The SPFL has confirmed the date for the commencement of league competitions at the start of the 2016/17 Scottish football season.
All four SPFL leagues the Ladbrokes Premiership, Ladbrokes Championship, Ladbrokes League One and Ladbrokes League Two will kick off on the weekend of Saturday, August 6, 2016.
The 2016/17 league season start will follow the group stages of the new format of the Scottish League Cup when eight groups of five teams will play each other once each in a round-robin format across five July dates (16th, 20th, 23th, 27th & 30th), subject to TV selections. This new 80-game group stage will involve all 38 teams not involved in UEFA qualifiers plus winners of this season’s Highland League and Lowland League.
SPFL season 2016/17 will also see the reintroduction of a winter break for the Ladbrokes Premiership only with the 12 top flight clubs enjoying a three-week break from league games, equating to two full weekends without SPFL matches, in January 2017.
The full fixture lists for the 2016/17 SPFL league season are expected to be announced in June.
