The draw for a new season of the Regional League was conducted in Zagreb today.
Thirteen teams will play in the 2021/22 Premier Regional League. It will be a single round-robin competition. Each team will play 12 games in the regular season.
But, there will be no home and away matches. A new competition formula will be used. All games of the regular season will be played in three tournaments. The teams are split into two groups (one group of seven and the other of six teams).
2021/22 Premier Regional League, draw for groups for first stage
Group A: Jug AO (CRO), Mladost (CRO), Jadran Herceg Novi (MNE), Sabac (SRB), Partizan (SRB), Budva (MNE) and Novi Beograd (SRB)
Group B:Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB), Jadran Split (SRB), Crvena Zvezda (SRB), Solaris (CRO), Primorac (MNE) Mornar BS (CRO)
The teams were sorted into the pots according to the ranking in the season 2020/21. Winner Radnicki and runner-up Jug were in the 1st pot of the draw; 3rd-placed Jadran Split and 4th-placed Mladost in the second, etc. Newcomer Novi Beograd was lonely in the 7th pot.
Formula and calendar
First stage-At the first tournament, all teams that are in the same group will play with each other (each team in Group A plays six, while each team in group B plays five matches in this stage).
Second stage-The groups will be mixed at the second tournament. Teams ranked 1st-3rd in Group A after the first stage will face teams ranked 4th-6th in Group B. Clubs ranked 1st-3rd in B group will play against teams ranked 4th-7th in Group A.
Third stage-Teams that didn’t play each other at the first two tournaments will face off in the third stage. At the third tournament, teams ranked 1st-3rd in Group A will play against teams placed 1st-3rd in Group B after the first stage. Clubs ranked 4th-7th in Group A will play against 4th-placed, 5th-placed, and 6th-placed in Group B.
All in all, each team will play 12 matches. The top four will qualify for the Final Four. The 13th-placed team will be relegated to the A1 League, while the 11th-placed and 12th-placed will go to the relegation playoffs.
Calendar
1st stage: November 24 – 27, 2021.
2nd stage: January 20 – 22, 2022.
3rd stage: February 17 – 19, 2022
FINAL FOUR: March 11 and 12.
The hosts of the tournament haven’t been determined yet.
A1 League
The second-tier competition (A1 Regional League) will be played in the same format (three tournaments and the playoffs).
Group A: Primorje EB (CRO), Medvescak (CRO), Nais Nis (SRB), KPK Korcula (CRO), Valis Valjevo (SRB) and Cattaro Kotor (MNE).
Group B: Vojvodina (SRB), Zemun (SRB), POSK (CRO), Proleter Zrenjanin (SRB), Zadar 1952 (CRO) and Triglav Kranj (SVN)
All articles about the Regional League
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