2024/2025 campaign to keep Top Four, Bottom Four format.
It’s matchday! The 2024/2025 Assikura Women’s League campaign gets underway on Thursday with an exciting curtain-raiser match between Hibernians and Swieqi United.
Champions Birkirkara enter the fray on Saturday as they set their sights on a 12th domestic title.
After two successful seasons under the guidance of coach Jose Borg, the Stripes will be now guided by Vince Galea.
Galea was most recently the Malta women U17s coach while also serving as technical coordinator for the Girls Academy at the Malta FA.
Birkirkara were very active in the transfer window in order to renovate their squad, especially after three influential local players left the club in Ann-Marie Said, Veronique Mifsud and Sara Saliba, who penned a two-year deal with Italian club Milan.
Moreover, last year’s best scorer Marta Grosso – 17 goals, also announced her departure from the Maltese champions. Arianna Del Moral, Edith Garcia, Nanako Kobayashi and Hailey Russell have also left the club.
They brought in young goalkeeper Maya Cachia who will be replacing Janice Xuereb as the latter is still nursing a knee injury.
Galea was also keen on signing a string of young players with the aim of introducing them to first-team football.
At the same time, the club brought in four new foreign players in Brazil’s Erica Bispo, Japan’s Yuna Hazekawa, Calista Schechinger who hails from the United States.
Besides these, they have also welcomed former Mġarr United defensive midfielder Luana Cabral to their ranks.
In the meantime, the Stripes will return to the Women’s Champions League as they will take on Montenegro’s champions Breznica in the preliminary round semi-final.
Afterwards, they will face one between Anderlecht of Belgium or Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade in the final or ranking match.
Swieqi United, last season’s runners-up, will be coached by former Malta women’s captain Dorianne Theuma.
She had already took over from Saviour Darmanin in the second part of last season but this will be her first coaching stint since hanging up the football boots in July.
The Owls were very quiet in this transfer window, having maintained all their foreign players and just adding the services of winger Sarah Urpani, who left Hibernians.
They will be missing forward Salamatu Abdulai, at least for their first two games, as their Ghana forward is currently with the U-20’s selection which will participate in next month’s World Cup in Colombia.
Hibernians, who will face Swieqi in the season opener, will continue under the guidance of coach Kenneth Costantino.
The Paolites have made some changes to their squad including between the sticks with American goalkeeper Elizabeth Harrington joining the club.
Their biggest coup was the arrival of Mġarr United playmaker Joelma, one of last season’s most prolific scorers, who will bolster the club’s attacking department.
Mġarr United, the other club who featured in last year’s Top Four phase, was very busy during this transfer window to strengthen their squad.
Ryan Vella will be coaching a side who managed to keep key midfielder Brenda Borg in their squad while adding international defender Said from Birkirkara and midfielder Mifsud, also from the Stripes.
Following up their signatures was the arrival of three foreigners in Colombian duo Valeria Villegas and Alejandra Villegas, together with Argentina’s Yanina Mendez.
Birkirkara’s first opponents of the season will be San Ġwann, who will be coached by Julian Camilleri.
San Ġwann, who last season played in the Bottom Four phase, strengthened their squad with the signings of local players Jeanelle Falzon and Naomi Blundell.
Moreover, they have also signed American forward Russell, who had joined Birkirkara during last season’s winter transfer window.
Mġarr’s opening opponents will be Mtarfa.
The club will be coached by Simon Spiteri and have made several transfer signings raise the competitiveness of their squad.
Mtarfa announced the renewal of several players including key players Shania Spiteri, Darya Attard and Tunisian midfielder Oumayma Jelili.
Elsewhere, Valletta and Lija Athletic will take on each other in the opening game of the season.
Valletta dominated the Bottom Four phase last campaign and this time around will be coached by Jean Lopes who takes over from Denis Guerra.
The Citizens have retained the core of last season’s squad except for youngster Francesca Bartolo who is expected to embark in Italian football.
On the other hand, Lija Athletic, coached by Jethron Azzopardi, had to bid farewell to captain Simone Buttigieg.
However, they did bring in some new faces including Ylenia Azzopardi from Birkirkara, who had already joined them on loan last season, Corinne Deguara from Mtarfa and Spanish goalkeeper Isabel Sanchez who was on the books of the Stripes in the past.
FIXTURES
THURSDAY
Hibernians vs Swieqi United – 8.15pm, Centenary Stadium.
FRIDAY
Valletta vs Lija Athletic – 8.30pm, Victor Tedesco Stadium.
SATURDAY
Birkirkara vs San Ġwann – 6pm, Dingli Ground.
Mġarr United vs Mtarfa – 8.30pm, Dingli Ground.
