Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Animal Welfare Alicia Bugeja Said announced the details of the “Goals for Paws” initiative, a football tournament for children that aims to combine sport with a message of solidarity and responsibility towards animals.
The initiative was announced during Malta Animal Awareness Week, a week dedicated to continuing to raise awareness about the protection and proper treatment of animals. Through initiatives such as “Goals for Paws”, the message about the importance of responsibility, respect and empathy towards animals is being reinforced, particularly among children.
The tournament will be open to all nurseries across Malta and will take place over a weekend in April 2027. Teams will take part in the under-11 (U11) and under-13 (U13) categories, while players from the U10 and U12 categories respectively can be part of the squads. The U11 games will be played at the Marsaskala FC ground, while the U13 games will be played at the Mġarr United FC ground.
Although participation by nurseries will be free of charge, “Goals for Paws” will also have a charitable purpose as participating children will be encouraged to donate €5 towards the abandoned animals. Donation boxes will also be distributed at both stadiums and all proceeds will be donated to animal sanctuaries.
Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said said that this initiative goes beyond the sporting aspect and aims to foster among children values of empathy and respect towards animals. “Through ‘Goals for Paws’ we are bringing together two very important things, sport and love for animals. We want our children to understand from a young age that each and every one of us can make a difference in the life of an animal that needs help. This initiative will not only give children an opportunity to have fun through sport, but will also convey a strong message of solidarity, responsibility and animal protection,” said Parliamentary Secretary Bugeja Said.
During the tournament there will be a medical service present at each stadium, as well as an official photography service. The U13 games will be played with nine players against nine and will be led by a referee. The list of players for each team must be provided three days before the tournament. Each player who takes part will be given a medal as a memento of their participation, while the winning team in the U13 category will be awarded a trophy.
The “Goals for Paws” initiative should therefore serve not only as a sporting activity for children, but will also raise more awareness about the proper care of animals as well as about abandoned animals and the sanctuaries that work daily to protect them.
