In a country not known for its footballing success or prowess, a Maltese national team made footballing history for the country last week.
But it wasn’t the men’s football team – the most heavily financed national team and sport on the island – which made history, but rather it was the women’s national football team which inserted themselves into the history books.
This after they beat Latvia 2-1 at the Centenary Stadium in Ta’ Qali last week in order to secure first place and promotion from their UEFA Nations League group, now rising to the second tier of the competition amongst the best 32 countries in Europe.
While the Malta Football Association was established as far back as 1900, it took until 1995 for the first ever women’s football league to be organised in Malta, and another eight years after that to 2003 for Malta to have a women’s national team.
Perhaps that shows the level of stigma until quite recently that Maltese women have had to face in order to play the sport they love. Even some of today’s players have spoken of the lack of resources and the lack of equity between them and their own clubs’ men’s teams in every day life.
Yet it is perhaps fitting that as the women’s footballing community celebrates 20 years since Malta faced Romania in its first ever international, it came upon such a momentous historical occasion.
2023 has been a historic year for Maltese football in general due to its national women’s team: the team achieved statistics never seen before by a Maltese national football team.
Unbeaten in all 9 matches played this year, with 20 goals scored and just 4 conceded, the topping of their UEFA Nations league group was truly the cherry on the cake.
The powers that be must now build on this momentum. This is a generation of players – a mix of fresh and experienced – which has the capability of inspiring today’s young girls into believing that they can aspire to be a Maltese woman who can play football.
The domestic game must be strengthened and more opportunities for girls to play football must be offered.
There are 8 clubs offering senior women’s football, all playing in the same league. Birkirkara have dominated for some years now, but it is encouraging for the game to see that other clubs are clawing back at them. Just this season, for example, Swieqi United broke Birkirkara’s incredible 92-match unbeaten run in local competitions with a stoppage time winner. They together with Hibernians and Mgarr United are launching a challenge to Birkirkara’s dominance. This can only strengthen the value of the league and the competition in Malta, and increase the level of the game.
What must come is more investment on a local level: encouragement from the MFA and courage from local clubs to set up their own women’s teams and promote the sport to attract more and more girls into the fold.
The talent pool is certainly there to be found: the fact that a number of young Maltese football players have gone to play in women’s leagues abroad is a testament to that. Haley Bugeja, who today plays with Italian giants Inter, is an example of this, but several other players play their football at good levels in Italy, England, and even Croatia.
May the Nations League triumph prove to be a watershed moment in Maltese football, and may more sporting achievements come for the whole country.