As part of its commitment to encourage young players to improve their footballing development by pursuing a career abroad, the Malta Football Association has relaunched the Youth Players Grant Scheme.
The objectives of this scheme, which has been enhanced for the current 2019-20 season, are three-fold:
- To encourage youth players in pursuing a professional football career abroad;
- To provide support for youth players during migratory transitions;
- To support promising youth players in further developing their quality of football.
It is open for players aged between 16 and 19 who have been part of the national youth team set-up at some point during their development or spent a minimum of four seasons with a Maltese football nursery.
Summing up the aims of this assistance programme, Dr Angelo Chetcuti, the Malta FA General Secretary, said: “This scheme is aimed at supporting the transition for young players moving overseas and increasing the chances of success when it comes to living and playing football abroad.”
The scheme revolves around four main pillars, namely player tuition fees (i.e. learn a new language, academic programme), player subsistence allowance (accommodation), travelling expenses and professional fees (such as services of nutritionist, psychologist, and strength & conditioning coach).
The Malta FA has published the Youth Players Grant Scheme charter detailing the rights and obligations of the approved applicants and the level of assistance expected from the Association and the host club/academy at every stage of the scholarship.
“The charter overview provides clear guidelines on the different stages of the scholarship, namely the application process and the signing of the Grant Agreement, the benefits and other guidance offered by the host club or academy as well as the post-scholarship period,” Dr Chetcuti said.
“The recent adjustments to the scheme are intended to ensure a fair evaluation of applications and to maximise the benefits from the funds available. Although within obvious limits, we hope this initiative provides an extra push for our young promising players to seek new challenges and opportunities to further raise their standards.”
The Youth Players Grant Scheme Charter and application form can be downloaded from the portal https://info.mfa.com.mt under the section ‘Incentive Schemes’.