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Veteran female players roll back the years

Published: 03-04-2018 16:20
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Encouraged by the positive turn-out for the first over-35 tournament for active and former players, held in December, the Malta FA Women's Department organised another tournament for veteran players on March 24.  Held at the Mtarfa Ground, the second O-35 tournament saw an increase in the number of participants, something that augurs well for the future of this sector.  Some of the former players who featured in the tournament were Maria Azzopardi, a former Hibernians player who made 33 appearances for the national team, Ingrid Vassallo, who turned out for Rabat Ajax, Melita and Pembroke Athleta, and Marica Axiaq formerly of Rabat Ajax “This tournament was an opportunity to meet former team-mates as well as other players,” Azzopardi said. “I felt a bit rusty after a long absence but my determination and willingness saw me through. I hope that these tournaments are held on a regular basis and more players join in.” Vassallo played her last competitive game four years ago but she was eager to be involved in this tournament. “Football has always been my passion,” Vassallo said. “I retired from competitive football four years ago but when I heard about this tournament, I was intrigued as I was keen to meet old friends and see if I still had the touch. “The level of organisation was very good and this will help the women's department to grow even further.” For her part, Axiaq admitted that she was in two minds about taking part in this tournament as she had been away from the game for several years. “Since I hadn’t played football for a long time, I wasn’t sure whether to play in this tournament,” Axiaq said. “I was hesitant but I decided to go for it and really enjoyed it. “It was nice to catch up with some of my former team-mates and also made some new friends. “I’m looking forward to the next one. I’d like to thank the Malta FA for making this possible.”