Can we ever move forward? Not before we attend to this…

Through this article my intention is to reach out to people from all backgrounds and tell about football in Malta. As you read along I will try to explain how I feel about local football and how it impacts the nation. In the midst of chaos and the pandemic, this is the best time for critical thinking about the situation of local football. We must start focusing on the following values because I believe that laws, regulations and control are not enough to take us where we want to go. This is an island that loves the game of football but I feel we are missing crucial points when discussing changes and improvements.

Trust

We must start by creating a better football environment. I would start with the word trust. A highly experienced sports psychologist in England Dan Abraham came up with 3 questions that pass through each individual’s mind while working within an organisation. Do you care about me? Can you help me? And can I trust you? The selling product of football is emotion.

In order to have people delivering a service to their maximum potential it is crucial to have them feeling secure and supported. The lack of trust in Maltese football is also reflected in Maltese society. The club and supporters consciously or subconsciously might not fully trust their players because a few individual player’s actions damaged the reputation. In the same way players might not trust their own club because some administrators disrespect the squad personnel. Respect could be lacking from both sides when a club should be one and together in order to function properly. People in football will understand immediately that this is true.

Even in our Maltese society this issue of trust could be felt not just in football. This comes through a culture of negative competitiveness, greed and egoic ways. I am not trying to give a spiritual lesson here but we must realise how damaging such culture could be to our game and society.

Our very first step must be to stop and think how to start repairing this. One genuine action at a time whoever you are, in whichever position you are, there are ways to repair this trust issue. We start repairing this individually, then together in our organisations and over a period of time it will reflect also in our general society.

Inspiration

Then there is inspiration. The powerful weapon in football is inspiration. There are millions of people who are passionate about the game because in different ways they feel inspired. People can be inspired by the talent of a footballer, by a collective team effort of an underdog football club, an intelligent coach or in my case I feel inspired by individuals of high integrity and positive passion in any position they might be.

Everyone can inspire others even the supporters especially collectively. One of the persons who inspired me a lot was a team manager at my hometown football club, Mario Gatt. He treated people with high respect and he expected discipline and commitment in return. He managed to find the right balance and the team trusted him and was often responsive to his approach. Everyone felt confident that this person will keep up to his word and that their input will be noticed. This person inspired others and earned trust.

Education

Once you find ways to inspire people you are in a position and have the responsibility to educate people. I would dare to say that football can be even more educational than actual schooling. Most parents whose children attend football nurseries will tell you that their son can be more influenced by his coach than by his teacher or family members. Notice how a famous footballer change his haircut and many teenagers would want to have his same new haircut.

Here is a case in point of how educational football can be. The English were famous for hooliganism, violence. England was the first country in the 1990s to stop separating fans and removed gates and fencing in the stadiums. Instead they educated the people and ensured punishment for whoever breaks their trust. Today you can watch or attend English football matches and enjoy the best atmosphere in Europe, fierce rivalry but no violence in stadiums. The fans respect football so much that they behave and the few that don’t are always dealt with effective discipline. That is one example of educating people through football.

Sustainability

You cannot speak about football and not discuss finances. Money is not a negative thing in football in fact it makes professional football sustainable. It is the wrong approach towards money that is detrimental to the game. In fact money has an important role in football. Governments around Europe in recent years have realized that their top leagues and top clubs can have a significant contribution towards the economy like other industries. Between 2009 and 2018 sponsorship deals in football have increased by 73% in monetary value. This is because business owners understood that no marketing campaign can come close to the power of football and advertising in the game. People are keen on following what football clubs and football people are doing through various media platform and other interaction methods.

The more public engagement a club can attract the more opportunity there is for generating funds and increasing revenue. Measured budgeting and sustainability are the only way forward if we want to be serious about progress.

Entertainment

Finally the last pillar which is fundamental for football in my opinion is entertainment. When we build trust, inspire people, educate and have budgets in place then we must ensure that our final product on match day is fun, entertaining. For people to come to the stadium there must be anticipation. We must understand what people want. When people come to the stadium they expect match intensity, a cheerful crowd, rivalry and competitive football on the pitch. To achieve this, people working in football must be happy and focused to be able to entertain others. That is why I would say more work has to be done internally.

 

People working within a football club must feel comfortable, confident and happy to be part of the organization. Only then they can deliver that flowing state on the pitch for the crowd to enjoy. In 2018 around Europe football has enjoyed an 8% increase in gate receipts revenue. The opportunity is there, football is increasingly popular. And how are we doing in Malta?

It all starts by accepting that internal culture and a clear vision are the two most critical starting points. Any actions taken without closely monitoring our culture and the vision, most often do not lead to successful results.

My work will continue. My purpose is to continue to think and work on ideas to try to implement into my football organization. No one can ever convince me that there is no opportunity for football progress in Malta. It is only our culture and possibly lack of values that are holding us back. When we commit with genuine intention we will find the resources, the funding and the right people. When we set proper and clear goals we will achieve them.

We speak of many negatives but I know for sure that there are many good people in football in Malta. There are many genuine footballers, coaches, administrative persons and supporters. The vast majority of people in football are honest and committed to contribute. The key is to persist in good faith and try to focus on the good people rather than the self-centered. Improving our culture through ethics and values must be our major first objective.

If you read this article and become interested in my work or have your own views which you would like to share, please do get in touch by sending me an email on markmifsud91@gmail.com. I work at a local football club and we would be really keen on welcoming people who want to contribute and express themselves through football.