More Questions Than Answers In Business-As-Usual Draws As Eight Become Six In The Women’s League

A hastily scribbled announcement on Thursday was followed by a live-streamed draw announcing the sequence in which teams will face each other in the Assikura Women’s League and the Assikura Women’s Youth League. The draw papered over the reduction in teams and a league restructuring in format, without much else in the context of the present and future of the domestic women’s game in Malta except a sequence and a probable starting date for either league.

Nonchalance In The Drop Of Two Teams & League Restructuring

Having never appeared in the promised initial draw on TVM Sports+ with little explanation, the Women’s League draws were assembled and drawn without much prior notice on Friday.

The draws revealed that the Assikura Women’s League is expected to feature six teams this season: Swieqi United, Mgarr United, Hibernians, Birkirkara, San Gwann and Valletta. There was no mention or much explanation of the disappearance of Lija Athletic and Mtarfa.

There is yet to be a statement from either club or the Malta Football Association explaining the reasons for the withdrawal from the league. Moreover, there is yet to be any reaction statement from the MFA on thoughts on this reduction of competitors in the league, as well as the analysis of the impact on the players and personnel involved.

In some cases, players and administrative personnel have filtered into the other existing clubs, however the exact figures will still need to be revealed following the stabilisation of the teams after the summer period. Actually, a glance at the current whole landscape raises serious doubts into whether even the six teams will start or complete the season, or if there could be further drops. Nonetheless, six went into the draw.

The draw also revealed that the league will take place in a round-robin format with the teams facing each other four times over four rounds. The previous two years featured two rounds with all eight teams facing each other twice, before the teams were split into the top four and bottom four, playing another three rounds between the participants between each group. This confirms thoughts of a league restructuring that is likely forced by the reduction of teams and a reduction also in the number of matches played in the league. Once again, the exact reasoning behind the restructuring may only be confirmed or otherwise, once the MFA issues its statement.

Likewise, the Assikura Women’s Youth League will also drop to just six teams, continuing the shrinking cycle of women’s teams. The teams competing will be holders Swieqi United, Hibernians, Birkirkara, Valletta, San Gwann, and the newly merged side of Lija-Mgarr. Mtarfa also disappear from the mix in this league, while Gozitan outfits also seize to feature in any team under the new formations following the disbandment of SK Lija. The latter marks another regression in representation of Gozitan sides in the overarching domestic leagues, with the Gozitan FA also silent about this.

The Assikura Women’s Youth League will take place in exactly the same round-robin format with four rounds as the senior namesake, thus also featuring a change from last year’s competition. The Sporting Fan understands that there could be an age change from the U19 to U21 for the Assikura Women’s Youth League. However, the draws also failed to confirm or deny this.

Draws Give Sequence And Maximum Matches, But Not Much Else

The twelve minute draws set up the sequence in which teams will face each other in each league. It also established that the Assikura Women’s Youth League will kick things off between the 19th and 20th of August, thus presumably retaining the Tuesday and Wednesday slots. Meanwhile, the Assikura Women’s League will kick-off between Thursday 21st and Saturday 23rd August.

However, no insight is given into whether this means that the league will start somewhere between those days or if this means that the three matches in a week will always take place one on Thursday, one on Friday and one on Saturday. Any other configuration could be possible, with for example a match being played on Friday and two on Saturday. This is yet to be confirmed, especially considering the push to establish the women’s game on weekends done in the previous years, as is the norm in the established leagues across Europe.

There is also no insight into the venues where matches will be played, be it the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali, the newly-resurfaced Centenary Stadium or any other pitch on the islands. There is also no indication into which matches will be broadcast, livestreamed or otherwise.

In other words, the draws give the sequence, but also no real concrete information into the exact matchdays to be played throughout the season and the context for supporters of how to follow the league and their favourite team. So, as things stand, the best thing to do is to block your calendar from Tuesday to Saturday from the 19th August until some time in May, just in case there’s a match from either league you might want to attend.

As for the teams themselves, the real question to ask is whether the information described as missing above is only missing for the public, considering the planning requirements for a season.

Until then, here’s the sequence for the leagues.

Lead Image: Elise Bajada

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