There is a record entry of 45 clubs for this season’s UEFA Women’s Cup which kicks off on Thursday with Everton LFC, Olympique Lyonnais and AC Sparta Prague among the 40 clubs aiming for eleven places alongside the top five seeds in the second qualifying round.
Among those taking part are Maltese champions Birkirkara FC, who have been entered to represent Malta for the first time in this competition. Hibs, who had won the championship on several occasions in the past, never took part. Another newcomer to this year’s competition is Georgia’s FC Dinamo Tbilisi.
Birkirkara were drawn in Group A5 together with Athletic Club BFKEB of Spain, Bardolino Verona of Italy and ZNK KRKA Novo Mesto of Slovenia.
The Birkirkara FC squad, coached by Kenneth Costantino, will be selected from the following players:
Goalkeepers: Nina Dimech, Michelle Zahra
Defenders: Elaine Bonnici, Charlene Tabone, Lorraine Abnela, Alexia Scicluna, Stephania Farrugia, Sandra Sammut, Isabelle Mazitelli, Rosanne Xerri, Kristie Vella, Davinia Pomroy, Fiona Mangion.
Midfielders: Nora Agliano, Kimberley Parnis, Deborah Pisani, Yasmeen Vella, Rachel Cuschieri, Sacha Camilleri.
Strikers: Vanessa Attard, Chantelle Demanuele, Debbie Pisani, Kelly Agius Pace, Catherine Camilleri, Eliza Ivarone, Marie-Claire Alamango.
They will be leaving Malta today on their way to Verona in Italy, where this round is being played between Thursday and Tuesday 13 August.
Ten first qualifying round mini-tournaments are taking place across Europe and two past quarter-finalists are involved. Sparta are in Israel to play Group A10 home side Maccabi Holon FC, Romania’s CFF Clujana and AEK Kokkinochovion of Cyprus, while Valur Reykjavík take on ADO Den Haag, Finnish champions FC Honka Espoo and Faroese hosts Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag KÍ in Group A2.
The ten group winners and the best runners-up will go into the next around along with Arsenal, 2007 runners-up Umea IK, the Swedish champions’ fellow two-time winners 1. FFC Frankfurt plus last season’s beaten semi-finalists Brøndby IF and Kolbotn IL in October. The top two teams from each second qualifying round group progresses to the two-legged quarter-finals in November, with the route to the subsequent rounds in spring pre-ordained. If the groups go with seeding, Frankfurt would be rematched with the team that ended their grip on the trophy at the last-eight stage in 2006/07, Kolbotn. Meanwhile, if both Arsenal and Umeå win their groups, they would be on course for the same semi-final.