# 2017–18 Gozo First Division

The 2017–18 Gozo First Division (known as the BOV GFA First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the 71st season of the Gozo Football League First Division, the highest division in Gozitan football. The season began on 15 September 2017.
Following a dominant campaign, Victoria Hotspurs ended the season as champions, winning their twelfth title in their history.

## Format

The season is composed of a round-robin system where each team plays each other three times, totalling 21 games in total. The seventh-placed team will play a relegation play-off with the second-placed team in the Second Division. Most of the matches are scheduled to be played at the Gozo Stadium, with Sannat Ground and Kerċem Ajax Stadium being used as well.

## Teams

Xagħra United are relegated after they finished last the previous season. They are replaced by Għarb Rangers, who won the 2016–17 Second Division title.
| Team | Home city | 2016–17 season |
| Għajnsielem | Għajnsielem | 3rd |
| Għarb Rangers | Għarb | 1st (Second Division) |
| Kerċem Ajax | Kerċem | 4th |
| Nadur Youngsters | Nadur | 2nd |
| Oratory Youths | Victoria | 6th |
| S.K. Victoria Wanderers | Victoria | 7th |
| Victoria Hotspurs | Victoria | 5th |
| Xewkija Tigers | Xewkija | 1st |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Victoria Hotspurs (C) | 21 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 15 | +48 | 58 | |
| 2 | Nadur Youngsters | 21 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 55 | 39 | +16 | 40 | |
| 3 | Xewkija Tigers | 21 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 32 | |
| 4 | Għajnsielem | 21 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 27 | |
| 5 | Kerċem Ajax | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 50 | −16 | 26 | |
| 6 | Għarb Rangers | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 22 | |
| 7 | S.K. Victoria Wanderers | 21 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 19 | Qualification for the relegation play-off |
| 8 | Oratory Youths (R) | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 28 | 48 | −20 | 14 | Relegation to the Gozo FA Second Division |

## Results
### Matches 1–14

Teams play each other twice, once assigned as home and once away.
| Home \ Away | GĦJ | GĦB | KRĊ | NDR | ORY | SKVW | VCH | XWK |
| Għajnsielem | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–6 | 0–3 |
| Għarb Rangers | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Kerċem Ajax | 3–3 | 5–4 | — | 0–4 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–4 |
| Nadur Youngsters | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 2–5 |
| Oratory Youths | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | 4–3 | 1–4 | 0–1 |
| S.K. Victoria Wanderers | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 5–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–4 | 2–4 |
| Victoria Hotspurs | 3–3 | 2–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 |
| Xewkija Tigers | 0–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 5–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | — |

### Matches 15–22

Teams play every other team once (either assigned at home or away).
| Home \ Away | GĦJ | GĦB | KRĊ | NDR | ORY | SKVW | VCH | XWK |
| Għajnsielem | — | — | 2–0 | 1–4 | 3–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Għarb Rangers | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | 5–3 |
| Kerċem Ajax | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 0–5 | — |
| Nadur Youngsters | — | 3–3 | — | — | — | 0–1 | — | 2–3 |
| Oratory Youths | — | 4–1 | — | 3–5 | — | — | — | — |
| S.K. Victoria Wanderers | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | 4–0 | — | — | — |
| Victoria Hotspurs | 4–1 | — | — | 3–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | — | — |
| Xewkija Tigers | — | — | 1–2 | — | 2–5 | 1–1 | 1–3 | — |

## Relegation play-off

A play-off match took place between the seventh-placed team from the First Division, S.K. Victoria Wanderers, and the second-placed team from the Second Division, Sannat Lions, for a place in the 2018–19 GFA First Division.

## Season statistics
### Top goalscorers

    As of 29 April 2018
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Elton da Silva | Victoria Hotspurs | 19 |
| 2 | Darko Krstic | Nadur Youngsters | 15 |
| 2 | Claudio Antunes Pavlidis | Xewkija Tigers | 15 |
| 4 | Ralph Ebube Okpokwu | Oratory Youths | 12 |
| 5 | Ognjen Rolović | Kerċem Ajax | 11 |
| 5 | Stanimir Milošković | Nadur Youngsters | 11 |
| 5 | Marcelo Barbosa | Għarb Rangers | 11 |
| 8 | Luis André de Melo Lima | Għajnsielem | 10 |
| 8 | Ige Adeshina | S.K. Victoria Wanderers | 10 |

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Player of the Month | Player of the Month |
| Month | Player | Club |
| September | Rodney Buttigieg | Xewkija Tigers |
| October | Ferdinando Apap | Victoria Hotspurs |
| November | Shaun Attard | Nadur Youngsters |
| December | Joseph Mario Vella | Xewkija Tigers |
| January | Christian Mercieca | Victoria Hotspurs |
| February | Alberto Xuereb | Għajnsielem |
| March | Marcelo Barbosa | Għarb Rangers |