Preferred Season Dates Survey

Of the 68 clubs that voted 41 clubs (60.3%) voted to extend the season further into September.

27 Clubs (39.7%) voted for the status quo – i.e. finishing on the first Saturday in September.

Of the 41 clubs that wanted change 22 clubs requested no August Bank Holiday Monday fixtures

A further 10 Clubs voted to start and end 1 week later.

A further 9 Clubs voted to start 1 week later and end 2 weeks later.

In the circumstances the LMC have agreed therefore to go by the wishes of the majority of clubs.

The  2016 season will start on Saturday 23 April and end on Saturday 10 September.

There will be no regular matches fixtured for May Day Bank Holiday Monday 2 May or August Bank Holiday Monday 29 August.

The usual exceptions are the four Premier 50/50 Cup games on 2 May and the one rogue Premier 2^nd XI fixture, which annually doesn’t fit into the matrix.

There will be a full league programme  across all divisions on Spring Bank Holiday Monday 30^th May (apart from possibly 10 team divisions in Divisions 5 & 6).

The League are aware that there are a few clubs who  are not allowed to play  home games in September due to ground lease restrictions.

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The League therefore reserve the right to fixture any such affected games on a Bank Holiday Monday, as  Rule 17.2.1 permits, if necessary.

Clubs are reminded that any game may be mutually agreed to be rescheduled due to ground unavailability under Rule 17.2.1.1 (Premier excepted and possibly Tier 1, subject to the outcome of October ballot proposal 31 at the AGM). Such notifications of agreed dates  to the League by 1^st March please

Should the proposal to adopt 10 teams in Divisions 5 & 6 be passed at the AGM (it received 48.2 % in the October Rules ballot with two votes not cast) the season structure in those divisions will be:

Start Sat 30 April, no games on Monday 2 May or Monday 30 May. Final day of season on Sat 27 August (i.e. No Bank Holiday Monday or September games).

The LMC have agreed there will not be any end of season semi-finals in divisions of three sections. The two top teams, on points average, will contest the final. Arrangements will be made for a Trophy presentation for the team that misses out on a final. Promotion of course stills applies.

League Finals 2016 will be played on Saturday 17 September with the following day (Sunday 18^th)  the only reserve day.