The MFA headquarters will be transferred to the Millennium Stand at Ta' Qali next June, MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud announced yesterday.

He said work on this project has already started and hoped it would be completed by May so that the inauguration will be held in June.

Dr Mifsud was addressing the press for the first time this year as he revealed the programme of the association till the end of the season, that is, till the annual general meeting in July.

The MFA president said the new headquarters will have double the space they have at present in their Valletta headquarters. The association's administration will be housed in two full storeys of the building which guarantees no parking problems for all those frequenting the headquarters.

Among other things, Dr Mifsud emphasised that the MFA is to continue working hard in the youth sector where the future of football lies.

He said that by the end of the year, they hoped to have installed 35 mini-pitches which form part of the UEFA jubilee project.

Dr. Mifsud also announced that on 9 February there will be an extraordinary general meeting where several important amendments to the statute are to be discussed.

Among the proposals being put forward for approval is one which should give more power to the Council, therefore becoming more efficient. He also revealed that the MFA will be seeking to introduce an Arbitration Board where everyone will have the chance to fight for his rights.

The MFA president added that the forthcoming UEFA Congress to be held later this month, would also be important for himself and the association as he was contesting one of the seats on the Executive Committee of the European football body.

Dr Mifsud stated that next month an exhibition will being held at the Centenary Hall, part of the celebrations to commemorate 50 years of international football. It will include the 50-year history of international football in Malta in pictures, among other items.

The match against Austria on 7 February will be the highlight of the week-long activities which will include a reception, for which present and past national team players, especially those who had played in that 1957 match and who are still alive, will be invited.

Dr Mifsud also spoke about the Smash TV transmissions of local Premier Division football, saying that the feedback they had received was somewhat positive.

He said that the Smash TV station was now introducing copies of matches of each club on DVDs which can be bought for Lm4, including VAT.

He added that each club can now build a library of the match they play, starting from this season, and all this thanks to Smash TV.

Andrew Farrugia, representing Smash TV, said the station was committed to continue providing the service to local football fans.

He announced that Smash Radio was also transmitting live all the goals scored in the Premier League. And at present, the station is recruiting persons interested in football broadcasting, as it intends to include the first, second and third divisions in its schedule in future.