Season tickets will be introduced as from this season after an agreement was reached with the Premier League Clubs Standing Committee. This was announced by MFA General Secretary Dr Angelo Chetcuti while speaking about the Malta Football Association’s Administrative Report during the MFA’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

Clubs will be able to sell these season tickets covering their matches for the whole season.

Dr Chetcuti revealed that he met the PLCSC on Friday and the two parties agreed to launch season tickets as from this season. The price of these season tickets will be established by the clubs themselves. The two parties also agreed that the price of match-day Premier League ticket prices will be increased slightly, by €1, in order to encourage fans to buy a season ticket.

The MFA General Secretary did not rule out the possibility of launching similar season tickets for the other divisions.

Meanwhile in his introduction, Dr Angelo Chetcuti, who was appointed General Secretary in December after taking over from Bjorn Vassallo, said the MFA was a strong association and despite the significant changes in the administration due to the departure of Vassallo and Dr Chris Bonett who took new roles at FIFA and UEFA respectively, there was a smooth transition thanks to the hard work of the association’s staff.

Dr Chetcuti said that in January there were changes in the association’s organisational chart with the definition of middle management through the appointment of new directors. He said the association needs to work more on synergies between the various departments.

With regards to the MFA Technical Centre, there was the successful completion of UEFA Pro Licence course. He said that the standards reached were high and the technical evaluation by UEFA was very positive. Dr Chetcuti said that this was a milestone in the development of the game through coach education. This should lead to having more coaches and better coaches at all levels.

The MFA General Secretary said that over the past season, national teams played a total of 55 international matches. He thanked all coaches and their staff and the players. He said one should not forget that behind them is the logistical aspect of the international department who is also in charge of events.

Infrastructure continues to be one of the most prominent aspects. He said that with the scheduling of ‘preventive’ maintenance works, the association was taking care of the facilities on a regular and systematic basis. Dr Chetcuti added that the installation of the hybrid-pitch at the National Stadium was a much-needed investment which delivered results. He mentioned the current works taking place at the Centenary Stadium where the pitch is being replaced and the works at Level 2 of the Millennium Stand which include the Trophies Lounge, the Museum of Football and the Merchandise Shop.

The MFA General Secretary stressed that for an organisation to continue growing steadily, there had to be a good backbone. The IT infrastructure will continue to be improved and extended to football and competition management. Dr Chetcuti emphasised on the importance of communication and marketing and that they should never be on the sidelines. He mentioned the Take a Seat initiative (www.takeaseat.org.mt) which is a new platform intended for football fans which not only provides live scores, news and exclusive content but enables users to create community groups for discussion. This also incorporates Football Social Responsibility which should help the association further in its outreach.

With regards to football governance, Dr Chetcuti spoke about the independence and transparency of boards which ultimately affect players and the game. He said that parameters will be high on the agenda and that while respecting the rights of players as individuals and employees, the clubs’ work in developing players should be recognised.

Dr Angelo Chetcuti then shifted his focus on the importance of good administration in clubs and revealed that the association will be holding courses for administrators – not only for those already involved in club administration but also for others who could be willing to involve themselves in clubs. He went on to say that clubs’ financing should remain healthy. He said that Premier League clubs’ income amounted to around €6.9 million and their expenditure amounted to €6.87 million, out of which €4.78 million were players’ salaries. This meant that 70% was being spent on players’ salaries with only the other 30% having to cover all other expenses.

The MFA General Secretary also mentioned new regulations for due diligence of officials and safeguarding of children which were approved last year. He finally revealed that a medical room will be set up in each stadium in order to make sure that in cases of emergencies, the first assistance could be given in a suitable environment.