An official delegation from the Gibraltar Football Association is currently in Malta for a short visit and a familiarisation exercise to learn more about the facilities and set-up adopted by their counterparts from the Maltese football organisation.

The delegation comprises six officials and is headed by Richard Manning, the Gibraltar FA general secretary.

Also included in the Gibraltar FA group will be Allen Bula, the national football team coach. He is expected to arrive tomorrow.

Earlier this month, the UEFA Executive Committee accepted the Gibraltar FA as a provisional member within its fold.

In May 2013, the UEFA Congress will meet again and all 52 member associations will be asked to vote regarding full membership for the Gibraltar football organisation and hence full membership with FIFA.

The visit in Malta, on similar lines with that of the Cyprus FA in the mid-1990s, is mainly intended to familiarise the Gibraltar officials with the workings of their counterparts from the Malta FA, its operations in all departments on a day-to day-basis and other duties of the top Maltese officials.

Talks are planned with heads of departments, including the Maltese referees’ sector, the technical centre, the national team coach as well as managerial staff of various facilities at the complex in Ta’ Qali.

There will also be meetings with officials of the Malta Youth FA and visits to the Luxol St Andrew’s stadium and Hibs Stadium.

Yesterday, the Gibraltar delegation was at the Corradino ground for the friendly between Malta U-21 and Italy U-21 B.

Gibraltar previously won provisional membership of UEFA in December 2006 only to be turned down a month later by a large majority in a UEFA Congress in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The Gibraltar Football League was established in 1895.

The league comprises six teams in the Premier Division, 10 in reserves, 12 in the Second Division, three women’s teams, and 47 junior teams from under-sevens to under-16s with about 600 young players.