Premier League Closing Season kicks off this weekend

The Premier League of Belize, under the guidance of a “Caretaker Committee” appointed by the FFB, is set to kick off the first round of its 2013-2014 Closing Season with 3 games scheduled for this coming weekend. The complete schedule, consisting of a double round-robin, has been released, and it includes 6 groups of mid-week games, as well as games on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, all in an effort to complete the regular season by April 30, with semifinals and finals being finished by May 18.

The same 7 clubs from the Opening Season are participating in the Closing Season, with a berth in the CONCACAF Champions League as the main prize to be claimed by the aggregate points leader between the champions of the two tournaments.

Opening Season champions Belmopan Bandits will, of course, be without the services of Deon McCaulay, who, according to latest word from the FFB, should be fully cleared within a couple days to start playing in the North American Soccer League for his new club, Atlanta Silverbacks. Despite their appeal, Verdes FC will also be without 5 suspended players for the duration of the Closing Season – Norman “Tilliman” Nunez, Gilroy “Bredda” Thurton, Orland Lyons, Julian Maldonado and Jacinto “Fowl” Bermudez.

Closing Season Week 1 schedule:

Saturday, March 8
7:30 p.m. – Belmopan Bandits FC vs Verdes FC – Isidoro Beaton Stadium
7:30 p.m. – Belize Defence Force FC vs Paradise/Freedom Fighters – Carl Ramos Stadium

Sunday, March 9
4:00 p.m. – FC Belize vs San Ignacio United FC – MCC Grounds
(Police United FC off-week)