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The Gozitan First Division, known for sponsorship reasons as the BOV GFL First Division, is the top division of the Gozo Football League, the league competition for men's football clubs in Gozo.
| Founded | 1937 |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Region | |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Second Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | G.F.A. Cup GFA Super Cup Independence Cup Freedom Day Cup First Division Knock-Out |
| International cup(s) | The FA Trophy Maltese |
| Current champions | Nadur Youngsters (15th title) (2023–24) |
| Website | Official site |
| Current: 2024-25 Gozo First Division | |
The GFL First Division is played on three rounds where each team plays each other once, with a total of 21 games played in total by each team, usually held between the months of September and April. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion, while the bottom club is relegated to the Second Division. A relegation play-off match takes place between the seventh-placed team in the First Division and the second-placed team in the Second Division, with the winner securing a place in the following season's First Division.
The majority of matches are played at the Gozo Stadium and Kercem Arkafort Stadium.
Clubs
edit2022–23 season
edit| Club | Position in 2021–22 | Top division titles | Last top division title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Għajnsielem | 2nd | 7 | 2015–16 |
| Kerċem Ajax | 3rd | 1 | 1985–86 |
| Nadur Youngsters | 1st | 15 | 2023–24 |
| Oratory Youths | 6th | 5 | 1959–60 |
| Qala Saints | 1st in Second Division | 0 | |
| Sannat Lions | 7th | 10 | 2010–11 |
| Victoria Hotspurs | 4th | 13 | 2018–19 |
| Xewkija Tigers | 5th | 8 | 2016–17 |
List of winners by season
edit| Club (X) | Club name and number of times they had won the title at that point (if more than one) |
|---|
Performance by club
editTitles won by club (%)
- As of 25 May 2020
- Clubs participating in the 2019–20 Gozo First Division are denoted in bold type
- Clubs no longer active are denoted in italics
| Club | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Nadur Youngsters |
15 | 13 |
| Victoria Hotspurs |
13 | 9 |
| Sannat Lions |
10 | 7 |
| Xewkija Tigers | 8 | 11 |
| Għajnsielem | 7 | 8 |
| Xagħra United | 6 | 4 |
| Oratory Youths | 6 | 1 |
| Victoria Athletics | 4 | 0 |
| S.K. Calypsians | 1 | 3 |
| S.K. Victoria Wanderers | 1 | 2 |
| Kerċem Ajax | 1 | 2 |
| Żebbuġ Rovers | 1 | 0 |
| Victoria City | 1 | 0 |
| Victoria Stars | 1 | 0 |
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e Xagħra United were known as Xagħra Blue Stars and Xagħra Young Stars.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Oratory Youths were known as Salesian Youths and Calypsian Bosco Youths.
- ^ The result of the 1956–57 championship deciding match between Salesian Youths and S.K. Calypsians is unknown.
- ^ Xewkija Tigers F.C. were known as Xewkija United
- ^ a b c S.K. Victoria Wanderers were known as Victoria United.
- ^ The 2019–20 season was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta. Nadur Youngsters were crowned as title winners based on sporting merits.
League appearances and goals
editAs at 31 December 2023[3]
Appearances
edit| No. | Player | Apps | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Camilleri | 353 | Xaghra United/Xewkija Tigers/Nadur Youngsters/Sannat Lions/Kercem Ajax/Ghajnsielem/Victoria Hotspurs |
| 2 | Jason Portelli | 308 | Victoria Hotspurs/Zebbug Rovers/Sannat Lions/Xewkija Tigers/Kercem Ajax/Xaghra United/Ghajnsielem |
| 3 | John-Paul Grima | 303 | Victoria Hotspurs/Nadur Youngsters/Victoria Wanderers/Gharb Rangers/Sannat Lions |
| 4 | Paul-Anthony Camilleri | 296 | Nadur Youngsters/Kercem Ajax/Qala St. Joseph/St. Lawrence Spurs |
| 5 | John Camilleri | 293 | Xaghra United/Ghajnsielem/Sannat Lions/Xewkija Tigers/Kercem Ajax/Victoria Hotspurs |
Goals
edit| No. | Player | Goals | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Camilleri | 156 | Xaghra United/Ghajnsielem/Sannat Lions/Xewkija Tigers/Kercem Ajax/Victoria Hotspurs |
| 2 | Antonio Claudio Pavlidis Cadu | 138 | Nadur Youngsters/Kercem Ajax/Xewkija Tigers |
| 3 | Sabri Rais | 135 | Victoria Hotspurs/Xewkija Tigers/Sannat Lions/Kercem Ajax |
| 4 | Chris Camilleri | 126 | Xaghra United/Xewkija Tigers/Nadur Youngsters/Sannat Lions/Kercem Ajax/Victoria Hotspurs |
| 5 | Frank Muscat | 125 | Sannat Lions/Victoria United/Xewkija Tigers/Victoria Hotspurs |
References
edit- ^ "Gozo - List of Champions". RSSSF. 13 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Gozo - Final Tables". RSSSF. 5 June 2005.
- ^ Kelder Lennard, GOZO TOP LEAGUE RECORDS - ALL TIME RECORDS (Malta, 2023)