The 2016 Liberian First Division League (known as the LFA-Cellcom First Division League for sponsorship reasons)[1] is the 43rd season of the Liberian Premier League, the Liberian professional league for association football clubs, since the league's establishment in 1956.
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 17 (3.4 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Junior Barshall Justino Jackson (2 goals) |
| Biggest away win | Keitrace FC 0-4 BYC (24 January 2016) |
← 2015 2016–17 →
All statistics correct as of 24 January 2016.Note: Walkovers counted in matches played but not counted in goals scored. | |
The season was expected to start on Thursday 10 December 2015 but was postponed because some clubs had not completed the CAF Club Licensing criteria.[2] The season finally commenced on 23 January 2016.
Teams
editA total of 10 teams are contesting the league, including seven sides from the 2015 season and three promoted from the 2015 Second Division League. On 20 & 27 September 2015, Mighty Dragons FC and ELWA United FC both earned promotion from the 2015 Second Division League after playing each other in a two-legged Second Division Championship Playoff with Mighty Dragons being crowned Second Division Champions after a 3-2 aggregate win.[3] Holder FC also claimed a promotion place, after defeating Mighty Blue Angels in the Promotion Playoff.[3]
The three teams replaced Jubilee FC, Aries FC, and MC Breweries who were relegated to the Second Division.
Two other First Division Clubs: I.E. and NPA Anchor were denied participation for the 2015-16 season due to their failure to meet the statutory requirements in the Club Licensing System.[4]
Stadia and locations
edit
| Clubs | Location | stadium | capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrack Young Controllers | Monrovia | The Blue Field | 3,000 |
| ELWA United | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
| FC Fassell | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
| Holder FC | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
| Keitrace FC | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
| LISCR F.C. | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
| LPRC Oilers | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
| Mighty Dragons FC | Gbarnga | Gbarnga Sports Stadium | 2,000 |
| Nimba United | Mt. Barclay | NorthStar Sports Stadium | 1,000 |
| Watanga F.C. | Monrovia | ATS | 10,000 |
Personnel
editNote: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Coach1 |
|---|---|
| Barrack Young Controllers | Cooper Sannor |
| ELWA United | TBA TBA |
| FC Fassell | Sam Chebli |
| Holder F.C. | TBA TBA |
| Keitrace F.C. | TBA TBA |
| LISCR FC | Robert Lartey |
| LPRC Oilers | Gabriel Johns |
| Mighty Dragons | TBA TBA |
| Nimba United | Kollie Korvey |
| Watanga F.C. | TBA TBA |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrack Young Controllers (C) | 20 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 12 | +32 | 49 | Qualification for 2017 CAF Champions League |
| 2 | FC Fassell | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 38 | |
| 3 | Nimba United | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 32 | |
| 4 | Watanga | 20 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 29 | |
| 5 | LISCR | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 27 | |
| 6 | LPRC Oilers | 20 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 24 | |
| 7 | ELWA United | 20 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 29 | −9 | 22 | |
| 8 | Keitrace | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 33 | −9 | 21[a] | |
| 9 | Mighty Dragons | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 39 | −21 | 19 | Relegation to LFA-Cellcom Second Division |
| 10 | NPA Anchors | 20 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 24 | −8 | 18 | |
| 11 | Holder | 20 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 36 | −15 | 15 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ^ 2 points deducted?
Winner of the 2015–16 Liberian FA Cup will qualify for the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup.
Season statistics
editScoring
editTop scorers
edit- As of matches played on 24 January 2016.[5]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Junior Barshall
|
BYC FC | 2 |
| Justino Jackson
|
Holder FC | ||
| 3 | Trokon Saykiameh
|
ELWA United | 1 |
 Adetu Evanonye
|
Nimba United | ||
| Mark Payne
|
BYC FC | ||
| Dominic Jlateh
|
LISCR FC | ||
| Chris Jackson
|
LISCR FC | ||
| Kesselly Kamara
|
FC Fassell | ||
| Abraham Kwateh
|
Watanga FC | ||
| Kelvin Potis
|
Watanga FC |
Clean sheets
edit- As of matches played on 24 January 2016.
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mulbah Urey
|
BYC FC | 1 |
| Samson Giddings
|
FC Fassell |
Discipline
edit- As of matches played on 24 January 2016
Player
edit- Most yellow cards: 1[6]
- Patrick Jackson (LPRC Oilers)
- Sholee Quiah (Nimba United)
- Wilton Ninneh (Nimba United)
- Saylee Swen (LPRC Oilers)
- Trokon Zeon (LPRC Oilers)
- Most red cards: 1[6]
- Trokon Saykiameh (ELWA United)
Club
edit- Most yellow cards: 3[7]
- LPRC Oilers
- Most red cards: 1[7]
- ELWA United
Awards
editMonthly awards
edit| Month | Coach of the Month | Player of the Month | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | Club | Player | Club | ||
| January | 
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| February |
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| March |
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| April |
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| May |
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| June |
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References
edit- ^ "LFA & Cellcom Renew Contract". LFA League. 22 October 2013.
- ^ "2015/2016 LFA Cellcom League Postponed". LIBERIAFA. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Second Division Championship Playoff". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ "Five Clubs Appeals Rejected for the 2015-2016 LFA-Cellcom League Season". LIBERIAFA. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "Cellcom First Division League Statistics – Top Scorers". Liberia FA. Liberia Football Association. Retrieved 24 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Cellcom First Division League - Most Yellow Cards". Liberia FA. Retrieved 24 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Cellcom First Division League - Most Red Cards". Liberia FA. Retrieved 24 January 2016.[permanent dead link]