The Malta Football Association (MFA; mt, Assoċjazzjoni tal-Futbol ta' Malta) is the governing body of football in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The Association organises the Maltese Football League and several other competitions, including a knockout competition for the top teams, called the FA Trophy. The Malta national football team as well as several other representative teams in the younger categories compete regularly in international competitions organised by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

and FIFA. These include the European Championships and the World Cup. Malta also takes part in women's international competitions and competitions of

Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

The MFA manages the

National stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...

and the Centenary Stadium nearby. This complex is based in Ta` Qali and includes training grounds, a gymnasium, a swimming pool and physiotherapy and medical clinics. The complex is also used by foreign clubs during the winter months, due to the mild temperatures of the Maltese Islands. The association is one of the oldest and one of the best in Europe, being founded in 1900 with the first national league being organised in season 1909–1910. There are several important landmarks in the history of Maltese football, especially since Malta played its first official international friendly match against

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in February 1957. The result was a narrow 3–2 defeat for Malta. It took until 1959 for the MFA to join FIFA, also joining

the year after in 1960. From then onwards, Malta become an ever-present in international competitions at national teams as well as at club levels. During 2019, the MFA has also entered into talks with the Italian Football Federation and the

Lega Pro The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

to discuss the possibility for the MFA to field a professional team within the

Italian football league system The Italian football league system, also known as the Italian football pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system for association football in Italy. It consists of nine national and regional tournaments, the first three be ...

. The MFA is structured by having 53 member clubs, as well as 10 member associations. The clubs compete in four divisions; the premier, first, second and third. The member associations are specialised football associations who organise competitions for clubs affiliated to them. The member associations include: *the Gozo Football Association – organises competitions for teams on the island of Gozo *Inter Amateur Soccer Competition *Employees Sports Association *Malta Hotels and Restaurants Sports Association *Industries Soccer Association *District Football Association * Malta Youth Football Association – for players under 16 *Malta Amateur Football Association *Malta Football Coaches Association *Malta Football Referees Association

References

External links

Official website

Maltafootball.com
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Futsal in Malta Football Sports organizations established in 1900 1900 establishments in Malta