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Malta FA embarks on Futsal Retention Project

Published: 10-12-2018 15:45
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The Malta Football Association has just embarked on a new project aimed at giving young players in the Under-13 and Under-15 age categories more playing time while also introducing them to the game of futsal. The newly-launched Futsal Retention Project comprises a series of futsal festivals, spanning a five-month period between December and April 2019. UEFA is supporting this project after endorsing the proposal presented by the Malta FA earlier this year. The club nurseries of Balzan, Floriana, Ħamrun Spartans and San Ġwann participated in the first futsal festival, held on Saturday, December 1, at the basketball training courts in Ta’ Qali. Dr Matthew Paris, the Malta FA Vice-President who oversees the futsal sector, is confident that the Futsal Retention Project will have a positive impact on both football and futsal. “As the name implies, the Futsal Retention Project is intended to create the right environment for young players to enjoy playing the game, thus giving them a further incentive to remain active in football while also giving them the option to focus on futsal,” Dr Paris said. Robert Gatt, the Technical Director of the Malta FA, said: “The principal objective of these festivals is to offer young players, especially those aged 12 and 14, the opportunity to get more playing time, also by practising futsal. “Futsal is beneficial for the development of a football player. It not only fosters team spirit but also enables the children to practise an indoor sport slightly different from football where they can have more touches on the ball, in the process helping them to improve their technique.”