa League | Hibernians Birkirkara |
| Matches played | 198 |
| Goals scored | 632 (3.19 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Balzan 8–0 Naxxar Lions |
| Biggest away win | Naxxar Lions 0–8 Hibernians |
| Highest scoring | Birkirkara 6–3 Mosta |
← 2014–15 2016–17 → | |
The Maltese Premier League consisted of three rounds, for a total of 33 matches per team, with the first two rounds played between 21 August 2015 and 14 February 2016, and the third and final round played from 20 February to 30 April 2016.[1] After the end of the second round, the points earned were halved.
The format for the 2015–16 Maltese Premier League was the same as the previous season. First all teams meet twice in a round-robin format for a total of 22 matches. After the two first rounds all teams advanced to a second phase where half of the points from the first two rounds were carried over and teams played each other once.[2] These rules were changed before the previous season after a decision not to split the teams for a championship round and relegation round.[3]
| Ta' Qali | Ta' Qali | Paola | Hamrun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ta' Qali National Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Tony Bezzina Stadium | Victor Tedesco Stadium | |
| Capacity: 16,997 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 2,968 | Capacity: 1,962 | |
Pietà Hotspurs and Żebbuġ Rangers were relegated after they finished eleventh and twelfth, respectively, the previous season. Pembroke Athleta, the 2014–15 First Division champion, made their debut in the Premier League. Runner-up St. Andrews returned to the highest level for the first time since the 1993–94 season.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balzan | Balzan | Victor Tedesco Stadium | 6,000 |
| Birkirkara | Birkirkara | Ta' Qali National Stadium | 17,797 |
| Floriana | Floriana | Independence Arena | 3,000 |
| Hibernians | Paola | Hibernians Ground | 8,000 |
| Mosta | Mosta | Charles Abela Memorial Stadium | 600 |
| Naxxar Lions | Naxxar | Centenary Stadium | 2,000 |
| Pembroke Athleta | Pembroke | Sirens Stadium | 1,500 |
| Qormi | Qormi | Qormi Ground | 1,000 |
| Sliema Wanderers | Sliema | Tigne Sports Complex | 1,000 |
| St. Andrews | St. Andrew's | Luxol Sports Ground | 800 |
| Tarxien Rainbows | Tarxien | Tony Cassar Sports Ground | 1,000 |
| Valletta | Valletta | Centenary Stadium | 2,000 |
Source: Scoresway
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valletta | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 49 | 21 | +28 | 53 |
| 2 | Hibernians | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 53 | 25 | +28 | 50 |
| 3 | Balzan | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 21 | +21 | 45 |
| 4 | Birkirkara | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 41 | 20 | +21 | 42 |
| 5 | Floriana | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 39 |
| 6 | Tarxien Rainbows | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 37 | 17 | +20 | 37 |
| 7 | Mosta | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 29 | 33 | −4 | 30 |
| 8 | Pembroke Athleta | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 25 |
| 9 | Sliema Wanderers | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 24 |
| 10 | Naxxar Lions | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 22 | 54 | −32 | 14 |
| 11 | Qormi | 22 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 19 | 49 | −30 | 9 |
| 12 | St. Andrews | 22 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 14 | 66 | −52 | 5 |
Results (matches 1–22)
| Home \ Away | BAL | BIR | FLO | HIB | MOS | NXX | PEM | QOR | SLI | StA | TAR | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balzan | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Birkirkara | 4–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Floriana | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 |
| Hibernians | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–4 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Mosta | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–4 | — | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 |
| Naxxar Lions | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–7 | 0–1 | — | 1–5 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–5 | 1–2 |
| Pembroke Athleta | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
| Qormi | 0–5 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–5 | 1–2 | — | 3–6 | 3–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 |
| Sliema Wanderers | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 6–1 | 0–2 | 2–4 |
| St. Andrews | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–5 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Tarxien Rainbows | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–3 |
| Valletta | 0–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
All teams advanced to the second round. Teams kept their records from the first round, but their points from the first round were halved and rounded. Teams played each other once.[2]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valletta (C) | 33 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 69 | 27 | +42 | 53 | Qualification for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League |
| 2 | Hibernians | 33 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 85 | 33 | +52 | 49 | Qualification for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League |
| 3 | Birkirkara | 33 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 64 | 29 | +35 | 47 | |
| 4 | Balzan | 33 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 44 | |
| 5 | Floriana | 33 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 39 | |
| 6 | Tarxien Rainbows | 33 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 59 | 31 | +28 | 35 | |
| 7 | Sliema Wanderers[lower-alpha 1] | 33 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 51 | −2 | 30 | |
| 8 | Pembroke Athleta | 33 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 48 | 61 | −13 | 24 | |
| 9 | Mosta | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 42 | 60 | −18 | 22 | |
| 10 | St. Andrews (O) | 33 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 32 | 90 | −58 | 13 | Qualification for the Relegation Play-Offs |
| 11 | Naxxar Lions (R) | 33 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 29 | 95 | −66 | 12 | Relegation to the 2016–17 Maltese First Division |
| 12 | Qormi (R) | 33 | 3 | 4 | 26 | 26 | 80 | −54 | 9 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Sliema Wanderers would have qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League by winning the 2015–16 Maltese FA Trophy, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[4]
Results (matches 23–33)
| Home \ Away | BAL | BIR | FLO | HIB | MOS | NXX | PEM | QOR | SLI | StA | TAR | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balzan | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | 8–0 | 2–1 | — | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Birkirkara | — | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 6–3 | — | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | — | — | — |
| Floriana | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | 4–0 | 2–3 | — | — | 3–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 |
| Hibernians | 3–1 | — | 3–1 | — | 3–0 | — | — | 6–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — |
| Mosta | 0–3 | — | 2–4 | — | — | — | 3–5 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 |
| Naxxar Lions | — | 0–4 | — | 0–8 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — |
| Pembroke Athleta | — | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | 3–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–4 | — |
| Qormi | 0–3 | — | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | — | — | — | 1–0 | 2–4 | — | 0–2 |
| Sliema Wanderers | 3–3 | — | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 4–2 | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 0–3 |
| St. Andrews | — | 1–3 | — | 1–4 | — | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | — | — | 2–3 | — |
| Tarxien Rainbows | — | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | — | 6–1 | 0–1 | — | — | — |
| Valletta | — | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | 2–0 | — | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
A play-off match took place between St. Andrews, the tenth-placed team from the Premier League and Senglea Athletic, the third-placed team from the First Division for a place in the 2016–17 Maltese Premier League.
| St. Andrews | 2–1 | Senglea Athletic |
|---|---|---|
Pena Beltre  52'Nwoko 86' |
Report | Dalli 20' (pen.) |
- As of 12 April 2016
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Lydon Micallef |
Balzan | 17 |
| 2 | Alfred Effiong |
Balzan | 16 |
| 3 |  Mario Fontanella |
Floriana | 15 |
| 4 |  Gilmar Da Silva Ribeiro |
Hibernians | 14 |
 Federico Falcone |
Valletta | ||
| 5 | Michael Mifsud |
Valletta | 12 |
 Abdelkarim Nafti |
Valletta | ||
| Jorge Da Silva Pereira |
Hibernians | ||
Source: MFA Archived 24 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine
- "MFA Match calendar for 2015/16 season". mfa.com.mt. Malta Football Association. 15 June 2015. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- "Premier League: season rules". scoresway.com. Scoresway. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- "BOV Premier League kicks-off on Saturday". maltafootball.com. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "Old meets new in KO duel". Times of Malta. 14 May 2016.