During its next meeting, the Council of the Malta Football Association will be discussing the format to be adopted in the National League next season – the Premier League, the Challenge League and the National Amateur League – but it will be the Council members and delegates who will vote at the Annual General Meeting and approve the format for the three leagues.

The Executive Committee discussed the feedback received by standing committees and the association will now prepare a calendar with possible scenarios which will be put up for discussion in the next Council meeting.

Following the relegation of Zejtun Corinthians, Tarxien Rainbows, Lija Athletic and Senglea Athletic to the Challenge League, the relegation of Qormi from the Challenge League to the National Amateur League and the promotion of Luqa St. Andrew’s, Mgarr United, Melita and Rabat Ajax from the National Amateur League to the Challenge League:

• twelve (12) teams will be playing in the Premier League,
• twenty two (22) in the Challenge League and
• nineteen (19) in the National Amateur League.

The association hopes to achieve the normal composition of the National League across the board in two years’ time. According to regulations, the Premier League should be made of fourteen (14) teams, the Challenge League sixteen (16) and the National Amateur League twenty three (23).

However, in case of the Premier League, which will kick-off in August, the normal composition should be obtained in one year so that there would be fourteen teams in the Premier League in 2022/23.

The discussion will focus on the format in general of the three leagues apart from promotions and relegations during seasons 2021/22 and 2022/23.

The fact that there will only be twelve teams in the Premier League – the options could be a league played on three rounds or a regular season played on two rounds with teams divided into a Championship Pool and a Relegation Pool and playing a further round.

With regards to the Challenge League, most probably teams would be divided into two sections both being played on two rounds.

The format for the National Amateur League could remain unchanged with teams divided into one section of seven teams and two sections of six, each being played on three rounds. Otherwise teams could be divided into two sections of ten teams and nine teams respectively.