Mark Gatt has been confirmed in his role as coach of the Malta women’s national team through to the end of the 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying competition.
The Executive Committee of the Malta Football Association ratified Gatt’s contract extension at today’s
meeting.
Gatt, 49, has been in charge of the women’s national side since 2015. Under his guidance, the team has made significant and sustained improvement, culminating in the very positive UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 qualifying campaign that saw Malta obtain a record number of 10 points, finishing fourth in Group B. The recent victories away to Georgia (4-0) and Israel (2-0) helped to lift the women’s national team 16 places to 85th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings.
There will be a coaching change at Under-21 level as Gilbert Agius is succeeding outgoing coach Silvio Vella who will remain part of the Malta FA technical sector.
The Malta FA thanks Vella for his sterling contribution during his long spell as Malta Under-21 coach as, under his tutelage, several players have successfully made the grade from Under-21 to the senior national team. Furthermore, Vella has steered the Malta Under-21 team to their best ever tally of points in a qualifying campaign – 11 points in the 2017 UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers.
The Malta FA Executive Committee has approved Agius’s appointment as Malta Under-21 coach.
Agius, 46, is widely regarded as a stalwart of Maltese football, having enjoyed a long and successful playing career with Valletta FC and the national team, making a total of 120 appearances for Malta.
Agius, who has a UEFA PRO Coaching Licence and has served as Valletta FC coach as well as assistant coach until recently, has been tasked with leading the Malta U-21 team in the 2021-23 UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign, the draws of which will take place this Thursday.
