Over the past weeks, football fans followed closely, and with a good degree of satisfaction, it must be admitted, the participation of Maltese clubs in the Uefa competitions.
Hibernians were involved in the Champions League qualifiers and Balzan, Valletta and Floriana played in the Europa League, good opportunities not just to gain experience and raise standards but also to ensure much-needed funds.
Both Hibernians and Valletta overcame the initial hurdles but then had to bow to their stronger opponents.
Balzan and Floriana were immediately faced with tough opposition but they still exited the competition with their heads held high after drawing in the return legs.
The results attained by the four football teams in Europe this summer has once again demonstrated the progress that Maltese clubs are attaining on the continent.
Still, there is a growing feeling that more can be achieved if the Malta FA were to consider modifying the football calendar so the season would run between February and November.
This subject came up for discussion on a number of occasions over the years with the major stumbling block being opposition to have football matches during the hotsummer months.
Still, there are football coaches who insist that it is harder for the players to have intense pre-season training in the summer months than actually playing a game of football.
Thus, there are arguments in favour of a calendar change that would allow the clubs participating in Uefa competitions to prepare themselves better for their commitments.
At present, the football season ends in May and, as a result, the players on the books of clubs taking part in European tournaments have very limited time to rest after a demanding season.
With Euro competitions kicking off late in June the Maltese teams involved have no alternative but to restart their pre-season training just three or four weeks after the end of the previous term.
In addition, during this period, such clubs would have to rush to put together a competitive squad for their European excursions and, quite often, they end up signing overseas players who would have had little time to prove their real worth.
If, as is being proposed, a February-November season is adopted, the clubs would stand a better chance to go for their European commitments with a settled group of players in better physical shape after enjoying a good resting period in the winter off-season.
That will contribute to help them reach their peak performances just in time for the Uefa competitions, providing a better chance of making further inroads in Europe.
There is also the potential of bigger financial gain for the clubs because a good showing in Europe will provide better Uefa solidarity payments, which are set to increase as from next season.
Uefa competition changes that come into effect next summer will see Malta’s representative in the Champions League guaranteed a higher income as, once they are eliminated from the top competition, they will drop into the Europa League.
One hopes this topic resurfaces on the MFA agenda in the coming months and a healthy discussion with member clubs ensues so that Maltese clubs would continue to perform at a European club level even better than Hibs, Balzan, Valletta and Floriana did this summer.