by The Jubilee Cup finals will be played tomorrow at the National Stadium, kicked off by the duel between Hibernians & Mgarr United in the women’s final at 14:30. Coaches Martina Borg & Ryan Vella commented on their preparations surrounding the big occasion, as compounded by a different surface, a bigger stadium, inclement weather and the first use of FVS technology in the women’s game, while sounding hopes for the future of the game. Captains Nicole Sciberras & Abigail Camilleri gave their own views of the impact of a different stadium given the new experience most of their teammates will have on the day.
The Chase To Touch Grass
The Malta FA’s 125th Anniversary cup, the Enemed Jubilee Cup, will reach its culmination tomorrow in a packed afternoon. The Women’s final will kick-off at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali at 14:30, with Hibernians facing Mgarr United. The women’s final will be followed by the MFA 125th Anniversary Celebrations due to begin at 16:45, before Sliema Wanderers entertain Valletta at 17:30 in the men’s final.
The final marks a return of the women’s domestic game at the National Stadium after six years. The last domestic women’s game to be held at the stadium was the 2019 Super Cup final between Birkirkara and Mgarr United, where the Stripes emerged victorious. Fast-forward to today, and Hibernians will be taking on quite a different Mgarr United, with the two teams having had their own evolutions since.
The two teams have already met in a final, where Mgarr United clinched their first title at the end of last season, the Assikura Women’s Knockout. This season the teams met at the latter portion of September, where Amber Grech’s long-range effort proved to be enough for Mgarr United to clinch the three points at the Centenary Stadium.
However, Hibernians have recruited further since and coach Martina Borg is looking to consolidate their approach in her first season in charge since hanging up her boots. The Hibernians coach was questioned on whether she believes the philosophy she is looking to ingrain in the team is adaptive enough to deal with the variation that the National Stadium brings.
She began, “Of course the principles are the starting basis, so I always want the team to try to stick to that style of play. The important thing is that with each match we continue to solidify our identity, with the key word being reaching consistency.”
She continued, “However, there’s always cases when you have to adapt, both in the game itself (because of how it evolves) but also because of the conditions in this case of playing in a different venue. We have taken this into account in our preparations, especially given that the size of the pitch may affect the intensity of the game.”
The Hibernians coach credited her players with the ability to make the right decisions in the right moment, “We have continued to build since the first meeting with Mgarr United and have grown since in our football. We must be smart to make the right decisions and ultimately these players are intelligent with an ability to make that decision.”
Meanwhile, Mgarr United are on an impeccable run of form in the league, having a perfect record in the nine matches played. However, they tasted defeat in the Super Cup final against Swieqi United, and went the distance against them in the semi-final of the Jubilee Cup. Having lost an opening lead late on in the ninety, they edged it out on penalties as extra-time was not enough.
Having tasted that reality, Ryan Vella was asked about whether he feels the current approach is good enough and whether he believes the team is ready to learn from that in view of earning the victory on a different turf.
Vella alluded to the underlying factors in the occasion, “In a final it’s even more a case of moments and you must take the few chances that you may have. However, as coaches we also understand that there are certain pressures as well, so I always believe that the first ten to fifteen minutes could be crucial on Monday, for either team as players try to find their feet, especially given that we will be playing in a different stadium.”
However, there was no hesitation on the importance of taking opportunities, “I think we are doing well to create a good number of opportunities in each match, but it’s crucial that we are as clinical as possible.”
While the size of the pitch is daunting enough, the grass within itself is another change the women’s teams will be dealing with, given that all matches are usually played on synthetic surfaces. The two coaches confirmed that initial agreements with the Malta Football Association to utilise the MFA Training Grounds on the final two preparation days were derailed by water-logging due to the inclement weather.
Questioned on how this affects preparations, Martina Borg replied, “It would have been nice for players to get a feel for the Training Grounds, especially for players who have never experienced or even went inside the stadium in the case of our new foreign signings.”
She continued, “We were elated when the request to do the session was accepted. However, unfortunately we were informed that due to the inclement weather the Saturday session had to be cancelled and of course we had to find a solution on short notice to simply have a training session. We managed to find an alternative but it is on a synthetic pitch, so we couldn’t prepare the players how we wished to.”
At the time of questioning (Saturday afternoon), the Hibernians’ coach admitted that the team was still waiting on confirmation on whether it would be possible to get the feel on the grass on Sunday, the day before the match. “As a coach and as a club of course you try to push for the best possible way to prepare for a match, but ultimately we have to accept that there is a limit to what we can control.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Vella revealed his team faired a bit worse on Saturday, “In our case unfortunately we haven’t been able to find a pitch available, because as it happens our own pitch was booked for other sessions today. We tried to find an alternative but given the short timeframe we didn’t manage so there won’t be any training today (Saturday).”
Vella attempted to look on the bright side, “Obviously you try to take the positives and I know we pushed a lot in training this week. Perhaps maybe in a sense taking a day off is deserved for the players, given that we also had eight players who came in directly from national team duties and weren’t able to really rest much. It allows us to also recuperate some knocks and fatigue.”
Six Years
Nicole Sciberras is captaining Hibernians for the first time this season with a prospect to lift the first title since the Paolites’ return. She is one of few in the team who have had the experience of playing at the National Stadium in country colours, following Malta’s singular match at the stadium back in June against Cyprus.
Hibernians’ coach Nicole Sciberras was of a similar frame of mind, “Certainly agree that the stadium itself is quite daunting and adds to the emotions to be managed on the day. However, it is also motivational to push you more as a football player.”
Sciberras added the insight from midfield, “Of course, from a footballing perspective it will affect the intensity of the match and will test whether both teams can manage the ninety, as well as the distribution of play in the match.”
Meanwhile, Mgarr United’s captain, Abigail Camilleri, is the longest-serving member of Mgarr United. Having part of a small nucleus of players who faced a tough cup defeat in the stadium six years ago, she gave her own insight on the matter, “I remember that the feeling of getting into the pitch was daunting. We also didn’t have the opportunity to train there before the match so it was the first feeling and the emotions are running high.”
Drawing from those experiences, the defender continued, “It’s crucial to be compact and maintain focus, to not be overwhelmed with the environment and the situation. However, I think we have more players who are playing at national level now so it helps us that they have a bit more experience in playing in big stadiums in that regard.”
Testing the Football Video Support In A Final
The stories of the impact of technology on football continue to make headlines across the globe, with the introduction of technology always a debate on not just the why, but also in the when and how. The Football Video Support system has been invested into by the MFA with the male side of football afforded a run-in period.
The Football Video Support system differs from VAR because it gives coaches the ability to initiate reviews for clear and obvious errors, instead of relying on a dedicated team of video officials to monitor all incidents.
However, thus far it is something that the women’s game hasn’t been privy to in Malta. The final will change this. The two coaches were questioned on their thoughts on handling this and the potential impact on the women’s game.
Both coaches agreed on the positives of the women’s final being put on an equal level in terms of the technology with the men’s final, due to playing within the National Stadium. The two added their own views in how it affects their own proceedings.
Martina Borg replied, “I don’t want to put too much emphasis on it as a coach, but it’s something that as a technical team we need to consider and also we must emphasise the responsibility of players to be honest with the ongoings on the pitch. At the end of the day, it is hopefully something that will make the game fairer.”
The Hibernians coach flashed a smile as she said, “As a coach I admit I am still somewhat green with the system even though we had a session on it, but I’ll take it as it goes. Of course you hope it isn’t used against you, but in the end, it’s meant to make the game fairer and ensure that the shortcomings that maybe sometimes affect us in the other matches are corrected.”
Ryan Vella latched on in a similar train of thought, “I fully agree. I think given it’s a final the most important thing is that the game is won fairly. It’s common that there are dubious offsides, goals or fouls and with this technology we can avoid this. As coaches we probably grumble quite a bit from the touchline usually, but I think on Monday it will be difficult to complain. Hopefully, there is no need to use it and the game can flow, but if it is used then one hopes that in the end it is in a way that ensures that the winner takes the trophy home fairly.”
The Mgarr United coach underlined the hopes for this to be only the start of the use of technology in the women’s game, “All in all it’s good to see. I hope that we see this utilised more, especially even in the league when there are decisive games. We understand that referees also need their support, they also face pressure from us and maybe from the players, and we all understand that they are human and mistakes happen. However, this technology can help.”
Call On Supporters & Newcomers Alike
Until then, the final awaits. The match will go straight to penalties if the ninety minutes is not enough to separate them. The two called on their own supporters to make their voices heard and presence known, with a wider call for newcomers to take to the stands with an open mind toward the movement as the women’s game continues to fight for resources and investment on the bigger stage.
The two teams will emerge at the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali at 14:30, marking the return of the women’s club football after six years in search of clinching the anniversary trophy. Tickets are available online.
Lead Images:Â Malta FA
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