by The match between Malta and Cyprus was one that marked many new milestones for Malta’s women’s football. Besides a second promotion to League B for Malta, the central points revolved around a return to the National Stadium and a new record attendance. Coach Manuela Tesse and captain Emma Lipman called time on making the Stadium a permanent home. Nicole Sciberras remarked the impact of increased promotion of matches, while Haley Bugeja underscored that the relationship between the team and supporters is building a new feeling in football in Malta.
It’s Time To Make The National Stadium A Home
The match between Malta and Cyprus was one that marked many new milestones for Malta’s women’s football. Besides a return to League B status for Malta’s women’s national team, it marked the return at the National Stadium for the Malta Women’s National Team after an absence of twenty years.
If one is to build a connection with Malta’s national teams, then supporters must feel the reality of a home that they welcome opposition to battle in. As its name suggests, that home for Malta’s national teams is the National Stadium.
Captain Emma Lipman remarked that the time is ripe to make the National Stadium the home for the women’s team, “When I walked out it brought memories of when we did it against Latvia which was in the Centenary Stadium. That was beautiful as well, but I think this win against Cyprus marked a massive step. We played in the National Stadium where I believe we deserve to be playing. We’re more than capable of putting a performance as you’ve seen. So, I think this is a massive step for football in Malta.”
Nicole Sciberras echoed the sentiment of her captain regarding the emotions of playing at the National Stadium, “I think it was a completely different feeling to playing at the Centenary Stadium and a beautiful feeling.”
Malta’s coach, Manuela Tesse, believes that the positive result achieved against Cyprus proves that the team is ready to make the National Stadium its home. The Sardinian is challenging the nation to aim higher when it comes to the women’s game.
She said, “We must invest more because the team is playing well. Before there was some trepidation because of the past results in the Stadium, but this was twenty years ago. We play in these kinds of pitches every time we are abroad now. Today we showed that we can play with a good shape in this pitch as well and get results, so I think now we need to make another step forward.”
A Team Building A Connection With Its Supporters
Friday’s match also marked a new record attendance for a women’s football match in Malta, set at 1,205 attendees. Haley Bugeja has become increasingly familiar with bigger crowds flocking to watch the women’s game on foreign soil in her exploits with Inter Women in the Serie A.
Questioned on her thoughts regarding getting a positive result in the National Stadium after an absence of twenty years, together with the record-breaking attendance, the youngster in fact remarked the growing attendance is not just about increasing numbers for the sake of it, but should be a sign of an increasing relationship between the team and its supporters.
Malta’s number twenty-one reflected on the record attendance in view of the bigger crowds away from Maltese shores, “I think we’ll get there bit by bit. As a team we are getting results and I believe that we are entertaining those who are coming to watch us play. I think there is a unity that is truly being felt between us players, staff and the supporters. I believe that is the most beautiful thing that football should offer in Malta.”
Bugeja believes that the results that the team is achieving is building a new enthusiasm in football in Malta, “Even though as Malta we’ve experienced heartbreaks in football in the past, now we are breaking that barrier with these results. The more our support grows, the more we are able to continue reaching these milestones as Maltese in football.”
Could It Have Been Attended By A Bigger Number?
While attendances and pitch size may seem separate things, the two go hand in hand when one considers the level of football that can be sustained throughout the match to provide entertainment, which must be balanced by the commercial aspects in the operation of a stadium as big as the National Stadium.
However, central to all of it is the investment put into not only improving the football, but also in increasing the visibility of matches through properly planned promotion campaigns, building the relationship of the supporters with their team and improving the matchday experience for football enthusiasts.
Friday’s match enjoyed improved promotion with players making the rounds in schools and on television, bundled ticket sales with the Men’s National Team match, an increased visibility on independent media platforms and the invitation of Eurovision contestant Miriana Conte for a pre-match performance.
That effort led to a record crowd of 1,205 supporters which surpassed the previous record for a women’s football match. The previous record for a women’s football match in Malta stood at 1,053 – set during the friendly between Birkirkara and Manchester United in January of 2023.
Nicole Sciberras hailed the increased promotion to achieve a new record, while encouraging more effort to raise the visibility, “To see the increase in attendance considering the additional promotion (for this game) is a positive thing. It means people are responding to it. I would like to see more promotion because I believe we can improve in this aspect, but to achieve this record is a positive thing.”
Indeed the record breaking number marks a positive step, but a global look suggests that the pace that women’s football is gaining attraction in Malta is slow when compared to the strides the movement is making internationally and considering the talent on display. On the flip side, the numbers offer a quantitative measure, but the fulcrum is the manner and consistency with which football enthusiasts are engaging with football in Malta.
Indeed, questioned about achieving the attendance record, Manuela Tesse was clear that while the step forward in attendance is welcome, the ambition should be bigger, “1,200 is a record, but we can be better.”
A stone’s throw away 8,000 flocked to a concert by Maltese showman Aidan. This is just one example of many events which fought for the attention of the local public on the night, but a poignant one with indications showing an overlapping demographic split between the two venues on the same Friday night.
It would be easy to rue the clash between the two events as unfortunate. However, while the concert sales were promoted as early as February, the football match tickets were released a month before the matchday, with a few enthusiasts missing the match due to having already purchased tickets for the concert. This, despite the matchday being already penned in by UEFA at the beginning of the UEFA Women’s Nations League tournament.
The question begs whether an earlier campaign could have led to a bigger attendance for the match, crucially by supporters who are already engaged with the women’s national team on some level, but perhaps not yet being the die-hard supporters who wouldn’t miss a match for anything. That is a connection that requires work to be built.
The record remains an important milestone and a positive step, but certainly Friday’s events provide an image of the realities that the game faces in a world of plenty of entertainment and one that gives food for thought for the preparation of the next home match for Malta.
Until then, the Malta women’s national team will be playing its final UEFA Women’s Nations League match on Tuesday (3rd June) against Andorra at the Estadio Encamp. The match will be played at 19:00 CET and will be broadcast on TVM News+.
Lead Image: Dorienne Grech
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