Malta women’s national team defender Nicole Sciberras joined Italian champions Juventus Women on a one-year deal. Sciberras will be playing with the Primavera side.
The eighteen year old is a product of Mosta FC but spent the last two years in Italy, playing for Rome-based team Grifone Gialloverde. Sciberras helped Grifone Gialloverde finish second in the Serie C Section D behind champions Napoli.
While the Juventus Women senior team won the last two championships in their first two years of participation in women’s football, the Primavera side placed third in the Campionato Primavera 2018/19. They won Section A, eight points ahead of Inter but eventually in the play-offs, Juventus were beaten by Inter in the semi-finals and had to settle for third place.
Meanwhile another Maltese player, Martina Borg, will continue playing in Italy after agreeing a deal with FC Sassari Torres Femminile.
The Sardinian side play in the Serie C Section C. Last season, they placed fifth.
A product of Pembroke Athleta, twenty two year old Martina Borg played for Hibernians with whom she won all major honours. She moved to Italy in summer 2017, joining ASD Apulia Trani but last season played for Fortitudo Mozzecane in Serie B. The team finished fourth, behind champions Inter, Empoli and Ravenna.
Another Malta international player, Maria Farrugia will be playing once again for Sunderland AFC Ladies in England who play in the FA Women’s National League.
Eighteen year old Farrugia, who is a product of Gozo FC and also played for Nadur Youngsters, moved to Sunderland last year.
On the other hand, twenty seven year old Rachel Cuschieri is raring to go as the Eredivisie Vrouwen kicks-off later this month for PSV Vrouwen. Cuschieri suffered a long-term injury during her spell with Anderlecht and was unlucky to suffer another injury last season.
A product of Birkirkara, Rachel Cuschieri joined Apollon Ladies in Cyprus where she spent three years before moving to Anderlecht in summer 2017. However last year, she joined PSV Eindhoven.
Apart from winning all major honours with Birkirkara, Cuschieri won three consecutive championships with Apollon and another with Anderlecht.
Two other players who could feature for the national team in the forthcoming Women’s EURO qualifiers are goalkeeper Anna Vincenti and defender Emma Lipman. The two turned out for Malta in a friendly match against Bolton Ladies last May.
Twenty three year old Anna Vincenti, who plays for Motherwell in Scotland, is a former freestyle skier with Team GB but earlier in her career played for Hibernian and represented Scotland at Under-15 and Under-17 level.
On the other hand, thirty year old Emma Lipman spent the last three years in Italy after playing for Manchester City and Sheffield. After playing for Hellas Verona in season 2017/18 and AS Roma last season, Lipman joined Florentia San Gimigniano
Excited to announce my next Italian adventure with @florentiasangimignano a club evolving for the new Serie A 2019/20 season 🙌 … as ever thank you so much for the people who made this happen. Grateful to continue playing the game I love in another beautiful region of Italy ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/0f3BDOEoUT
— Emma Lipman (@emmalippo08) 19 July 2019
Malta plays its first match in the Women’s EURO qualifiers on August 29 against Denmark and five days later against Bosnia-Herzegovina in two matches away from home. On October 4, Malta hosts Italy in the first home game.