Between 8 and 12 February 2017, ten teams from Switzerland, Germany and Malta will play to become the winner of the Malta Soccer Trophy 40+. Teams such as VfR Aalen, Old Boys Basel and the national 40+ team from Malta will be competing in this seniors football tournament which is being held for the very first time with the support of the Malta Tourism Authority.
In addition to the above-mentioned teams , German senior top class teams such as SG Hoechst Classique (three-time German 40+ runner-up), TSV Reinbek-Hamburg (North German Champion) and VfB Giessen (veteran team consisting of former pros and former fourth and third division players) will also take part. TSV 1880 Wasserburg, SV Lichtenberg 47, DJK Schwabsberg-Buch and FSV Hailer complete the tournament line-up.
The draw for the tournament groups took place on 6 December 2016 at the Malta Tourism Authority's office in Frankfurt.
The tournament schedule has already been fixed - including kick-off times, match days and pairings. The stadiums of the first- and second-league teams in which the games are to be played - i.e. Luxol Sports Ground and Melita Sports Ground - have also been defined and assigned particular matches.
Football activities for senior players have been experiencing a veritable upturn in recent years. National championships in the age groups 32+,40+ and 50+ were introduced in order to give former professional players a chance to continue playing competitively.
With the Malta Soccer Trophy 40+ an additional international competition has now been created which the organisers hope will become a "Champions League for 40+ players". It gives teams a great opportunity to take part in an interesting, international, well-organized tournament and play outdoors as early as February, when other senior teams in Central Europe still play indoors. Moreover, such a football tournament is an ideal preparation for the spring and summer season.
Commenting on the significance of this event, MTA CEO Mr Paul Bugeja stated: "MTA recognises the huge potential for sport tournaments of this kind to be held in Malta and Gozo, particularly in the winter months. Malta is blessed with mild winter weather which makes it an ideal choice for training camps or competitive sport events. This is a very good initiative from our marketing teams in Malta and Germany and is a very innovative way of attracting the German market, which still offers huge potential for Malta. We are looking forward to hosting participants, families and fans at the first edition of this tournament, in the hope that it will become an annual appointment and will continue to grow in the coming years."