NPL season ends July 15

THE Nigeria Premier League (NPL) which will kick off on January 7 is expected to end on July 15, officials have announced.'We hope to go strictly with these dates and that is why we are asking for the co-operation of everyone involved especially the clubs,' executive secretary of the NPL Tunji Babalola told MTNFootball.comA complete fixture list of the 2011/12 season shows that the teams will play mid-week matches to make up for lost time after the season began far behind schedule.The second transfer window in the league will be between February 29 and March 3 after Week 11 matches.On February 29, an NPL All-Stars team will take on the league leaders in a special match.The first round of the season is slated to end on April 8, while another special match between the NPL All-Stars and league leaders at that time will be staged on 11.This will also provide the last transfer window before the second round of the championship resumes on April 14.Dolphins of Port Harcourt are the defending champions and they open the new term on January 7 against last season's runners-up Sunshine Stars of Akure.The four promoted teams are Rising Stars, Akwa United, Jigawa Golden Stars and Wikki Tourists.The official fixtures also confirmed that Bukola Babes will now be known as ABS FC following the formal takeover of the club by senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
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