Birkirkara FC have had an eventful summer after going through significant changes at the helm of the administration as well as the team but Karm Galea, the new president, yesterday underlined his commitment to take the club forward.

Addressing a news conference in which Birkirkara confirmed McDonald's as main sponsor for the 13th consecutive year, Galea thanked his predecessors, especially Victor Zammit, for their sterling contribution.

"I want to begin by thanking those who led this club before me, especially Victor Zammit, as well as the former committee members," Galea told reporters at TeamSport in Iklin.

"Birkirkara have won 17 trophies in the last decade and I know that I have a tough task to emulate that success.

"The committee is fully committed to preserving Birkirkara's lofty status. We are determined to keep working hard in sync with all the other key organs of the club."

As he outlined the club's plans to bolster the senior team, women's selection and the nursery, Galea also stressed the importance of the Birkirkara Supporters' Club.

"Set against Birkirkara's population, the number of members is rather low," Galea said. "We have launched a drive to entice more fans to become members of the Supporters' Club."

In the close season, Birkirkara appointed Paul Zammit as head coach. He replaced John Buttigieg who has since taken charge of the national team.

After losing their opening match to Valletta, Birkirkara have won three games in a row to climb up the table. Galea described the current Birkirkara team as having great potential.

"We have a young squad, one that has definitely got the potential to challenge for the top positions in the Premier League," Galea remarked.

"We share the coach's vision for the team and we also support his plans."

Zammit, the Birkirkara coach, thanked the club for the faith they showed in him.

"I accepted to take this job because I saw it as an interesting challenge," Zammit said.

"Birkirkara is a club with huge potential. One of my foremost priorities was to strengthen the structure and technical set-up. It's all about laying solid foundations to achieve stability. Youth development is crucial for this club.

"Ours is a long-term strategy. In summer, there were some players available in the transfer market but we didn't go for them because they didn't fit in our plans.

"In our current squad, nine players are still under 23 years of age. The likes of Michael Galea and George Mallia are very important for us because they bring experience.

"I brought Branko Nisevic to Birkirkara as my assistant as I wanted to assemble a strong technical team. Branko is the coach of the U-19 team and also monitors the U-17s. Because of his experience and good fitness, I also asked Branko to extend his playing career.

"I must say that, in the close season, we did try to make other signings but we didn't succeed because our targets were young players who were still under contract.

"We have plans to strengthen the squad in January because we are a bit thin on numbers."

On several occasions in the past, especially in the latter stages of his four-year reign as Valletta coach, Zammit voiced his frustration at the restrictions imposed by the national squad's training scheme.

Recently, this issue came under the spotlight again amid renewed calls from the likes of Valletta and Sliema Wanderers for the Malta FA to ditch the current system.

Invited to give his views, Zammit said: "In the past, I encountered difficulties because of this scheme. Little has changed because now I have players who form part of the senior, U-21 and U-19 national squads.

"It's hard for a coach when, for three days in a week, you don't have all the players for training. Take Karl Pulo as an example. He's one of our new signings but he has only had 15 training sessions with the team this season.

"In the 1990s, the need was felt to introduce this professional training scheme for national team players but today, we must see what's best for Maltese football. Much has been said about the merits of this scheme but there hasn't been a concrete plan to raise the level of the local game in general. The clubs are central to the development of football.

"Maybe, some disagree with the concept of having the (national team) players train with their teams because they think that the clubs are not fully equipped but if this is the case, then the powers that be should do more to help them improve the facilities.

"While several other small countries have improved by leaps and bounds in recent years, the level of football here has remained the same.

"I don't think we should draw a line under the training system because it would be unfair on John Buttigieg and Carmel Busuttil, who have just taken over the national team, but we should sit around a table and identify the best solution for Maltese football."

John Borg, the Birkirkara vice-president, also waded into the debate over the conflicting interests of the national team and the clubs.

"The loss of one slot in European competitions for Maltese clubs has not surprised me because the co-efficient of the clubs and the national team has dropped considerably in recent years," Borg said.

"In Malta, it looks like the clubs and the national team don't complement each other.

"Like every other Maltese citizen, I suffer when the national team lose heavily and I rejoice when we get a good result.

"It seems like nowadays, we can't find 11 Maltese players who are good enough to start an international match. I have nothing against the two Australians (Manny Muscat and John Hutchinson) who are playing for Malta but for me, this trend is worrying because it suggests a shortage of talent in our league."