Namibia Premier League champions Black Africa will open the defence of their title against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates when the first round of the 2012/13 MTC NPL season kicks off on September 22.
In other first round matches, SKW will face Ramblers; Mighty Gunners will host Tigers; and Eleven Arrows will host Civics.
Newly promoted Tura Magic will host Blue Waters, while Rundu Chiefs will travel to Windhoek to face African Stars.
The provisional NPL fixture draw for the new season was announced in Windhoek on Wednesday, while three envisaged cup competitions were also announced.
Although none of the cup competitions have been finalised, the NPL are in talks with potential sponsors to host two knockout cup competitions in addition to the NFA Cup competition which is scheduled to resume after a one-year absence.
At the launch, Mabos Vries of the NPL executive committee said they had made great strides over the past few seasons.
“The Premier League budget has increased from N$7 747 000 during the 2009/10 season to N$10 655 000 in the 2011/12 season. Most importantly, though, the direct support to clubs has increased from N$300 000 to N$511 111 for the same period,” he said.
Vries however said they aimed to raise the bar in the new season.
“We would like to see a competitive league, packed stadiums, and enable the rest of the country to see NPL action on their screens, which is a challenge on its own and ultimately realize many of the player’s dreams to join the best in the world at club and international level,” he said.
The NPL League Administrator Tovey Hoebeb said they were busy negotiating with potential sponsors to add two new cup competitions to the new season’s. The first cup competition will herald in the new season with the first round knockout matches taking place on 15 and 16 September. The latter stages of the competition have been scheduled for October 20 and 21, with the final scheduled for December 15.
The second cup competition will precede the start of the NPL second round and will start on the weekend of January 12 and 13, 2013. It will continue on 23 and 24 March, with the final scheduled for April 14.
Hoebeb said the NFA was negotiating with sponsors for the NFA Cup to resume and would make an announcement in due course. The NFA Cup competition is scheduled to start on December 8 with the elimination rounds for first and second division clubs, while the final is scheduled for May 26, 2013.
The provisional fixture list for the 2012/13 season is attached.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| MTC NPL 2012:13 Fixtures.doc | 66.5 KB |