Among the various projects and activities undergone through the second MFA administrative year under president Norman Darmanin Demajo, the emphasis remain on the heavy investment in the grassroots sector, meaning that the Footb all Association remains committed to its long term strategy, aimed at improving the standard of the local game.
This was higlighted during yesterday’s MFA Annual General Meeting for 2012, held at Hotel Excelsior. UEFA delegate Sergei Fursenco was also present for the Meeting.
The hub of activities remains the MFA Technical Centre, from where this new vision was launched a few months ago. Technical director Robert Gatt is responsible for the implementation of the programme, together with several qualified coaches employed by the Association.
The target is to lay the foundations in the development of promising youngsters to enable them reach professional levels later in their football careers. This takes years to yield dividends but the first step was to hire one of the best grassroots coaches, Italian Sergio Soldano as Youth Development Head Coach to run the Academy. The first group includes children born in 1998.
Teaching skills requires skilled coaches and the MFA is leaving no stone unturned to improve the coaching level in the local football nurseries. Competence and qualifications are the main credentials in the amended curriculum of Nurseries Head Coaches and administrators
Coach Education is anothert project launched recently by the Malta Football Association where coaching courses have been organised for coaches in football, futsal as well as beach soccer, both for men’s and women’s sport, grassroots and Youth Development to improve coaching standards.
Many internationally renowned coaches were invited to give lectures in Malta during the past year, among whom FC Torino head coach Gianpiero Ventura, the head of player development in Tottenham Hotspurs Academy Chris Ramsey, as well as Pedro Larraquy, head of AC Velez Sarsfield Academy from Argentina.
Before the start of last season, FIFA expert Fritz Schmid conducted the FIFA Grassroots Course held in Malta.
Maltese coaches also benefitted from participation in the UEFA Study Groups. One such Study Group was held in Malta in May, attended by coaches from Italy, Lithuania and Luxembourg.
The MFA has been trying to reach children at schools and a pilot project, in collaboration with San Gorg Preca college, enabled three to five year olds to make physical exercise during school hours, under the guidanced of qualified coaches from Nurseries.
With the fast development in technology, the MFA has also invested heavily in its IT software programmes at Ta’ Qali to enable detailed data input of all athletes attending the Technical Centre. This programme is also being used by coaches to analyse all matches of the national teams as well as to study opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
Technology has helped improvement in the medical clinic at Ta’Qali where the MFA has also invested in modern equipment and machinery to help in the rehabilitation of athletes, under the guidance of Dr David Attard and his qualified team.
During the past months, the Technical Centre has become the focal point where all the Association members can discuss issues, share experiences and receive assistance for the benefit of the local game.