The Malta FA has always attached utmost importance towards catering for its youth sector. This has been one of the association's top priorities over the years, a statement from the MFA said this week.

The national teams in the U-16, U-17 and U-19 categories have been engaged in several competitive and friendly tournaments, no doubt something which goes a long way towards providing young Maltese footballers with the necessary international experience.

A competition which has been a fixture on the local calendar in this sector until recent years is the U-16 friendly international tournament, traditionally held during the Easter period.

This year the tournament is scheduled to be held over five days, between March 16 and 20, with Italy, Ireland and Turkey being hosted to participate in a quadrangular competition at the training grounds in Ta' Qali.

These three footballing nations are certainly among the foremost in Europe, the MFA said, and their continental pedigree in this sector is undoubtedly rich.

These opponents will therefore provide U-16 team coach Oliver Spiteri with the opportunity to gauge his players' qualities prior to the competitive commitment that lies ahead in the UEFA Championship of this category.

Programme

March 16 - 11 a.m. Italy vs Ireland; 1 p.m. Malta vs Turkey.

March 18 - 11 a.m. Italy vs Turkey; 1 p.m. Malta vs Ireland.

March 20 - 11 a.m. Turkey vs Ireland; 1 p.m. Malta v Italy.

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