2023–24 Maltese Challenge League
Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Dates | 16 September 2023 – 5 May 2024 |
Champions | Melita |
Promoted | Melita Żabbar St. Patrick |
Relegated | Attard Luqa St. Andrew's Msida Saint-Joseph Żejtun Corinthians |
Matches played | 195 |
Goals scored | 501 (2.57 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa (17 Goals) |
Biggest home win | Żebbuġ Rangers 6-0 Msida Saint-Joseph (17 March 2024) Melita 5-1 Pietà Hotspurs (27 April 2024) |
Biggest away win | Attard 0-6 Żebbuġ Rangers (7 April 2024) |
Highest scoring | Fgura United 4-4 Melita (17 December 2023) |
Longest winning run | Melita (7 Games) |
Longest unbeaten run | Senglea Athletic (12 Games) |
Longest winless run | Msida Saint-Joseph (13 Games) |
Longest losing run | Msida Saint-Joseph (11 Games) |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → All statistics correct as of 5 May 2024. |
The 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-level league football in Malta. It is the fourth season that the competition has been running in its present form.
The top two teams (Melita and Żabbar St. Patrick) were promoted to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League. The bottom four teams (Msida Saint-Joseph and three others) will be relegated to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.
Teams
The league consisted of sixteen teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, four teams promoted from the 2022-23 Maltese National Amateur League, and two teams relegated from the 2022-23 Maltese Premier League.
Team changes
The following teams have changed divisions since the 2022–23 season:
To Maltese Challenge LeaguePromoted from Maltese National Amateur League Relegated from the Maltese Premier League | Promoted to the Maltese Premier League Relegated to Maltese National Amateur League
|
![Map of Malta and the sixteen teams of the 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Malta_location_map.svg/550px-Malta_location_map.svg.png)
![St. Andrews](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png)
Team | Location | Manager |
---|---|---|
Attard | Attard | ![]() |
Fgura United | Fgura | ![]() |
Lija Athletic | Lija | ![]() |
Luqa St. Andrew's | Luqa | ![]() |
Marsa | Marsa | ![]() |
Melita | San Ġiljan | ![]() |
Msida Saint-Joseph | Msida | ![]() |
Pietà Hotspurs | Pietà | ![]() |
Senglea Athletic | Senglea | ![]() |
St. Andrews | St. Andrew's, Malta | ![]() |
Swieqi United | Swieqi | ![]() |
Tarxien Rainbows | Tarxien | ![]() |
Żabbar St. Patrick | Zabbar | ![]() |
Żebbuġ Rangers | Żebbuġ | ![]() |
Żejtun Corinthians | Zejtun | ![]() |
Żurrieq | Żurrieq | ![]() |
Kits
Team | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Attard | Givova | Bilven Ltd, Searched | A to Z Electronics (Both) | |
Fgura United | Adidas | Fundazzjoni Sebħ, Trust Stamp, Euro Bridge, Iveco (Top Left) | EuroSport (Top), Rad Auto Dealer (Bottom) | Fundazzjoni Sebħ (Right), Hair Haven (Left) |
Lija Athletic | Macron | Falzon Group Of Companies | TeamSport (Top), La Crema (Bottom) | |
Luqa St. Andrew's | Macron | Seduta Construction | Bilon Service (Right) | |
Marsa | Legea | F Schembri | ||
Melita | Hummel | Atlas Insurance | Hub88 (Top), Burger King (Middle) Eurosport (Bottom) | I nouv (Right), VIBE (Left) |
Msida Saint-Joseph | Legea | C.A.M.C. Security, MTZ Group (Top Left) | Sports Locker (Top), The Tub (Bottom) | Cuschieri Group (Left), KF Kebab (Right) |
Pietà Hotspurs | Jartazi | Famalco.net, A1 Supplies, Xuereb Installation | Farstone Construction (Top) | |
Senglea Athletic | Givova | Palumbo, AUM, JCJuc Ltd | ||
St. Andrews | Macron | Fiat, Frank Salt | atg (Left), Marsali (Right) | |
Swieqi United | Erima | Platin P Casino, BEHR | Eight Four Capital (Top) | |
Tarxien Rainbows | Erreà | Cassar, Dee Spas | Cargo Nigel (Bottom) | AEN (Right) |
Żabbar St. Patrick | Erreà | The Shoreline | DL Group (Top), Kristal (Bottom) | |
Żebbuġ Rangers | Joma | The Convenience Shop, Coop Italia | ||
Żejtun Corinthians | Erreà | Inno-hit | Magic Castle (Right) | |
Żurrieq | Erima | Trust Payment | Xace (Top), Corendion, D£, B.home (Bottom) | Tax ORB (Left), Firetech (Right) |
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Melita | ![]() | End of Contract | 24 April 2023 | Pre-season | ![]() | 25 May 2023 |
Marsa | ![]() | End of Caretaker | ![]() | 15 May 2023 | ||
Żurrieq | ![]() | Resign | 29 April 2023 | ![]() | 10 May 2023 | |
Żabbar St. Patrick | ![]() | End of Caretaker | 2 May 2023 | ![]() | 20 May 2023 | |
Żebbuġ Rangers | ![]() | End of Contract | 3 May 2023 | ![]() | 19 May 2023 | |
Pietà Hotspurs | ![]() | 6 May 2023 | ![]() | 26 May 2023 | ||
St. Andrews | ![]() | 7 May 2023 | ![]() | 13 May 2023 | ||
Żejtun Corinthians | ![]() | 15 May 2023 | ![]() | 29 May 2023 | ||
Swieqi United | ![]() | Signed by Sirens | 24 May 2023 | ![]() | 26 May 2023 | |
St. Andrews | ![]() | Sacked | 21 October 2023 | 13th | ![]() | 21 October 2023 |
Senglea Athletic | ![]() | 21 November 2023 | 10th | ![]() | 30 November 2023 | |
St. Andrews | ![]() | End of Caretaker | 21 January 2024 | 15th | ![]() | 21 January 2024 |
Venues
On 29 January 2024. The Malta Football Association introduced another three stadiums Charles Abela Stadium, Luxol Stadium and Sirens Stadium due to the final fixture of the first round that played five matches at the same time.[1]
Pembroke | Mosta | San Pawl il-Baħar | Ta' Qali | Hamrun | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Luxol Stadium | Charles Abela Stadium | Sirens Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Victor Tedesco Stadium | |
Capacity: 600 | Capacity: 700 | Capacity: 800 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 1,962 | |
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Regular season
During the regular season, each team plays each other once (either at home or at away). The top six teams qualify for the Top Six, while the bottom ten teams qualify for the Play-Out.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Żabbar St. Patrick | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 33 | Qualification for the Top Six |
2 | Melita | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 21 | +11 | 31 | |
3 | Senglea Athletic | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 29 | |
4 | Marsa | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 28 | |
5 | Pietà Hotspurs | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 27 | |
6 | Żurrieq | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 27 | |
7 | Fgura United | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 26 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
8 | Lija Athletic | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 22 | |
9 | Swieqi United | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 21 | |
10 | Tarxien Rainbows | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 17 | |
11 | Żejtun Corinthians | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 17 | |
12 | Luqa St. Andrew's | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 16 | |
13 | St. Andrews | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 11 | |
14 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 10 | |
15 | Attard | 15 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 33 | −19 | 8 | |
16 | Msida Saint-Joseph | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 29 | −20 | 6 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions or teams for relegation).
Results
Home \ Away | ATT | FGU | LJA | LQA | MSA | MEL | MSI | PIE | SEN | STA | SWQ | TAR | ZAB | ZEB | ZEJ | ZUR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attard | — | 1–2 | 2–3 | — | 0–6 | — | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — | 1–1 | — |
Fgura United | — | — | 3–0 | — | 1–2 | 4–4 | — | 0–4 | — | 2–0 | 1–3 | — | 2–3 | — | — | — |
Lija Athletic | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 2–3 | 3–2 | — | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | — | 4–1 | 4–0 |
Luqa St. Andrew's | 4–1 | 0–3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 1–3 | — | 2–0 | — |
Marsa | — | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | — | 3–3 | — | 1–3 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 4–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–2 |
Melita | 1–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | 4–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
Msida Saint-Joseph | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | — | 0–4 | — |
Pietà Hotspurs | — | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 2–0 |
Senglea Athletic | 2–0 | 3–3 | — | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 2–0 | 0–1 |
St. Andrews | — | — | 1–2 | — | 1–4 | 0–3 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | — | 2–3 |
Swieqi United | 1–1 | — | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | — |
Tarxien Rainbows | 4–2 | 0–1 | — | — | 3–3 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 0–0 |
Żabbar St. Patrick | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | — | — |
Żebbuġ Rangers | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 3–0 | — | 0–2 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 0–5 |
Żejtun Corinthians | — | 3–2 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 4–1 | — | — |
Żurrieq | 1–1 | 1–4 | — | 1–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Second phase
Top Six
The top six teams from the regular season face each other twice more (once at home and once away), with the top two teams earning promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Melita (C) | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 56 | 24 | +32 | 59 | Promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League |
2 | Żabbar St. Patrick (P) | 25 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 20 | +18 | 51 | |
3 | Marsa | 25 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 44 | 30 | +14 | 40 | |
4 | Pietà Hotspurs | 25 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 38 | |
5 | Senglea Athletic | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 35 | |
6 | Żurrieq | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 36 | −9 | 35 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions).
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Results
Home \ Away | MSA | MEL | PIE | SEN | ZAB | ZUR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marsa | — | 0–4 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 |
Melita | 1–0 | — | 5–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 |
Pietà Hotspurs | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 4–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
Senglea Athletic | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–3 |
Żabbar St. Patrick | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | 2–0 |
Żurrieq | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–4 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Play-Out
The bottom ten teams from the regular season face each other for the second time (either at home or away), with the bottom four teams being relegated to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Swieqi United | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 38 | |
2 | Fgura United | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 37 | |
3 | Lija Athletic | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 31 | 44 | −13 | 32 | |
4 | Tarxien Rainbows | 24 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 31 | |
5 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 36 | 34 | +2 | 29 | |
6 | St. Andrews[a] | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 28 | |
7 | Luqa St. Andrew's[a] (R) | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 28 | Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League |
8 | Żejtun Corinthians (R) | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 27 | |
9 | Attard (R) | 24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 25 | 46 | −21 | 18 | |
10 | Msida Saint-Joseph (R) | 24 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 16 | 53 | −37 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide teams for relegation).
(R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ a b St. Andrews and Luqa St. Andrew's finished equal on points, A play-off decider determines the loser will be Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.
Results
Home \ Away | ATT | FGU | LJA | LQA | MSI | STA | SWQ | TAR | ZEB | ZEJ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Attard | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 1–0 | 0–6 | 0–1 |
Fgura United | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
Lija Athletic | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–0 |
Luqa St. Andrew's | — | — | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | — | — | — |
Msida Saint-Joseph | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | — | 1–3 | 2–3 | — | — | — |
St. Andrews | 2–1 | 0–0 | 5–0 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | — |
Swieqi United | 0–2 | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 3–1 | — |
Tarxien Rainbows | — | 0–1 | — | 3–3 | 3–1 | — | — | — | 3–1 | 0–0 |
Żebbuġ Rangers | — | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 6–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 1–0 |
Żejtun Corinthians | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | — | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.
Relegation tie-breaker
With both St. Andrews and Luqa St. Andrew's level on 28 points, a play-off match was conducted to the looser will be Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.
5 May 2024 | St. Andrews | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Luqa St. Andrew's | Ta' Qali |
15:00 CEST |
|
| Stadium: Centenary Stadium Referee: Daniel Portelli |
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
- As of 28 April 2024[2]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Melita | 17 |
2 | ![]() | Marsa | 13 |
![]() | Zebbug Rangers | ||
4 | ![]() | Attard | 12 |
![]() | Fgura United | ||
6 | ![]() | Luqa St. Andrews | 11 |
7 | ![]() | Lija Athletic | 10 |
![]() | Luqa St. Andrews | ||
![]() | Zabbar St.Patrick | ||
10 | ![]() | Fgura United | 9 |
![]() | Pieta Hotspurs | ||
![]() | Zurrieq |
Hat-tricks
Player | For | Against | Result | Stadium | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Melita | Msida Saint-Joseph | 4-0 (H) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 1 October 2023 |
![]() | Tarxien Rainbows | Attard | 4-2 (H) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 22 October 2023 |
![]() | Marsa | 6-0 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 4 November 2023 | |
![]() | Żurrieq | St. Andrews | 3-2 (A) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 2 December 2023 |
![]() | Pieta Hotspurs | Marsa | 3-1 (A) | 10 December 2023 | |
![]() | Melita | Fgura United | 4-4 (A) | 17 December 2023 | |
![]() | Marsa | St. Andrews | 4-1 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 27 January 2024 |
![]() | Tarxien Rainbows | Lija Athletic | 4-0 (A) | 11 February 2024 | |
![]() | Marsa | Senglea Athletic | 4-1 (H) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 6 April 2024 |
![]() | Żebbuġ Rangers | Attard | 6-0 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 7 April 2024 |
![]() | Żabbar St. Patrick | Żurrieq | 4-1 (A) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 21 April 2024 |
![]() | St. Andrews | Lija Athletic | 5-0 (H) | Sirens Stadium, San Pawl il-Baħar | 28 April 2024 |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
Clean sheets
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Żabbar St. Patrick | 13 |
2 | ![]() | Melita | 12 |
![]() | Senglea Athletic | ||
4 | ![]() | Tarxien Rainbows | 11 |
5 | ![]() | Zebbug Rangers | 9 |
6 | ![]() | Marsa | 8 |
![]() | Zejtun Corinthians | ||
8 | ![]() | Pieta Hotspurs | 7 |
![]() | Swieqi United | ||
![]() | Zurrieq |
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 12
Camilo Del Castillo Escobar (Attard)
- Most red cards: 2
Lucas Vinicius Viana Prati (Lija Athletic)
Josmar Galea (Żejtun Corinthians)
Club
- Most yellow cards: 63
- Most red cards: 6
References
- v
- t
- e
- Premier League
- Challenge League
- National Amateur League
- FA Trophy
- Super Cup