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“To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.” – Muhammad Ali

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Vodacom Premier League announces 2016-17 fixtures

It's here... The league action will start on August 27
The Vodacom Premier League has released the fixtures for the first round of the 2016/17 season. The schedule was released on Thursday and it confirms that the season will begin on August 27.

The campaign will kick off on Saturday, August 27 with champions Lioli opening their title defence against LMPS at Setsoto Stadium, Tse Nala’s home for the 2016/17 season. On the same afternoon, newly-promoted Sky Battalion will play their first ever top-flight match when they visit Linare at Maputsoe DiFA Stadium while Kick4Life will host Likhopo.

Sunday, 28 August will see 2013 champions Bantu begin their season when they welcome Rovers to Mafeteng while Matlama will have an away match at new boys Butha-Buthe Warriors.

The following weekend (September 3) Lesotho is slated to play Algeria in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Algiers.

Even so, a full weekend of action has been scheduled by the league and September 3 is set to see a pair of big games with Matlama pencilled in to face Bantu and six-time champions LCS pitted against eight-time winners LDF.

The first league meeting of the season between Lioli and Matlama, meanwhile, will take place on November 5 at Setsoto. Before then, Lioli will host Bantu on October 16 in a meeting of two teams that have shared the last four championships.

Other notable dates are Lioli against Linare on September 18, Matlama versus Linare on October 8 and Linare’s trip to Bantu on October 29.

The fixture has also revealed that the Independence Cup will be played on the weekend of October 1 and 2. This year’s tournament will feature Lioli, Matlama, LCS and Sundawana, the top four sides from last season.

This season the 14-team league has been boosted by an increase in sponsorship money from Vodacom Lesotho. The telecommunications giant has increased its league sponsorship from M1 million last season to M1.136 million for the 2016/17 campaign.

2016/17 First Round Fixtures:

AUGUST

Week 1
Saturday, 27 August
Lioli v LMPS (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)
Kick4Life v Likhopo (15:00, Maseru)
Linare v Sky Battalion (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Sunday, 28 August
LDF v Sundawana (15:00, Ratjomose)
Bantu v Rovers (15:00, Mafeteng)
Liphakoe v LCS (15:00, Quthing)
Butha-Buthe Warriors v Matlama (15:00, Butha-Buthe)

SEPTEMBER

2017 AFCON Qualifier (September 2, 3, 4) – Algeria v Lesotho

Week 2
Saturday, 3 September
Sundawana v Linare (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Matlama v Bantu (15:00, Pitso Ground)
LCS v LDF (15:00, LCS)
LMPS v Rovers (15:00, PTC)
Sunday, 4 September
Sky Battalion v Kick4Life (15:00, TBC)
Butha-Buthe Warriors v Likhopo (15:00, Butha-Buthe)
Lioli v Liphakoe (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Week 3
Saturday, 10 September
Likhopo v Bantu (15:00, LCS)
LDF v Lioli (15:00, Ratjomose)
Kick4Life v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Maseru)
Sunday, 11 September
Sky Battalion v Sundawana (15:00, TBC)
Linare v LCS (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Matlama v LMPS (15:00, Pitso Ground)
Rovers v Liphakoe (15:00, Roma)

Week 4
Saturday, 17 September
Liphakoe v Matlama (15:00, Quthing)
Rovers v LDF (15:00, Roma)
LCS v Sky Battalion (15:00, LCS)
LMPS v Likhopo (15:00, PTC)
Sunday, 18 September
Bantu v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Mafeteng)
Sundawana v Kick4Life (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Lioli v Linare (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Week 5
Saturday, 24 September
Butha-Buthe Warriors v LMPS (15:00, Butha-Buthe)
Kick4Life v Bantu (15:00, Maseru)
Sundawana v LCS (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Sunday, 25 September
Matlama v LDF (15:00, Pitso Ground)
Likhopo v Liphakoe (15:00, LCS)
Sky Battalion v Lioli (15:00, TBC)
Linare v Rovers (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)

OCTOBER

October 1, 2 – Independence Cup

Week 6
Saturday, 8 October
Lioli v Sundawana (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)
LDF v Likhopo (15:00, Ratjomose)
Matlama v Linare (15:00, Maseru)
Sunday, 9 October
Rovers v Sky Battalion (15:00, Roma)
LCS v Kick4Life (15:00, LCS)
Bantu v LMPS (15:00, Mafeteng)
Liphakoe v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Quthing)

Week 7
Saturday, 15 October
LMPS v LCS (15:00, PTC)
Likhopo v Matlama (15:00, LCS)
Sky Battalion v LDF (15:00, TBC)
Sunday, 16 October
Sundawana v Liphakoe (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Kick4Life v Linare (15:00, Maseru)
Lioli v Bantu (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)
Butha-Buthe Warriors v Rovers (15:00, Butha-Buthe)

Week 8
Saturday, 22 October
Kick4Life v Lioli (15:00, Maseru)
Liphakoe v LMPS (15:00, Quthing)
LCS v Rovers (15:00, LCS)
Sunday, 23 October
LDF v Bantu (15:00, Ratjomose)
Matlama v Sundawana (15:00, Pitso Ground)
Linare v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Likhopo v Sky Battalion (15:00, LCS)

Week 9
Saturday, 29 October
Bantu v Linare (15:00, Mafeteng)
Sundawana v Likhopo (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Butha-Buthe Warriors v Sky Battalion (15:00, Butha-Buthe)
Sunday, 30 October
Rovers v Lioli (15:00, Roma)
LMPS v LDF (15:00, PTC)
LCS v Matlama (15:00, LCS)
Liphakoe v Kick4Life (15:00, Quthing)

NOVEMBER

Week 10
Saturday, 5 November
Rovers v Kick4Life (15:00, Roma)
LDF v Liphakoe (15:00, Ratjomose)
Lioli v Matlama (Setsoto Stadium)
Sunday, 6 November
Linare v LMPS (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Likhopo v LCS (15:00, LCS)
Sky Battalion v Bantu (15:00, TBC)
Butha-Buthe Warriors v Sundawana (15:00, Butha-Buthe)

November 12, 13 – Catch-up days

Week 11
Saturday, 19 November
LCS v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, LCS)
Bantu v Sundawana (15:00, Mafeteng)
Liphakoe v Linare (15:00, Quthing)
Sunday, 20 November
Kick4Liufe v LDF (15:00, Maseru)
Matlama v Rovers (15:00, Pitso Ground)
LMPS v Sky Battalion (15:00, PTC)
Lioli v Likhopo (15:00, Setsoto Stadium)

Week 12
Saturday, 26 November
Matlama v Kick4Life (15:00, Pitso Ground)
Linare v LDF (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Likhopo v Rovers (15:00, LCS)
Butha-Buthe Warriors v Lioli (15:00, Butha-Buthe)
Sunday, 27 November
Sky Battalion v Liphakoe (15:00, TBC)
Sundawana v LMPS (15:00, Maputsoe DiFA Stadium)
Bantu v LCS (15:00, Mafeteng)

DECEMBER

Week 13
Saturday, 3 December
Liphakoe v Bantu (15:00, Quthing)
Rovers v Sundawana (15:00, Roma)
LDF v Butha-Buthe Warriors (15:00, Ratjomose)
Kick4Life v LMPS (15:00, Maseru)
LCS v Lioli (15:00, LCS)
Likhopo v Linare (15:00, LCS)
Sky Battalion v Matlama (15:00, TBC)

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