The Malta Football Association Council on Tuesday approved amendments to the coaching qualifications’ regulations which will come into effect from next season – 2021/22.

Revised qualification criteria for coaches working in the different categories of Maltese football are central to the new regulations with the overriding aim being to raise the standards of domestic football in line with the Malta FA strategy. These changes are also in accordance with UEFA’s Coaching Convention which aims to set high standards to improve the quality of coach education by developing better coaches and ultimately better players and the overall quality of the game.

From season 2021-22, qualified coaches engaged by Member Clubs must meet the following criteria in the following categories:

Premier League – UEFA Pro
Challenge League – UEFA A
National Amateur League – UEFA B
Youth League (Section A & B) – UEFA A
U17 (A+B), U15 (A+B) and U14 – UEFA B
Head Coach ‘A’ Licence Nursery – UEFA A (from season 2022-23 UEFA A Elite required).
Women’s Football – UEFA C

The gradual plan to introduce the UEFA Pro Licence requirement for all coaches working at Premier League level, the top tier of Maltese football, was announced some years ago following discussions with UEFA which eventually led to the Malta FA hosting its first ever UEFA Pro Licence Course in 2015-2017. The second edition of this course, which kicked off in 2019, is nearing its conclusion.

As part of this overhaul, the MFA A and B coaching licences will be phased out by season 2024-25 and coaches holding these badges will be invited to specific course modules to obtain a UEFA A and B licence respectively.