COLLABORATION MEETING BETWEEN NATIONAL TEAM COACHES AND COACHES OF LOCAL CLUBS

Collaboration between national team coaches and head coaches of clubs who have players called for our National Teams A and U21 with a view to devising a streamlined programme of training for national and Under-21 team players is of utmost importance.  Agreed schedules of training for players should also ensure a spirit of understanding between club coaches and the managerial staff of the topmost national teams in view of the exigencies of players engaged with clubs and at the same time selected to represent their country. On Saturday 13 July a very useful meeting was held in this respect between the interested parties which comprised Robert Gatt, the MFA technical director, the coaches of the national A and under 21 teams as well as the technical and managerial staff of these representative teams. The agenda included the training schedules for both national teams from July 2013 to January 2014, with the sessions to start on 29 July. Days of training will be Monday evening and Tuesday morning and evening. Agreement was also reached for players to be released for club training for the two clubs involved in the Super Cup final of the 7th August Players forming part of the national A and U-21 teams (as all other national team players) are insured by the Malta Football Association against injuries they may sustain while training and playing with the national teams as well as training and playing with their respective clubs. Another similar meeting will be held in December 2013 to discuss and draw up the next training schedule covering the period to June 2014. Such meetings are bound to make for better understanding between club coaches and the MFA staff in relation to their work.