Club delegates have approved a new format to the BOV Premier League during an extraordinary general meeting at the Centenary Hall.

The new format, which will come into effect as of the 2017/18 season, will see the number of teams forming part of the Premier League going up from 12 to 14 teams.

The top-flight will be played on a two-round round robin basis and no points will be deducted midway through the campaign as happened for the last 16 years.

Initially, the MFA Executive Committee had proposed that the championship will have post-season play-offs to decide qualification to European football and the third relegated side.

However, that motion met a number of amendments.

The Premier Division Standing Committee (PDSC) initially proposed that the play-offs will be abolished and that the final positions will be decided according to the final league standings at the end of the second round.

They also proposed that the relegation/promotion play-off between the team placed third from bottom in the Premier League and the side that placed third in Division One be retained.

But then Joe Borg, the Ħamrun Spartans representative, suggested that the motion will be amended to have two teams automatically relegated and the third from bottom side from all divisions will feature in a promotion/relegation play-off with the third placed side in the Premier, First and Second Division.

Borg’s proposal received simple majority and therefore a relegation play-off in all divisions will be played as from season 2017-18.

As regards the upcoming season, the PDSC proposed an amendment to the initial motion by the Executive Committee which stated that two teams will be relegated from the top flight and four will be promoted from the Division One.

The PDSC suggested that one team will be relegated from the Premier Division and the team who finished second from bottom plays a play-out against the fourth-placed side in Division One. The top three in Division One will be promoted.

The motion was approved.