by The Malta Football Players Association (MFPA) and the Malta Football Association (MFA) have reached a consensus on improved conditions, scheduling of medical procedures for those sustaining injuries while on senior international duty and performance-based bonuses for the UEFA Women’s Nations League, through a revised edition of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The Revision of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
The revision comes after two years since the initial agreement was signed in 2021. It addresses a number of aspects related to the Malta Women’s National Team. Among the most prominent agreements are to set a defined timeframe to carry out medical procedures for players who sustain an injury while representing the women’s national team.
The revision also includes an agreement over financial remuneration and performance-based bonuses for the UEFA Women’s Nations League. Beyond the specific competition, the agreement also addresses improvement in conditions and incentives for those players called up to official women’s international matches.
Furthermore, the agreement also includes a commitment to develop a maternal and early childhood support policy, as well as an effort from the parties to respect and promote the protection of internationally recognised human rights as set out in the FIFA Statutes and FIFA’s Human Rights Policy.
Comments From Lipman, Galea
The Malta Women’s National team captain Emma Lipman praised the consensus on the revised MOU, “The MOU is another step in the right direction as it provides further enhancements from the agreement signed two years ago.”
In her comments she noted that players welcome these improvements and are also aware of the two-way nature of the agreement, “Women’s football is growing at a rapid rate and this is increasing the level of recognition for the efforts and achievements of women’s football players as well as their rights and obligations. This is a two-way thing.”
She continued, “We are fully dedicated, focused and committed to the national team, doing a lot of sacrifices to perform to the best of our abilities, and our collective efforts are producing the desired rewards. We want to feel supported and appreciated for our contribution and this MOU goes a long way towards achieving that.” The captain also recognised the efforts and co-operation of the Malta Football Players Association and the Malta Football Association to reach this agreement.
Malta’s Women’s National Team is currently sitting at the top of their group in the inaugural UEFA Women’s Nations League after securing victories over Latvia and Moldova in the past week. The team will return to international duty at the end of October where they will face a double-header against Andorra on Friday 27th October in Malta, and on Tuesday 31st of October at Andorra. Winning those two matches will put the Maltese contingent in a strong position to get promoted into League B.
Speaking about the revised agreement, the President of the Malta Football Players Association, Anthony Galea, said, “The commitment to secure better and equal conditions for women in football is a priority for the MFPA and this MOU takes us another step closer towards achieving this objective.”
He praised the commitment of the Malta Women’s National Team players, “Our players are great ambassadors for our country, they are constantly pushing themselves to raise their standards and achieve excellent results for our national team. They deserve our full appreciation and recognition, and the MFPA is delighted to be offering our unwavering support to the women’s national team players and women’s football in general which constitutes one of main goals of the Association’s strategy for the period 2023-2026.” Galea also acknowledged the support received from the Malta Football Association to be able to reach this agreement.
Lead Image: Lara Schembri
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