Defending champions Montego Bay United will kick off the 2016-17 Red Stripe Premier League season when they host newcomer Maverley-Hughenden at the WesPow Park at 3:30 pm today in one of six games on the opening day.

In the other match-ups at 3:30 pm: Arnett Gardens tackle Reno FC at Barbican Field; Waterhouse travel to The University of the West Indies (UWI); Humble Lion take on Boys’ Town at Effortville.

At 3:00 pm, last season’s beaten finalists Portmore United host the promoted Jamalco at Juici Park in Clarendon in a live televised game, and in the late kick-off at 7:00 pm, Harbour View welcome Tivoli Gardens to the Compound.

The league has a slight tweak in the format this season that will see the top two teams after the preliminary rounds advancing to the semi-finals, and the third- to the sixth-placed teams involved in a play-off with the top two from that four advancing to the semi-finals.

Once again, 12 teams will battle for supremacy involving first-timers Jamalco FC of Clarendon, as well as the returning Maverley-Hughenden, who return after a 30-year absence, and this should provide another intriguing season, which ends on May 14, 2017.

All of the teams were heavily involved in the transfer window with champions Montego Bay United drafting yet another overseas coach in Slavisa Bozicic of Serbia as technical director, who will work alongside coach Dillon Thelwell as the St James outfit hunts for a third title in four years.

Montego Bay United will again start favourites, but will first have to show their intent in what could be a very tricky encounter against a Maverley-Hughenden team that has strengthened significantly since gaining promotion earlier this year.

Last season’s runners-up Portmore United have been the least active in the transfer market, bringing in only Sherwayne Nelson of Sporting Central Academy, but they remain a talented bunch and will be a force to be reckoned with.

Having brought in 18 players, all eyes will be on Coach Rayon Johnson and his Jamalco aggregation that was formed in 2010, and remarkably took just six years to reach the highest league in the island. Both teams have had some battles over the last two years and that rivalry continues in earnest at the Juici Park in Clarendon.

Former champions Arnett Gardens will have to play their first two home games away from home as they serve a two-match ban from the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex as a result of ugly behaviour last season in the semi-final loss to Montego Bay United. They tackle Reno at the Barbican Field and could prove too hot for the Westmoreland outfit.

The game between The UWI and a new-looking Waterhouse should be an interesting affair at the UWI Bowl. Waterhouse will enter their first season in many moons without the influential Jermaine “Tuffy” Anderson in the ranks, and despite the influx of 15 new players, the young Drewsland team will be severely tested.

Clarendon standard-bearers Humble Lion will be hoping to make the next important step this season and have strengthened nicely with the acquisitions of Hughan Gray, Leon Irving, Rafeik Thomas, Gary McIntosh and Ricardo Dennis. Their first test is against Boys’ Town at the Effortville Community Centre and they should start with a morale-boosting win.

The opening day proceedings will conclude with a top clash between two teams in transition in Harbour View and Tivoli Gardens at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium at 7:00 pm.

Tivoli Gardens will be under a new coach in the young but experienced Omar Edwards, who was assistant at Boys’ Town for a number of years and is the current National Under-17 assistant coach. He will match wits with the astute Ludlow Bernard as both hunt that important winning start.

3:00pm Portmore United FC vs Jamalco FC @ Juici Park, Clarendon

3:30pm Montego Bay United FC vs Maverley-Hughenden FC @ WesPow Park

3:30pm Arnett Gardens FC vs Reno FC @ Barbican Complex

3:30pm UWI FC vs Waterhouse FC @ UWI Bowl, Mona

3:30pm Humble Lion FC vs Boys’ Town FC @ Effortville Community Centre

7:00pm Harbour View FC vs Tivoli Gardens FC @ Harbour View Stadium