Well done for your feat, Prime Minister tells U-16 girls
“Well done for your feat” were the opening words of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat as he addressed the players of the Malta Under-16 girls team at Castille on Thursday evening.
The members of the Malta U-16 girls squad, technical staff and Malta FA officials paid a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister following the team’s successful participation in the recently-held UEFA Youth Development Tournament.
Led by coach Dorianne Theuma, Malta obtained convincing wins over Andorra, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein at the Centenary Stadium to wrap up their commitments with maximum points.
Dr Muscat said he insisted on organising this event as quickly as possible as he wanted to give due recognition to the Malta FA for their work in youth development and the progress in women’s football.
“I received a blow-by-blow account of your win against Andorra as one of my daughters was a ball girl during that match,” Dr Muscat told the young female players.
The Prime Minister encouraged them to keep working hard to maintain their progress and to approach every match with a winning mentality, even when facing bigger teams.
Ludovico Micallef, the Malta FA vice-president who led the delegation, thanked the Prime Minister for inviting the Malta U-16 girls squad to Castille in recognition of their success at the UEFA Girls Youth Under-16 Development tournament.
“The results achieved by our girls show that women’s football in Malta is heading in the right direction,” Micallef said.
Also present for this courtesy meeting was Dr Clifton Grima, the Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, Youth and Voluntary Organisations who congratulated the Malta U-16 girls team for their performances in the UEFA tournament.
Dr Grima described the young players as ambassadors because “every time you wear the national team’s shirt, you are representing the country and you do it with honour”.
The Prime Minister presented the team with a commemorative trophy as well as a token gift to all the members of the Malta FA contingent.
On behalf of the Malta FA, Ludovico Micallef presented Dr Muscat with a framed photo of the Malta U-16 girls team after their win over Liechtenstein and a signed ball.