MFA Women’s League Best Player nominations revealed

Gianluca Lia The Malta Football Association has revealed the 3 names in contention for the Women’s League Best Player Award, the highest individual award in local women’s football.   Birkirkara’s rock-solid defender Stephania Farrugia joined by Hibernians’ duo, creative midfielder Dorianne Theuma and one of the best youth talents around Shona Zammit are the 3 names which will contest the final prize at the MFA Awards’ Night on Friday 19th June 2015. All 3 players excelled on the pitch both with their respective clubs and on their duties with the national team, in the Aphrodite Cup and in the UEFA Women’s Euro Qualifications. Having conquered all trophies during the 2014/2015 campaign, Hibernians’ midfielder Dorianne Theuma has shown that she reached the peak of her talent with her delightful performances both during Hibernian’s toughest fixtures and with the national team especially in the European Qualifications. Although this is not my first nomination in my career, I am still surprised because it is always a dream for me reaching such levels. However, it is also a certificate for my efforts that I put throughout the whole season. During the 2014/2015 season, Dorianne Theuma appeared in all 24 matches while hitting 22 goals. Although this movement is still relatively young, it is growing at a fast pace and this is underlined with the results obtained with the national teams at youth levels. One of the players who went through all youth ranks is Shona Zammit, a pivotal protagonist alongside Dorianne Theuma in the midfield during Hibernians’ memorable season but also when representing her nation. She also played all matches during the last campaign while netting 6 goals. Honestly I was not expecting it this soon. Cannot deny it that it has always been my ambition to live this moment but I could never picture myself alongside some of the top players in local female football. It has been a very positive season and it is also down to my team-mates that I have made it to the nominees. Despite having ended the season trophy-less, Birkirkara’s pivotal defender Stephania Farrugia has added more progress to her previous positive seasons. She appeared in 21 matches for the Stripes and scoring 9 goals. Stephania Farrugia was key in both Birkirkara’s and Malta’s defensive line as she has shown a lot of maturity and personality while remaining on high levels throughout all the season. Despite not being the first time that I have been nominated, I still retain this nomination as a surprising one considering all the top players that play in our league, which also underlines the improvement in our girls. The least I can do is to show my appreciation to all those who have voted for me, showing their support. This Award is a certificate for our female football which is improving every year and moreover it demonstrates how far the game has come in recent years.