The SPFL has today confirmed the date for the commencement of league competitions at the start of the 2016/17 Scottish football season.
All four SPFL leagues – the Ladbrokes Premiership, Ladbrokes Championship, Ladbrokes League 1 and Ladbrokes League 2 – will kick off on the weekend of Saturday August 6, 2016.
The 2016/17 league season start will follow the group stages of the new format of the Scottish League Cup when eight groups of five teams will play each other once each in a round-robin format across five July dates (16th, 20th, 23th, 27th & 30th), subject to TV selections.
This new 80-game group stage will involve all 38 teams not involved in UEFA qualifiers plus winners of this season’s Highland League and Lowland League.
SPFL season 2016/17 will also see the reintroduction of a winter break – for the Ladbrokes Premiership only – with the 12 top-flight clubs enjoying a three-week break from league games, equating to two full weekends without SPFL matches, in January 2017.
The full fixture lists for the 2016/17 SPFL league season are expected to be announced in June.
