by Valletta secured their first trophy, since debuting in the women’s game last season, with a 2 – 1 victory against Birkirkara in the BNF Women’s U16 Knockout final. Valletta coach Julian Buhagiar discussed the road to the trophy and the support behind the team. Birkirkara’s Melvin Camilleri reflected on a disappointing result, while weighing the development of his side and support as he bids farewell to the team.
Same Teams, Different Match
Valletta and Birkirkara contested the U16 Women’s Knockout final on Sunday, with the Citizens coming back from a goal down to win the tie by 2 – 1. It was a drastic switch from last year’s final between the same sides, which Valletta lost by 6 – 1.
Valletta’s coach Julian Buhagiar discussed the winning achievement, “I think we’ve been preparing for this for some time and today we really executed what we have trained. I think this made the difference. We knew it would be a tough match, it always is against Birkirkara.”
He continued, “However, we believed we could do it especially when you consider that we’ve now met each other five times this year, each of us won twice, and we drew the other encounter. So, I think it was a match between two evenly matched teams and it panned out that way. A lot of our girls experienced the defeat of last year and I think that served as extra motivation for today’s performance as well.”
Valletta’s preparation for the final included a trip to Sicily for a tournament in which the U16 and U19 teams took place. The decision left the senior team rather bareboned for their own quarter-final, however Julian Buhagiar was questioned about whether the U16s benefitted from playing different opposition.
He weighed the outcome, “Being very honest, it has good and bad. On one hand it was a positive for the team because we won there as well, so they got that winning mentality. On the other hand, we lost a player to injury who would’ve played the final. So, there’s positives and negative, but I would say this week has overall been mostly positive.”
Meanwhile, Birkirkara’s coach, Melvin Camilleri, replied, “I can only speak about my team. I think it was a match where my team tried to play football. There was a game plan, but there were moments were we needed to be more careful and not let our opponents dictate because we knew they would always try to shoot.”
Provided with a similar question on the development of his players, Melvin Camilleri replied, “Certainly we always believe in the importance of developing players. Winning trophies doesn’t matter much if you play box to box. At Birkirkara we believe that even if you are losing, you should try to build from the back. Maybe the pitches do not help since they are small. However, I think you can see that we believe in the future when you consider that we had three players born in 2012 in our list.”
A Positive Atmosphere & Supporting Structures
The two teams were rallied on by a good following throughout the match. Valletta brought a sizeable crowd, matched with a band. Julian Buhagiar spoke of the complete experience for the team as they brought home the trophy, “It is the first time our girls have experienced a supporting crowd of this magnitude, complete with a band. It certainly helps the team push.”
Birkirkara’s Melvin Camilleri was also vocal about the importance of the numbers backing his team, “As always we had a nice number of supporters that have been there behind these players throughout.”
While players and coaches are pushed to the forefront, there are plenty also plenty structures which are crucial to the development of teams. The two coaches were probed about what backed the teams throughout the season.
Valletta coach Julian Buhagiar replied, “Our club is making a lot of sacrifices, paying a lot of money for our girls to train in pitches of the right size. So, we are finding a lot of support from our academy. There is pride in achieving this win because it means the effort being put in is leading to the right outcomes. We wanted to achieve a top four finish in the league and win the knockout. We’ve achieved both and that is thanks to the structures that surrounded the team.”
While Valletta are newcomers in the women’s game, claiming their first piece of silverware after laying foundations, it is the first season in many years that Birkirkara finish without claiming a single trophy across categories after taking many hauls each year.
Birkirkara’s Melvin Camilleri was probed on whether he believes it was a bad year for Birkirkara, or whether it signals a need for the club to reflect on a deeper level. He replied, “I think there are interesting players in each group, starting from the U13s and continuing to this group and more. There is a lot of potential and I think Birkirkara could have a bright future.”
However, Camilleri admitted that for now he will conclude the chapter with the Stripes, “It has been a great two years and I thank all parents, the committee and the coaches who have worked with me throughout these past two years. I will close my chapter with these youngsters and the Birkirkara Girls Academy here. They’ve been a hard-working two years and we’ve seen progress. Maybe we cross paths again in the future.”
The BNF U16 Women’s Knockout final concluded the season 2024/25 for the U16 category. However, a select few will still be competing for more silverware as the U19 category’s Assikura Women’s Knockout begins tonight.
Birkirkara will be kicking off tonight, against Mtarfa, at 20:15 at the Charles Abela Stadium. Hibernians face Lija Athletic at Mgarr Ground at the same time. Valletta will play their match against San Gwann tomorrow (Wednesday 30th) at 20:15 at Dingli Ground.
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