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Developing football in Malta

Founded in 1900, the Malta Football Association is one of the oldest footballing governing bodies in the world.

Malta line up for a 2022/23 UEFA Nations League game
Malta line up for a 2022/23 UEFA Nations League game MFA

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.

Bjorn Vassallo, MFA president

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.

 Angelo Chetcuti, MFA general secretary

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

1882 The first recorded game is played in Malta, the game having been introduced to the islands by British servicemen. 1900 The Malta Football Association (MFA) is founded, making it one of the oldest such bodies worldwide. 1910 The first Maltese league championship concludes: Floriana win all four of their games to take the title. 1933 The English Football Association (FA) donates a trophy in gratitude for the Maltese support that England received during their first-ever encounter with Italy in Rome; this piece of silverware becomes the FA Trophy, which is first contested in 1934/35, Sliema Wanderers beating Floriana in the final. 1959 The MFA becomes a member of FIFA, joining UEFA in 1960. 1981 The new National Stadium at Ta’Qali is inaugurated. 1990 The MFA is honoured to host the 20th Ordinary UEFA Congress. 2008 Dr Joseph Mifsud is appointed as a UEFA vice-president. As president of the MFA he became a member of the UEFA Executive Committee in 1994 and the FIFA Executive Committee in 1998. 2017 The original Maltese FA Trophy is replaced by a new model; the original, donated by the English FA, remains with the MFA. Present day

 

National team history

1957 Malta’s first senior national team match takes place in February, a 3-2 home loss to Austria. 1962 Malta lose 6-1 to Denmark in their first UEFA European Championship qualifier on 28 June. 1975 In February, Malta win 2-0 at home against Greece in a qualifying match for the 1976 EURO, still one of the most celebrated results in the nation’s history. 2014 Malta stages the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals in May, the first UEFA tournament to be staged on the islands. Present day

President

Bjorn Vassallo

Nationality: Maltese
Date of birth: 20 January 1980
Association president since: 2019 

Bjorn Vassallo
Bjorn VassalloMalta Football Association

General secretary

Angelo Chetcuti

Nationality: Maltese
Date of birth: 29 December 1980
General Secretary since: 2016

Angelo Chetcuti
Angelo ChetcutiMalta Football Association

Malta Football Association website