MFA Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday

The Annual General Meeting of the Malta Football Association for the Year 2021 will be held on Wednesday at the Dolmen Hotel, Qawra.

As usual, items on the agenda include the approval of the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on the 29th July 2020; the Approval of the Report of Activities of the Association for the year 2020/21; the approval of the Audited Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Association (Financial Report) for the year 2020/21; the election of the Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee of the Association for the year 2021/22; additions or alterations to the Statute of the Association and motions.

No elections for the Ordinary Members of the Executive Committee are necessary as the number of candidates was equal to the number of vacancies.

The members of the Executive Committee will be therefore:

Premier Division: Jesmond Abela and Victor Cassar
Challenge League: Joseph Sammut and Stefan Vella
National Amateur League: Robert Camilleri, Patrick Cutajar, Chris Grech and Cory Greenland
Youth FA: Stephanie Rocco
Gozo FA Samuel Azzopardi
Other Member Associations: David Abdilla and Francis Muscat

Meanwhile two motions were proposed for the approval of the Annual General Meeting. One focuses on the composition of the National League following the premature termination of Season 2020/21 and the other on the request for membership by the MFPA, GIDA, SWAN and Veterans Malta.

This season, there will be twelve teams in the Premier League, twenty two in the Challenge League and nineteen in the National Amateur League. In 2022/23, the number of teams in the Premier League would get back to fourteen and the number of teams in the Challenge League would go down to eighteen so that in season 2023/24, the proper format with fourteen teams in the Premier League, sixteen in the Challenge League and the remaining teams in the National Amateur League would be obtained.

For this coming season, the Premier League would be played over two phases with the teams being divided into two pools for the final round with two teams being relegated. The Challenge League is divided into two groups with the top two from each group winning promotion and the bottom three from each group being relegated. On the other hand, four teams would be promoted from the two groups of the National Amateur League – the winner of each group, the winner of a decider between the two runner-ups and the winner of the play-offs.

The following season, 2022/23, would see the Premier League back to its normal format with fourteen teams playing over two rounds with the bottom two being relegated and the team finishing third from bottom taking part in the Play-Out against the winner of a decider between the two runner-ups of the two groups of the Challenge League. The winners of the two groups of the Challenge League would be promoted while the bottom three teams of each group would be relegated. Four teams would be promoted from the two groups of the National Amateur League – the winner of each group, the winner of a decider between the two runner-ups and the winner of the play-offs.

As from 2023/24, the Challenge League would be back to its normal format of sixteen teams playing over two rounds. The top two would be promoted while the team placing third would face the team finishing third from bottom in the Premier League in the Premier League Play-Out. Four teams would be relegated to the National Amateur League which would revert to three groups playing over three rounds. The group winners gain promotion while the teams placing second, third and fourth in each group would enter the Promotion Play-Offs.

Meanwhile after receiving requests for admission as full members from the GIDA, SWAN and Veterans Malta Football Association who were affiliated associations with the District Football Leagues and considering that the Malta Football Players Association (MFPA), which is the entity representing football players, has in the past also requested the Association to consider granting it Membership status. the Malta Football Association is proposing that since all four associations satisfy the requirements of membership, they are granted full membership, effective immediately.