The first ever General Assembly, after the restructuring, organised by the Malta FA

For the first time and following the approval of the new Statute of the Association last summer, the Malta FA has organised a General Assembly in the month of November, with the purpose to present administrative work carried out by the administration during the last months. As from this football season with the new structures in place, the General Assembly will be organised tri-annually, in the months of March, July and November. Since the last Annual General Meeting, the Association continued to implement strategic projects, mainly in the governance, marketing and the technical development sectors. In fact the main item on the agenda was the reporting on the Strategic Objectives presented last February and being worked out in collaboration with the UEFA Grow Programme. Dr Angelo Chetcuti, Malta FA’s General Secretary, summed up the activities of the Association over the past four months with a brief introduction before being joined by other members of the administration, all reporting to the Malta FA delegates present, the progress and updates on the various works being followed. Dr Dawn Aquilina, Strategy Officer, gave details on the measuring of progress which all 13 departments responsible for the implementation of the strategy are bound to execute.  Dr Aquilina explained that the Malta FA was chosen to represent the small national associations in UEFA in the strategy implementation framework. One of the most active departments was that looking after the infrastructure projects led by Emanuel Cassar.  Football infrastructure is a strategic pillar under the Develop and Grow and has already seen the total upgrade of high-level training pitches at the Ta’ Qali Football Complex, a project which also included improved floodlighting.  Another important responsibility for this department is the execution of the €6 million agreement signed between the Malta FA and the Malta Govt. and which will see the replacement of football clubs artificial pitches all over the island. Concurrently works have started on the ambitious project of a new National Football Centre in Ta’ Qali, expected to be finalised for the Under 19 UEFA Final Tournament being held in Malta in summer of 2023. Kurt Formosa, Chief of Football, explained the technical development programmes and grassroots commitments followe by the Technical Centre and the newly constituted Fondazzjoni Inħobb il-Futbol. He mentioned the coach education as being crucial for the development of players at all ages and introduced the newly launched Talent Identification Programme through the Regional Hubs. Another innovative projects being run by the Foundation is the Fun Fit Football Programme, a school campaign which will involve primary level school children exposed to the beautiful game and led by Malta FA coaches and PE teachers.  Concurrently another programme named UEFA Playmakers will be held for the girls. Commercial matters were explained by the Malta FA General Secretary whereas the Association has reached and signed agreements with numerous sponsors and is in the process of a rebranding exercise being studied along with external consultants in the field of marketing.   Other information on the UEFA Kit Assistance Scheme and the launch of the new electronic matchcentre for live scores and data has also been presented. A presentation by Dr Herman Mula focused on Football Integrity, explaining that the Malta FA is now taking a different approach mainly by focusing directly on the educational aspect.   He reiterated that the Association’s work on the subject is comprehensive and is now close to launching a new strategy for Integrity. Dr Mula also highlighted the contributing role of the Malta FA in IntegriBall Erasmus+ Project which aims to educate on the dangers of match-fixing in football and the proposals for amendments in the national legislation with regards to the Stadium Safety and Security. Finally the meeting ended with Dr Peter Fenech, Lija Athletic FC President and Chairman of the Licensing Reform Committee, a consultative committee which has been working in the last 2 years to study and propose new domestic club licensing regulations. A draft of the principles being proposed has already been presented to the Executive Board of the Association and is now ready for internal consultation with the different division within the National League.