The Malta Football Association has begun a programme of visits to Premier League clubs as it seeks closer coordination between the domestic game and the national team ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Vice-President Matthew Paris and Malta head coach Emilio De Leo led the first meetings at Sliema Wanderers, Mosta and Żabbar St Patrick. The delegation met club presidents, committee members and technical staff before attending training sessions and discussing player development.
The Malta FA had no say whatsoever in the decision regarding the new international windows as this was a decision taken by FIFA.
A more structured exchange
The central aim is to establish a more consistent flow of information before and after international windows. Malta’s senior players spend most of the season in their club environments, leaving the national-team staff with limited time to implement its methods and monitor individual progress.
The Malta FA therefore wants clubs and national-team coaches to exchange feedback more regularly, aligning work on fitness, development and tactical expectations where possible. De Leo also highlighted the importance of exposing young Maltese players to senior football, even when their development inevitably includes mistakes.
Youth opportunities remain an important issue across the domestic game. A previous Maltasport review of the Malta FA’s 2024/25 season noted the clubs that recorded the highest number of appearances by young players, underlining the link between meaningful senior minutes and the national pathway.
The three clubs offered different perspectives during the meetings. Sliema backed the principle of club and national coaches working towards the same development objective. Mosta outlined a new cycle based around a young squad, while St Patrick stressed that experienced foreign players can raise standards but should not close the route for emerging Maltese talent.
New calendar designed to improve continuity
The visits also come before a revised international-window structure. Clubs are scheduled to play seven consecutive league matches before a longer break for national-team football. Under the previous format, the domestic campaign stopped after two fixtures, restarted briefly and was interrupted again for a second international period.
According to the Malta FA, the coaches involved in the first round of discussions welcomed the change. The new sequence should give clubs greater rhythm at the start of the season while providing the national team with a clearer block for its work.
Further club visits are planned for the beginning of August. Their value will ultimately depend on whether the proposed communication becomes a regular two-way process, but the opening meetings establish a useful framework before the domestic and international programmes resume.
