Three players from the Justin Haber Academy (JHA) elite squad have just spent a week’s training at Sunderland AFC’s (SAFC) academy, The Academy of Light.

The Academy of Light boasts state of the art facilities, and has recently been awarded the Category 1 Status within the Elite Player Performance Plan.

Players Leo Agius (10), Steve Farrugia (12), and Nathan Vella (13) were selected by JHA permanent head-coach Steve McClarence and SAFC International Development Coach Gordon Chisholm, and trained under professional SAFC coaches.

UEFA Grassroots Day on the 22nd May will be marked by an activity involving school children who will be participating in a series of small sided football matches on the day.

The event, under the auspices of the MFA, will this year be held on a regional basis at five different venues rather than at the training grounds at Ta’ Qali. In this way the playing sessions will be scattered over a wide cross-section of the island.

The final day of the 2012-13 season girls’ schools football festival organised under the auspices of the MFA Technical Centre was held on the Tuesday, 7th May at the Ta Qali Training Grounds with the participation of 11 schools which comprised 14 teams and a total of over 130 young footballers.

Pupils from a tender age were rearing to show their skills with the ball amid fun and enjoyment. The bright weather was a bonus which added to the colourful atmosphere at the well-laid out four pitches of the training grounds.

About one hundred girls taking part in Sunday’s Under-11 and Under-16 knock-out festival were given a flower intended to be presented to their mothers on the occasion of Mother’s Day.

The girls were delighted and instinctively ran straight to their mothers who were watching the playing sessions. They presented the flowers to their mums while heartily wishing them a happy Mother’s Day.

Valletta defeated Hamrun Spartans 3-0 at the Victor Tedesco Stadium on Wednesday to win Section A of the Youth League.

Before this game, the Spartans were leading the table by one point and therefore a draw would have been enough to claim the title.