Playing the game for the game's sake

Melita FC may not be one of the most glamorous names in Maltese football but the country's heavyweights can do a lot worse than take a leaf out of their copybook. In an era when footballers swap clubs like musical chairs in search of fat pay packets, Melita have achieved the unachievable by meticulously preserving their amateur status.

"Playing the game for the game's sake" reads a prominent sign at the entrance to the Melita FC clubhouse and that perfectly sums up their philosophy as the players on their books are not paid for representing the club in Malta FA competitions.

Yet, Melita's amateur status has not hindered the club from moving forward and their impressive premises in Pembroke is testament to the commitment and hard work of their committee members.

Their set-up is indeed the envy of most clubs on the Maltese islands as Melita boast an 11-a-side artificial turf pitch, a seven-a-side pitch, a clubhouse and a modern fitness centre.

Melita's achievements on the field of play can best be described as modest, not surprising really given their adherence to the amateur concept, but their success last season vindicates their investment in young, homegrown players.

Their promotion to Division One was also a fitting reward for their long-serving president Anton Naudi who embodies the core values of Melita FC.

"I consider last season as one of the most successful in the history of Melita FC," Naudi, who has been at the helm of the club for the past 25 years, enthused.

"We managed to reach our four main objectives. The senior team gained promotion to Division One for the first time in 25 years and also won the Division Two and Three Knock-Out for the second year running. Our U-19s have been promoted to Section A after winning the Section B championship.

"For Melita, winning promotion to Division One is no mean feat. The standard of the second division league has improved significantly since the matches started to be played at the Centenary Stadium."

Naudi attributes Melita's success to their flourishing youth set-up. "Our nursery has blossomed since former Melita players took over its running in 1998," Naudi said.

"We now have an organised youth set-up and excellent facilities for our up-and-coming players. Personally, I look forward to seeing a Melita team made up entirely of homegrown players in the future.

"Last season, out of a squad of 33, we had 23 U-19 players who came through our youth ranks. Of the remaining 10 players, only six were not Melita FC products."

It says everything about Melita's family spirit and the bond between their players that they made light of the abrupt departure of long-time coach Stephen D'Amato in the early months of last season.

"In October, out of the blues, Stephen D'Amato told me that he had been approached by Premier League club Ħamrun Spartans to become their coach," Naudi recalled.

"Stephen was a well-liked person at Melita and he's also a product of our nursery. He had led the team to promotion from Division Three to Division Two in 2004 and had a very good relationship with the players.

"Stephen had a strong attachment to Melita. Up to an hour before he accepted Ħamrun's offer, he called me because he was still in two minds. I had advised him not to quit the club in the middle of the season. At the time Ħamrun were struggling but Stephen didn't want to miss out on the opportunity of coaching a Premier League team."

Paul Zammit, the vice-president of Melita, said D'Amato's exit posed a challenge for the club.

"We had to find a new coach and that was quite a challenge for our club because not every coach can lead Melita FC," Zammit said.

The Melita FC hierarchy identified two candidates for their coaching vacancy but their choice fell on Martin Gregory, the former Sliema Wanderers and Malta midfielder.

"Martin Gregory took charge of the first team and embraced our vision on the importance of developing youth players for the senior squad," Naudi added. "Melita's achievements underline the positive impact Gregory has had on the players."

Naudi is very proud of Melita's standing as the only true amateur club in Malta. "A lot of people don't believe that at Melita, we don't pay our players," Naudi said.

"In the past, it was not easy to form a team because you had to pick the boys from the streets but the evolution of the youth nurseries has made things easier for us. However, it's not always plainsailing, especially when other clubs begin to chase your players."

Last season, Melita loaned two of their most promising players to Premier League clubs. Right-back Edward Herrera helped Hibernians to win the title and Steve Bonnici turned out for Floriana.

Special licence

When UEFA introduced the club licensing system in 2004-05, Melita faced a dilemma as under the new regulations, only clubs with a semi-professional status were eligible to take part in the Malta FA's top division. However, the Reds were adamant to safeguard their amateur status without jeopardising their chances of playing in the top echelons of Maltese football.

"We want to be competitive and our ambition is to play in the Premier League one day," Naudi said. "The UEFA licensing system was a big issue for us because the club's amateur status precluded us from meeting certain criteria.

"The subject was discussed by the committee and we drafted a memorandum to the Malta FA explaining our position.

"We argued our case before the MFA Licensing Board and the members agreed to award Melita what they described as a one-time licence that endorsed the club's amateur status.

"This is another landmark in the history of our club and we are especially grateful to MFA president Joe Mifsud and vice-president Carmelo Bartolo for their assistance."

During my interesting conversation with Naudi, I couldn't help but be impressed by his unwavering commitment and loyalty to the club's values. At 70, Naudi feels the time has come for him to take a backseat.

"I'm starting to get tired," he remarked, his voice wavering with emotion. "I still have the mental lucidity to serve Melita FC but as the demands grow, you need more energy to lead.

"Many members have urged me to stay. The Naudi surname has become synonymous with Melita but I'm encouraging my son Matthew to take up a more active role at the club and he's willing to do that."

At the last committee meeting for season 2008-09 earlier this week, Naudi informed his fellow officials that he was calling time on his tenure as Melita FC president but expressed a desire to retain close links with the club he first joined as a player in 1961.

Naudi couldn't have chosen a better time to bow out as Melita FC president, what with the club back in Division One after a lapse of 25 years.

"I would like to dedicate last season's success to the founder of the club, Sur Gian Bencini, former presidents and all those who in the past offered their help and services to the club," Naudi said.

"While I feel honoured to have presided over such a memorable campaign for Melita FC, I want to express my gratitude to those who contributed to this feat, namely the nursery administration and staff, all the coaches, the parents of our nursery members and all the youth and first-team players.

"Last but not least, my thanks go to my family, especially my two sons Matthew and Andrew, both of whom played for Melita, and my wife Marlene for her support and encouragement. My biggest thank you goes to God for giving me the strength to lead this club."