2016_Liberian_First_Division_League
2016 Liberian First Division League
Football league season
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.
A 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
| 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
Note: 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 |
| 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[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 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:
Winner of the 2015–16 Liberian FA Cup will qualify for the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup.
Scoring
Top scorers
- 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
- As of matches played on 24 January 2016.
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mulbah Urey |
BYC FC | 1 |
| Samson Giddings |
FC Fassell | ||
Discipline
- As of matches played on 24 January 2016
Player
- 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
- Most yellow cards: 3[7]
- LPRC Oilers
- Most red cards: 1[7]
- ELWA United
Monthly awards
| 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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- "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.
- "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]
- "Cellcom First Division League - Most Yellow Cards". Liberia FA. Retrieved 24 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
- "Cellcom First Division League - Most Red Cards". Liberia FA. Retrieved 24 January 2016.[permanent dead link]