Working for the player’s union is not easy. We run into the wall often, but we keep on running until the wall breaks.

Today is a day of joy and celebrations. The Parameter system in Malta was voted out of the MFA Council this afternoon. We thank all all those involved in this, especially MFA officials who formed part of the social dialogue board and the club representatives.

This milestone, was one of the original reasons for the very foundation of MFPA. The founding members, were players themselves, burdened with an archaic system that was designed to hold them back. As outsiders to the MFA establishment, with no voting power, effecting real change did not come easy for us. Since our inception in 2011, every inch of progress we made was hard fought and strenuously opposed. The abolishment of the Parameters is perhaps the biggest and most hard-fought victory yet.

Moreover, we are proud to have also had a direct hand in the abolishment of the ‘Nursery compensation rules. Youth players aged 15 and 18 do not have to pay Euro 900-1500 to be able to change nurseries/academies anymore. Our battle against this system, which hampered youth player development, is no secret. We have taken the fight to all relevant authorities, from the Commissioner for Children, to the Consumer protection department. From the Prime Minister’s office, to the European Commissioner. Our petition against the Nursery Compensation garnered national media attention, and despite being given the run around, we persisted.

These two monumental achievements make all our hard work worthwhile. They solidify our determination and motivate us further. Today marks a glorious day for local football, a new hopeful beginning. At MFPA we will give ourselves a minute to let the joy of this victory sink in, and then we will get back up and continue our work.