Malta FA and Youth FA meet football nurseries ahead of 2025/26 season

The Malta FA administration, in collaboration with the Youth FA, met with representatives from football nurseries on Tuesday evening to present the new season giving details on the U13 Festival, the BNF U14 Development League, as well as the restructuring of the regional hubs.

The meeting, held at Centenary Hall, was led by Malta FA President Bjorn Vassallo and General Secretary Dr Maria Azzopardi, together with Youth FA President Norman Darmanin Demajo and General Secretary Stephanie Rocco.

Malta FA President Vassallo explained that over recent years, decisions were taken on strategic level, mentioning the important governance reforms which were aimed to improve efficiency and bring long-term sustainability.

He highlighted the importance of preserving the Youth FA. In order to streamline, the target is for the Youth FA to become a regulator for non-competitive football from the following football season, therefore as of season 2026/27. This will mean that the Youth FA will primarily handle grassroots football, the important stage where non-competitive fun football is played. On the other hand, the Malta FA will continue to cover the junior ages from the U13 age group and over. The MFA President also announced that a National Curriculum for Grassroots Football will be launched by the MFA’s Technical Centre focusing on developing fundamental skills and game understanding in young players.

President Vassallo said, “The continued improvement of the football ecosystem especially at grassroots level is extremely important for a country like Malta, hence the Malta FA will continue to support this level which contributes to the overall health and growth of football at community level.”

Youth FA President Darmanin Demajo highlighted the importance in collaborating directly with the Malta FA  and called for nurseries to have an open mind to the different changes being proposed, noting that these will be presented for implementation following an analysis by an appointed working group.

YFA President Darmanin Demajo added, “the repositioning of the YFA within the Malta FA structures is a step in the right direction, not only for the football nurseries but also for all the other stakeholders which work closely with us on a constant basis. Football nurseries create a positive and inclusive environment, something which fosters love for the game.”

OVERVIEW OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BY THE MALTA FA

An overview of the financial assistance tied to the BNF U14, U15 and U17 Leagues, together with the U13 Festivals was provided during the meeting.

It was announced that during 2024/25 season, the Malta FA invested a total of €197,972 for the over 1000 matches played in the three leagues mentioned above.

Furthermore, the total amount invested in these competitions over the past six years reached €857,439, thus emphasising the importance that the Malta FA gives to junior and youth development, especially at such critical age groups.

SOLIDARITY PAYMENTS

Additionally, President Vassallo explained to the nurseries that following an MOU signed between UEFA and ECA in 2023 and which details were circulated through a circular issued by UEFA, the Solidarity Payments that were usually distributed to the different domestic clubs and football nurseries, will now only be directed to the top leagues everywhere in Europe.

He remarked that the Malta FA is in discussions with a local entity so that it will be able to provide funds to all clubs from the Challenge League to the lower divisions, together with their respective nurseries, to make good for the lost funds which had been an annual payment tied to investment in youth development. This is being done so that these clubs receive some form of financial support which is not there to cover the costs of competitions but instead to asisst the clubs in building the players of tomorrow.

REGIONAL HUBS RESTRUCTURING

Another key development discussed during the meeting was the restructuring of the different Malta FA Regional Hubs, which will now be available only for the age categories Under 13/14 with sessions to be held at the Siġġiewi Football Ground and others in Gozo.

AMENDMENTS TO REGULATIONS

Amendments to the regulations related to U13 Festivals and the BNF U14 Development League were also explained. The changes reflect the latest updates being promoted by FIFA and UEFA through the Grassroots Charter respectively.

With regards to the U13 Festivals, where teams can field a maximum of 9 players each, team trials will be held in September to decide the composition of the league, with the Malta FA Technical Team reviewing matches and setting the ranking for the season. Each nursery can participate with only one team, with a minimum of 15 registered players, up to a maximum of 25. Contrary to previous years, the matches will be played on Monday and Friday afternoons, rather than on weekends, with specific pitches being identified as host pitches. Finally for this level the Power Play principle will be introduced as well. In case a team is losing by 3 or more goals, the team is allowed to include a 10^th player on the field of play.  The numerical advantage will remain until the team closes the deficit by 2 goals. An osther innovative rule includes that of the Goal Kick. Players defending a goal kick must position themselves behind a pre-defined line (at around the 20mtr line) so to promote and enhance build up from the goalkeepers.

For the BNF U14 Development League, which will be played on an 11-a-side basis, a key change announced was the introduction of club assistant referees, a requirement for matches to be played. While matches will have one referee assigned by the Malta FA per match, there will be two assistant referees appointed by the participating teams, one from each team. All nominated club assistant referees will be required to attend a short course and will be accredited by the refereeing department. In order to incentivise participation, club assistant referees will be rewarded with free access to national team matches and domestic competitions.

CLUB CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING

The Malta FA also stated that it has proposed the introduction of a Sports Limited Liability Company model aimed at restructuring football club governance. This will be a voluntary restructuring initiative. Therefore member clubs can also choose to retain their current legal form.

This model will enable clubs to have a shareholding structure where a maximum of 80% of the company may be held by a private investor, while a minimum of 20% must be retained by a members’ entity affiliated with the football club. The latter will seek to safeguard the club’s intellectual property, such as its club colours, emblem, and other distinct symbols of the club.

It was clarified that the company in question will be restricted in scope, and hence cannot operate commercially in the general market, with its role being strictly limited to the administration and operation of a football club.