Five Things To Keep In Mind As The Assikura Women’s League Unfolds Next Week

The Assikura Women’s League will begin in ten days time with a clash between Hibernians and Swieqi United. In anticipation of the first kick-off, there’s five things which will be good to keep in mind as matters unfold in the coming months.

1. The Path Is Known

Last year’s revamp in the competition structure of the Assikura Women’s League raised many questions as to how it would affect proceedings. Now that all clubs have experienced it, there will be no excuses if they fail to grasp the lessons that last season provided.

If last year confirmed anything, it was that squad rotation will be essential if there is to be enough left in the tank for the final phase of the league title chase. While the announcement of transfers is something that generates buzz, transfers for the sake of transfers will be of little use when teams get down to business.

The real question lies in whether teams have recruited players to truly address their weaknesses, while holding on to the ones that made key contributions last season. The true success of that transfer activity will ultimately be measurable only based on performances on the pitch, when it matters most.

Assuming that the administrative side did its job in securing players, the question then becomes whether there is the right setup of coaches to navigate the tribulations of the season.

Last year continued raising more complete coaching structures in the Assikura Women’s League, to varying degrees. Head coaches became more evidently supported by assistant coaches, fitness/strength & conditioning coaches, goalkeeper’s coaches and even physios, kit managers and the like.

There have been positive strides as suggested by the club announcements, but of course there is plenty still to be done to see a complete structure across all teams. Once again, it will be interesting to see the implications of such action or inaction.

On the other hand, last season there were huge disruptions as six out of eight teams changed head coach or experienced some form of disruption in this regard in the latter half of the season. While reasons for such changes varied, the disruptions limited the possibility to improve on what was working as coaches attempted to get used to their new teams. It will be extraordinary to see a similar situation unfold. However, should that happen, clubs who planned their recruitment strategy diligently this season, to avoid repeats, will be in a much better position to navigate it. It will be up to them to capitalise on the disruptions plaguing their competition should these materialise.

2. Repetition Is An Opportunity To Show Growth

Many lamented the repetitive nature that the Assikura Women’s League structure brought. While it is true that ultimately teams played their direct rivals five times (depending on their position following the split), it also provided the ultimate test on whether teams developed sufficiently throughout the season to overthrow those opponents which they struggled against initially.

The changes in coaches ended up throwing new sets of questions in certain cases, as those who came into the roles adopted different approaches. However, this ability was often tied into the squad numbers at their disposal. In truth, several of the top four struggled for numbers as injuries took their toll to a first eleven that had been playing throughout the season with little rotation. In the bottom four, there was little to shout for as the only rivalry that was maintained was the one that started at the beginning between San Gwann & Lija Athletic.

If teams have done their work to recruit coaches and players with a defined strategy in mind, and taken into account the learnings of last season on the raised intensity, then things can get truly exciting in terms of development. It would mean that coaches can work with their squad to assess weaknesses and break new ground, not firefight their way throughout the season as happened in most cases last season. The ability to truly focus on development would then enable gaps to be closed and results to swing more because of improved football, rather than forced circumstances. That would make the repetition of the fixtures exciting for those in the stands and on the pitches and touchlines, rather than a factor to be lamented.

3. It’s Foolish To Underestimate Strong Mentality & Mathematics

The league title is about consistency. However, a competitive league does not allow teams to plough through the victories. In such leagues, it becomes about the maturity and mentality to rise to the challenge in crucial moments. If last year showed anything, it is that sometimes it may also be about being willing to take a point, instead of walking away with nothing.

Like last year, the first two rounds will be all about establishing the first four. In this regard, the first real question will be whether a new team can dislodge one of the established four of Birkirkara, Swieqi United, Hibernians and Mgarr United. By default, it will indicate whether one of these four has fallen behind and another team has done its homework to make the necessary improvement. Should they still retain the top four status, the question becomes whether the same order is maintained or if changes are afoot.

Though all things point towards interesting battles to be developed, it is too early to predict. However, the one aspect that is certain is that league football is a game of wit and mathematics. If a team is in the top four, but dropped points against a rival in the first two rounds, there would still be nine points available to grab against them following the league split.

This means that if they can show true ability to learn their lessons and bring the right competitive attitude, a team could breakeven the initial misgivings and come out swinging. In real practice, if all points raised above are well taken care of, the teams must be willing to fight until the last match and not dip off as soon as the going gets hard.

4. Venues, Scheduling & Officiation Matter

Coaches were generally dismissive of the effects of the venues in pre-match comments, but the struggles were sounded out in the aftermaths. This season, all things point toward Dingli Ground, the Centenary Stadium and Victor Tedesco Stadium being the main sites of play, all of which continue to be utilised following last season.

While several complaints were lodged about the poor lighting at Dingli Ground last year, the club took to its social media to confirm works have been completed to improve the lighting conditions over the summer period. Having played host to some fantastic thrillers last season, with crowds reaching even 125 spectators at times, the effort to improve the lighting is a positive step to ensure the right environment for the match to be played and enjoyed in.

One hopes that similar improvements have been made at the Victor Tedesco Stadium, as well as the other grounds that play host to any football matches across the islands. Besides lighting, last year’s controversies extended from poor pressure in balls to torn pitches, as well as safety concerns. Such basics should have been addressed over the summer period.

Besides this, the pleas raised last season for fixture schedules to consider the reality that several players play in at least two leagues still stand. The controversy highlighted made it very clear that it takes two to tango and that it is the responsibility of coaches (and clubs), as much as it is that of the Malta Football Association issuing the fixtures to consider this. Time will tell whether the efforts are made for the wellbeing of players.

Officiation was also under the microscope and as ever will continue to be so. One hopes that this season discussions will revolve around the positive strides made in the off-season to address the shortcomings of last year. The investments made by clubs will all be for nought if the officiation is sub-par. The matches will also lose the interest of attendees if the level of officiation teams are not conducive to the level of football being played.

5. Further Investment Will Rely On Improved Football & Visibility

Although attendance records for the women’s game were not published by the Malta Football Association, last season provided a positive story in breaking a new domestic record in the Super Cup final, which unfolded in front of 671 spectators. That means that that domestic match was watched by the average crowd that attends a Malta Women’s National Team match. That is besides the numbers watching at home through the broadcasting.

Matches at Dingli Ground were attended by up to 125 spectators at times, with an average of 83 attendees over the season. These numbers certainly have the potential to increase and this will be another aspect that will continue to be assessed over the season.

As expected, last season numbers were highest when matches offer balanced and hard-fought encounters. So, if clubs did their jobs in setting up their teams to compete, then the attendances should continue to grow, however it will also depend on how much matches are given visibility on media.

Positive efforts were made to televise several competitive matches last season on the national television station. The continued efforts to give the league visibility to those in Malta and abroad, whether through television or through other methods such as online live-streaming, will certainly be crucial to attract talent and investment that will give the women’s game the opportunity to grow. Time will tell whether this will materialise this season.

All will begin to unfold in ten days time, on Thursday 22nd August at the Centenary Stadium, with a highly-anticipated kick-off between Hibernians and Swieqi United at 20:15.

Make sure to never miss an Assikura Women’s League match by syncing your calendar here.

Lead Image: Lara Schembri

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