The delegation of the GWU's footballers unit was made up of Michael Parnis, deputy general secretary of the GWU, Carlo Mamo and Anthony Galea while the Malta FA was represented by president Norman Darmanin Demajo, CEO Bjorn Vassallo and Chris Bonnett, the head of the association's legal department.

The Malta FA's transfer fee parameters, salary caps and health insurance for players were among the subjects raised during Thursday's meeting, staged at the association's headquarters in Ta' Qali.

"It was a cordial meeting," Vassallo said when contacted by The Times. After a brief introduction by both parties, we outlined a number of areas for dialogue.

"Although the Malta FA made it clear that it's not the players' employer, we encourage con-structive dialogue that ultimately aids the development of football in our country.

"One of the proposals is to establish discussion channels involving the MFA, the players' association and representatives of clubs at all levels of Maltese football."

Asked about the Malta FA's reaction to the creation of a players' body, Vassallo replied: "We at the MFA welcome any initiative aimed at promoting dialogue for the benefit of Maltese football."

The footballers' unit was officially launched last month after a group of players, aided by Dr Galea, himself a former player, stepped up their drive to form an association to safeguard and improve the rights of the players as well as to strengthen their negotiating power.

At Thursday's meeting with the MFA officials, the representatives of the players' association stressed that their objective was not only to protect the players' rights but also to contribute to the progress of Maltese football.

Efforts to form a players' association gathered pace in the midst of the training benefits' row between the MFA and the national squad players in the past three months but the issue was not on the agenda of Thursday's meeting.