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MY BEACH SOCCER 
The local club won the first ever edition of the event following a round robin competition
Malta Beach Soccer organised their first festival between Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 October at Pretty Bay, Birzebbuga after a long wait due to uncertain circumstances posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the challenges, the committee successfully managed to organise the Nestle Ice Cream Beach Soccer Festival by diligently following the protocols issued by the MFA, SportMalta and the health authorities in order to protect the health and safety of all participants involved in the event.
The Malta Beach Soccer Association, which is a member of the Malta Football Association, provided the participating teams with the perfectly balanced friendly, yet competitive, atmosphere in order to further develop this sport in Malta.
A total of four teams participated in this event: Birzebbuga FC, St Peters PFLF 1, Gharghur and Fgura PFLF2. All the teams played against each other in a round robin system on Saturday. On Sunday, the team that finished first in the group played against the team that came fourth in the tournament, while the team that came second played against the team that came third.
Later during the day, a match for the third and fourth place was played. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the final match, a close encounter which was hard-fought by both Birzebbuga and Gharghur Boys. A fascinating and thrilling duel continued to evolve throughout the match which ended in a 6-6 draw with the Birzebbuga team winning 6(3)-(2)6 after a penalty shootout.
Noel Tabone of Birzebbugia won top scorer in the final match with five goals followed by Ayoub Ahmad of Gharghur Boys who scored four goals. It was a good performance by all participants, who all had words of praise for the professional setting and organization of the tournament.
A selection of players from the MFA initiative, ‘Play Football Live football’, which is under the guidance of Peter Busuttil, also participated in this festival. This initiative focuses on integrating refugees within the Maltese communities, irrelevant of their race, age, gender or ability.
A top performance was also given by all the participating referees, including FIFA international referees Jonathan Mallia and Pierre Bonnici.
Malta Beach Soccer President Pio Vassallo described this festival as the beginning of a new era and an exciting time for Malta Beach Soccer. He said that, “Thanks to the dedicated committee we were able to give a taste of the entertainment and excitement that this game creates despite all the difficulties caused by the pandemic.” He added that, the plan of the Malta Beach Soccer is a long-term one with a bright future for this sport.
You can follow the Malta Beach Soccer Association on Facebook page here, or visit their Instagram page here.
The Official Sponsors of the Malta Beach Soccer and the maiden event are Nestle Ice-cream, William Hill, Cisk Lager and Big Mat Malta.
