Developing football in Malta
Article summary
Founded in 1900, the Malta Football Association is one of the oldest footballing governing bodies in the world.
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Overview
The primary strategic goals of the Malta Football Association (MFA) are investing in the technical set-up to establish a unified playing philosophy for the national teams, improving the good governance of the association and raising the standards of domestic competitions
Efforts are also being made to bring women into football, with the UEFA Playmakers project helping to engage girls in local schools and voluntary associations, like the Girl Guides. Coaches are giving taster sessions for female players during and after school hours, bring the game to the heart of the community.
The association is committed to delivering on the goals it established in its strategy. The support of all stakeholders is crucial in doing so.
Ongoing football and social responsibility projects include ‘Crossbars’ which organises footballing activities in prisons and detention centres and the ‘Kul Football’ app which is bringing players and coaches useful information on nutrition. Meanwhile, the ‘#mytime’ project is engaging older members of the community in the game, providing stadium and football museum tours, as well as tickets for important national-team games, while ‘Family Football’ is bringing people from all of Malta’s communities together to play.
The organisation is constantly transforming, from its governance to the pursuit of its strategic objectives, while seeking to keep digitising its processes and become more efficient.
UEFA support
UEFA HatTrick funding has helped with the upgrading of the National Stadium in Ta'Qali as well as Hibernians Stadium, and has powered a wider drive to improve local facilities, with 57 artificial pitches laid across Malta and Gozo. UEFA projects are also helping to introduce players to women’s football, futsal and beach soccer, as well as boosting local participation through schools programmes.
Association history
National team history
President
Bjorn Vassallo
Nationality: Maltese
Date of birth: 20 January 1980
Association president since: 2019
General secretary
Angelo Chetcuti
Nationality: Maltese
Date of birth: 29 December 1980
General Secretary since: 2016