The Malta FA Technical Centre hosted a highly attended meeting, bringing together clubs’ head coaches from the Premier League and the Challenge League. The meeting featured insightful presentations and discussions led by various top-level figures at the Malta FA.
President Bjorn Vassallo, in his opening address, reiterated the Malta FA’s commitment to an open-door policy, inviting all coaches to engage with the Technical Centre in Ta’ Qali. This collaborative approach demonstrated the association’s and the clubs’ unwavering dedication to nurturing growth and development within Maltese football. He urged everyone to continue working in unity for the best interest of local football eco-system.
Michele Marcolini, National A Team Head Coach and Technical Director, provided valuable details on the national teams’ setup, underlining the significance of the Elite Player Performance project and the importance of sharing information and knowledge. Coach Marcolini also revealed the national teams’ international schedule until June 2024.
Ivan Woods, who serves as both Under-21 Coach and Technical Coordinator for the youth selections, shared in-depth knowledge about the national teams’ common game philosophy being implemented. He also explained the rationale behind the substantial number of international games that Maltese teams participate in throughout the year. Woods further shed light on various departments’ input which is critical to the teams’ progress, including those working on the match analysis, the scouting and talent identification, the medical, and the recently appointed team to follow the levels of performance. Mr Woods also provided an outline on the out-of-season strength and conditioning program and touched on the benefits of a player-centred approach as adopted by the Association through its strategic projects.
Roderick Vella, Director of Operations and Administration, highlighted the indispensable role played by his team in supporting the national teams’ requirements all-year round. Vella presented an overview of the Malta FA’s initiatives, including details from the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) agreed with Premier League, Challenge League and National Amateur League clubs.
During Vella’s presentation, a segment was dedicated to live-stats from the first matchdays of the domestic leagues, mainly focusing on the usage of both homegrown players and foreigners.
The meeting held on Saturday exemplified the association’s commitment to total transparency on what is being carried out and directed by the Technical Centre in Ta’ Qali. Through informative presentations and open discussions, the meeting fostered a sense of reciprocal and shared purpose among coaches and administrative staff, working together to propel Maltese football to greater heights.
In addition, at the end of the session, the clubs’ head coaches were also invited to attend for the National A Team training session held at the Training Grounds. All in all, it was also a valuable occasion for the coaches to witness the dedicated efforts of the players and coaching staff as they gear up for the next set of fixtures on the international stage.