Kerċem Ajax are expected to become the second Gozitan club to break away from the Gozo Football Association’s domestic competitions and enter the Malta Football Association league system.
Several sources have informed Malta Sport that the reigning Gozitan champions no longer consider the GFA league structure financially or competitively sustainable.
The proposed move would see Kerċem begin their journey in the MFA Amateur League II from the 2027–28 season, subject to the necessary application and approval processes.
Grech confirms club will approach MFA
When contacted by Malta Sport, Kerċem Ajax president Dr Elvin Grech confirmed that the club intends to write formally to the Malta Football Association in the coming days to begin the process.
Grech carries considerable experience within Gozitan football administration, having previously served as both general secretary and president of the Gozo Football Association. His time as GFA president ended in 2014.
The Kerċem president explained that the club sees a significant difference between competing within a regional structure and joining the national league system.
According to Grech, the MFA can provide clubs with wider commercial opportunities, stronger revenue streams and a clearer pathway for sporting growth, opportunities which are difficult to replicate within the GFA competitions.
Victoria Hotspurs provide the precedent
Victoria Hotspurs have already demonstrated that a Gozitan club can successfully make the transition.
The Hotspurs entered the MFA structure through Amateur League II before gaining promotion to Amateur League I. They then secured another promotion at the end of the 2025–26 campaign and are set to compete in the Challenge League.
Their rapid progress has created favourable ground for Kerċem Ajax, who would be aiming to follow a similar route from the lower levels of the national pyramid.
Promotion would also provide the club with a theoretical pathway to Malta’s top flight, something unavailable to clubs that remain solely within the regional Gozitan system.
Kerċem Ajax would approach the move from a position of considerable strength. The club won the Gozitan Second Division during the 2024–25 season before carrying that momentum into the top division and establishing itself as the dominant force in Gozitan football.
That run has strengthened the belief within the club that its sporting ambitions may now have outgrown the present regional structure.
Growing concern over sustainability
The possible departure is also likely to raise fresh questions over the long-term sustainability of the GFA competitions.
Gozitan football currently operates through two regional divisions, with limited fixtures, restricted commercial reach and fewer opportunities to generate significant revenue compared with clubs participating in the MFA’s national competitions.
The structure contained 13 clubs across its two divisions during the 2025–26 season.
Malta Sport understands that at least one Second Division club remains uncertain over whether it will register for the coming season, further highlighting the financial pressure affecting parts of the Gozitan game.
Several clubs continue to face difficulties in developing sustainable income streams, while rising operational costs are making it increasingly challenging to remain competitive.
Kerċem’s potential departure would therefore represent much more than the movement of one successful club. It would be another warning that the gap between regional football in Gozo and the MFA’s national structure is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
