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Competition modus changes

The 2011–12 season is a transitional season, as it will stretch over 18 months instead of the conventional 12 months. The unusual length of the season is the result of the decision to adapt the playing year to an autumn-spring rhythm similar to most of the other UEFA leagues.

The season will comprise two phases. The first phase will consist of a regular home-and-away schedule, meaning that each team will play the other teams twice for a total of 30 matches per team. The league will then be split into two groups for the second phase, where each team plays another home-and-away schedule against every other team of its respective group.

The top eight teams of the first phase will compete for the championship and the spots for both the 2012–13 Champions League and Europa League. Accordingly, the bottom eight teams will have to avoid relegation. The bottom two teams of this group will be directly relegated, while the 13th- and 14-placed teams will compete in a relegation/promotion playoff with the third- and fourth-placed teams of the 2011–12 National League Championship.

LittleOzzy wrote:Competition modus changes

The 2011–12 season is a transitional season, as it will stretch over 18 months instead of the conventional 12 months. The unusual length of the season is the result of the decision to adapt the playing year to an autumn-spring rhythm similar to most of the other UEFA leagues.

The season will comprise two phases. The first phase will consist of a regular home-and-away schedule, meaning that each team will play the other teams twice for a total of 30 matches per team. The league will then be split into two groups for the second phase, where each team plays another home-and-away schedule against every other team of its respective group.

The top eight teams of the first phase will compete for the championship and the spots for both the 2012–13 Champions League and Europa League. Accordingly, the bottom eight teams will have to avoid relegation. The bottom two teams of this group will be directly relegated, while the 13th- and 14-placed teams will compete in a relegation/promotion playoff with the third- and fourth-placed teams of the 2011–12 National League Championship.

Wow, really?

That seems like bogus considering Russian winters.

That's a pretty interesting way to go about things

sounds pretty crappy to me.

yeah, do they play indoors or do am i overestimating russian winters? i do know that most of the teams are around moscow (fairly sure at least) so we're not talking about siberia here, but is it going to be playable?

After lots of wondering what will happen during the winter, it looks like the league will just take an extended time off.

After the first 30 fixtures, teams will be split to two groups of eight which will then play against each other on a home-and-away basis. Fixtures 31 and 32 will be held on the weekends of the 3rd and the 4th weeks of November 2011 respectively. Fixture 33 will take place on March 3-4, 2012. The matches of Fixture 44 (the last one) will start simultaneously at 11a.m. GMT on May 13, 2012.

So after next weekend they will take a long break until March where the season will continue.

that's bizarre. what a ridiculously long break to happen during a season.
What about the teams that are in champions league? because I know there are games throughout Nov/Dec and first week of Jan.

It definitely sounds odd taking 4 months off in the middle of a season.

Season continues March 3rd.