Arabian Gulf League 2015/16 season set for early start



The 2015/16 season is set for an early start after the Football Association and the Pro League Committee (PLC) announced the calendar for next season on Wednesday night.

Starting proceedings will be the Arabian Gulf Super Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser, on August 15. The first round of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) season will take place over three days, from August 20-22, before pausing for 19 days to allow for an international break.

The first two rounds of the Arabian Gulf Cup are scheduled during the AGL hiatus, with Round 1 on August 27-28 and Round 2 on on September 4-5. The Arabian Gulf Cup final is scheduled for March 25, 2016, with the final round of the AGL season on May 21, 2016.

The PLC held several meetings with national team coach Mahdi Ahli before finalising the calendar in an attempt to avoid issues that came up during the 2014/15 season. Among the changes are not holding any matches during the first three days of Eid al Adha, as well as allowing clubs a one-month window between Eid al Fitr and the start of the AGL season in which to hold preseason preparations. Alternative match days have been proposed to allow for the potential progression of UAE teams in continental competitions.

sports@thenational.ae

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