The Maltese Women's League or for sponsorship reasons Assikura Women's League is the top-level league of women's football in Malta. It is run by the Malta Football Association.
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Malta |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Divisions | 1 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Maltese Women's Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League |
| Current champions | Birkirkara (12th title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Hibernians (12 titles) |
| Website | website |
| Current: 2023–24 | |
After several failed attempts in the 1970s and 1980s to create a lasting women's football competition, successful tournaments of San Gwann and Luxol St. Andrews gained so much interest, that the Malta Football Association decided to organize the first ever league in 1995–96.
The most titles were won by Hibernians.
Although the winning team of the league qualifies for a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League, the spot is not always taken. Malta is currently tied for 43rd place out of 50 in the UEFA coefficients women's ranking[1] and the last club to take part was Birkirkara in 2007–08; Birkirkana lost all three games with 1–37 goals. In 09–10 they competed again and ended up with three losses and 1-26 goals.
2023–24
edit
Teams
editThe teams which will participate in the 2023-24 Assikura Women's League are the following:[2]
| Team | City | Last season |
|---|---|---|
| Birkirkara | Birkirkara | 1st |
| Hibernians | Paola | 4th |
| Lija Athletic | Lija | 5th (as Raiders Lija)[2] |
| Mgarr United | Mgarr | 3rd |
| Mtarfa | Mtarfa | 6th |
| San Ġwann | San Ġwann | 7th |
| Swieqi United | Swieqi | 2nd |
| Valletta | Valletta | 5th (as Raiders Lija)[2] |
Venues
editThe 2023-24 season will be played at the following venues:[2]
| Venues | City | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Centenary Stadium | Ta' Qali | 3,000 |
| Victor Tedesco Stadium | Hamrun | 1,962 |
| Dingli Ground | Dingli | ~500 |
| Mgarr Ground | Mgarr | ~200 |
Format
editUntil the 2011–12 season there were eight teams in the league. The teams played each other twice for a total of 14 matches each. After that the champion qualifies to the UEFA Champion's League and the last two places are relegated to the Maltese Seceond Division. Since then the format has changed a lot.
In the 2012–13, after the regular season the top four played a championship group and the bottom placed four teams played the relegation round. Points of the regular season and the second stage were added. In 2013–14 there was just one stage, where seven teams played each other three times. Also there was a title decider match after the top two teams were tied on points. Hibernians won the title over Birkirkara in a penalty shootout.
In 2014–15 there were eleven teams, and again a championship group to which the top six after the regular season qualified.
For 2015–16 the league was reduced to six teams. They play each other four times for a total of 20 matches per team.
For the 2023–24 season, the league will be the only division in Malta and will comprise eight clubs. In terms of format, the league will be split into two phases. In the first part of the season, the eight teams of the league will face each other played in a double round-robin format. Thereafter, the division will be split into two divisions, with the top four at the end of the first part of the season qualifying for the Championship Round and the bottom four qualifying for the Relegation Round. In both cases, each team will play each other three teams.[2]
List of champions
edit- 1995/96: Rabat Ajax
- 1996/97: Lija Athletic
- 1997/98: Rabat Ajax
- 1998/99: Hibernians
- 1999/00: Hibernians
- 2000/01: Hibernians
- 2001/02: Hibernians
- 2002/03: Hibernians
- 2003/04: Hibernians
- 2004/05: Hibernians
- 2005/06: Hibernians
- 2006/07: Birkirkara
- 2007/08: Hibernians
- 2008/09: Birkirkara
- 2009/10: Birkirkara
- 2010/11: Mosta
- 2011/12: Birkirkara
- 2012/13: Birkirkara
- 2013/14: Hibernians
- 2014/15: Hibernians
- 2015/16: Hibernians
- 2016/17: Birkirkara
- 2017/18: Birkirkara
- 2018/19: Birkirkara
- 2019/20: Birkirkara
- 2020/21: not awarded
- 2021/22: Birkirkara
- 2022/23: Birkirkara
- 2023/24: Birkirkara
Record Champions
edit| Titles | Team |
|---|---|
| 12 | Hibernians |
| 11 | Birkirkara |
| 2 | Rabat Ajax |
| 1 | Lija Athletic Mosta |
References
edit- ^ "Women's association club coefficients". UEFA. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "AWL Build-Up Part 1: – The New Format, Teams and Weekend Matches". The Sporting Fan. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Malta - List of Women Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Women's football archive". maltafootball.com. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
External links
edit- League at MFA
- The Sporting Fan
- sportsdesk.com.mt
- League at UEFA
- League at women.soccerway.com