The champions of the 2011 BOV Premier League could, in next year’s U*BET FA Trophy, be pitted against a team from the third division as the competition is set for a change of format.
Norman Darmanin Demajo, the Malta Football Association (MFA) president, said yesterday as he presided over the draws of the preliminary and first round matches of this year’s competition: “There is a strong possibility that the U*BET FA Trophy, Malta’s second most prestigious football competition, will, from next year, resemble the format adopted by the English FA Cup, football’s oldest competition.
“All Premier League, First, Second and Third divisions clubs, and the 10 teams of the Gozo’s Premier Division will be put in one pot and the luck of the draw will determine the fixtures of the first few rounds of next year’s competition.
“The majority of clubs in Malta and Gozo look to be in favour of this proposition, although we are still sorting out some last minute details before officially announcing the U*BET FA Trophy’s new format,” he commented.
Darmanin Demajo expressed confidence that should the new format, which he described as “very attractive”, be given the go-ahead from all clubs in the next few months, next year’s competition “will be more eagerly contested than ever before.”
He added that he stood by his promise he gave after being appointed MFA president, that of improving and giving more money to the clubs, with four new artificial football pitches in Siggiewi, Gzira, St Lucia and Mosta set to be officially inaugurated in the coming weeks.
“Works on other football pitches in Zejtun, St Paul’s Bay, Xghajra, Zurrieq and Fgura are also expected to be concluded soon.
“Moreover, it won’t be long before the premises of the Youth FA will be brought closer to the association’s home at Ta’ Qali,” said the MFA president, remarking that it is a wish of his for the first preliminary matches of next year’s U*BET FA Trophy to take place in some of the new pitches.
The fixtures of this year’s preliminary and first round matches, as drawn by Iris Camilleri Mifsud, U*BET’s corporate communications manager yesterday, are as follows:
Preliminary Round: Pieta’ vs Msida – 10 November, Centenary Stadium, 7.30pm
First Round: Marsaxlokk vs Mqabba, Balzan vs Tarxien, Hibs vs either Pieta’ or Msida, Lija vs Floriana, Hamrun vs Melita, Dingli vs Mosta, St George’s vs St Andrew’s.
Full details of times and place of the matches will be given by the MFA in the coming days, although the games will be played over the weekend of 12-14 November at the Centenary Stadium, Victor Tedesco Stadium and Hibs Stadium.
Second Round matches will take place on 8 December, a public holiday.
The first four teams of last year’s BOV Premier League - Birkirkara, Valletta, Sliema and Qormi - qualify automatically for the competition’s quarter-finals.
Quarter-final matches are scheduled to take place on 18-19 March, semi-final matches will take place on 14-15 May while the competition will draw to a close with the final on 22 May 2011.