A new governing structure for the Malta Handball Association (MHA) was approved during an extraordinary general meeting earlier this week.

A professional management team has taken over the duties and functions of the executive committee while the MHA council is being revamped under the proposed changes, the MHA said in a statement.

Louis Borg has been confirmed as president of the MHA while Andrew Decelis and Chris Bonett have been elected vice-presidents. The three top officials are the only persons elected to the council and their term of office runs out in September 2016.

The MHA council also comprises club delegates and the chairperson of the refe-rees’ board.

Forming part of the management team are persons employed with the association on a full-time or part-time basis.

Clyde Borg Conti (seconded by the government) has retained his post as MHA chief executive officer, heading the management team which encompasses the technical manager, Alan Grima, and the marketing manager who is expected to be appointed in the coming days.

“The management will be recruiting more people as deemed necessary to develop the MHA programmes for the next three years,” the MHA statement said.

“The MHA is looking to engage the services of national team coaches and assistant coaches, media personnel and clerical staff.”

The reform was officially initiated last November when the MHA, represented by Borg and Borg Conti, signed an Infrastructural Support Programme (ISP) agreement with the European Handball Federation during the EHF 20th anniversary celebrations in Vienna.

The ISP provides financial assistance to the MHA to employ part-time staff over a three-year period, subject to the government allocating a public officer to the association on a full-time basis.

New challenges lie ahead for the MHA.

As the new structure is set to bring further development, a one-day seminar, titled ‘The Way Forward II’, is being held today at the University Resi-dence in Lija.