As a former president of a Premier League club, I read with interest the article written by Victor Zammit, the president of Birkirkara FC, in last Wednesday's The Times.

Although I am no longer directly involved in the running of a club, I still feel duty-bound to contribute to what should be a unified effort to bolster local football.

Being an accountant, a large part of this contribution focuses on the financial positions of clubs and the MFA.

First of all, I think that the national team cannot improve because the foundations of our football are not technically sound. To begin with, administrators must embark on an awareness campaign aimed at explaining to the public how clubs are being run as most supporters do not really appreciate what it means to manage a top club.

The major problem plaguing clubs is not restricted to management but more financially-related. I will explain why.

A squad of at least 20 players, one which may include three foreigners, is required to participate in the Premier League. To have a competitive team, a club normally has to pay 17 of these players the minimum monthly wage of Lm150. The wage of the three foreigners is in the region of Lm400 each.

The players' wage bill works out at Lm3,750 a month. Then, you have to appoint a qualified coach and this can cost a club from Lm350 to Lm600 monthly. So, the average annual wage bill could run up to Lm40,000.

This does not account for training expenses, medical bills, apparel, flight and accommodation bills of overseas players, maintenance of facilities and so on. A rough calculation of these additional costs put together will result in an expenditure of Lm10,000 to Lm20,000.

Therefore, the budget of an average Premier League club will have to be in the region of Lm60,000. A club that has ambitions to fight for the honours, could see their budget swell to more than Lm100,000 since established and international players are unlikely to play for a club that is not ready to pay them more than Lm150 a month.

A First Division club normally has a squad of 20 players. The locals, more or less 19, are paid a monthly wage of Lm80 each while the foreign player receives Lm400 for a total monthly payroll of Lm1,920.

Add to this the Lm200 or so wage for a Licence B coach and the monthly wages would total Lm2,100, bringing the season's wage bill to Lm21,000 apart from additional expenses.

An average club with a competitive side therefore needs Lm25,000 per season but to fight for promotion that budget will increase to Lm30,000 and could even reach the Lm40,000-mark.

Expensive as they may look, these budgets cannot finance a professional set-up. To achieve this, a club would need at least three coaches with the senior squad, a qualified trainer, a sports doctor, nutritionists and a physiotherapist.

If this infrastructure is in a place, a club can rely on a very good technical team and can use scientific methods to monitor the development of the players.

However, no club in Malta can afford this because in addition to personnel, you would also need sophisticated training equipment and specialised staff.

Furthermore, there's the medical tests bill to contend.

Attending training on a daily basis between games means nothing. Each time our national team plays, it is always evident that the opponents enjoy a clear physical edge.

In Malta, clubs are managed by committees but this does not encourage continuity. Some of the officials dedicate their entire lives to maintain the clubs but others are there just for the numbers.

Committee members are aware that clubs have no stable income but they still make daily miracles to keep the organisation afloat.

Owners of foreign clubs remain astonished when I tell them how Maltese clubs operate with such low budgets.

But, does the public know how much it costs to run a nursery?

The budget for a properly-run nursery can be between Lm5,000 and Lm10,000. If one had to employ real professional coaches, that annual expenditure may rise up to Lm20,000-Lm30,000.

Clubs are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Revenue from gate money is non-existent and the problem is worsening. Moreover, our players, like most of their counterparts the world over, consider football as a job and are therefore reluctant to play without good pay.

Circumstances have changed to the extent that many in Malta are quitting football to take up part-time jobs which yield better dividends. This is the reality facing most of the clubs in the Second and Third Divisions. These pay paltry remunerations or no money at all to their players.

Budgets here are very limited and clubs have no control over the players. Instead, players at these levels feel they are doing their clubs a favour with the consequence that the motivation factor is absent, unless the club is challenging for honours.

Ask these clubs about the average attendance of their players for training sessions and they will tell you that most of them practise three times a week.

This situation is also undermining the progress of our football. We have a tendency to forget that clubs in the lower echelons have an important role to play in developing prospective players who could then be transferred to bigger clubs.

MFA's operate

I also believe that the MFA's operate must change. Standing Committees in each division are, in my opinion, not functioning as they should and have little or no influence at all. Moreover, the top facilities enjoyed by the national team players should be extended to clubs.

Having the Malta FA financing part of the clubs' activities may go a long way towards easing the financial problems around. If this is not forthcoming in the next few years, clubs will either close doors or run on more amateurish lines.

I heard Dr Joe Mifsud, the MFA president, stating that the licence process will become even tougher for those clubs with European competition aspirations. This is another problem for small clubs.

The rules and regulations imposed by UEFA are more orientated towards the established clubs. No consideration appears to have been given to the fact that in certain countries, clubs have no income.

The rule stipulates that all wages be paid by end of season. I agree with the rule if clubs were to rely on a regular supply of income. However, this is not the case in Malta.

UEFA should have been more flexible in its approach. For example, those clubs without income should qualify for a licence if they show that they paid the wages to their players and other staff for the first six months.

Imagine what will happen if the government here notifies the entrepreneurs that, to have a licence, they must pay all creditors by the end of the financial year... imagine that!

Moreover, UEFA is placing additional burdens on clubs at a time when income is diminishing fast. Each club must have a doctor and audit financial statements, to mention two of the conditions in the manual. This means that Maltese clubs are being burdened with more expenses to get their licences.

On the other hand, I have often heard MFA officials urging clubs to cut down on wages and ensure that they spend within their budgets.

I ask... will such measures help us improve and become more competitive? Will our competitions offer more spectacle? Will the attendance figures increase?

Several football journalists insist that foreign players here are not of a high quality. This may be true but the choice of foreigners largely depends on the wage one wants to pay. To attain better standards, one must pay more.

Experience has taught me that, to acquire a good-quality overseas player, you must at least offer a monthly wage of US$2,000, which is beyond the reach of most of local clubs.

Again, money is the key to having quality players and better teams. This rule does not pertain only to Malta. It is also evidenced by the fact that the best performers in Europe opt to move to the UK, Italy, Germany and Spain, countries who have dominated Europe competition lately.

Having three good foreigners, whose level compares well with that of our internationals, can also save top clubs some Lm60,000 in transfer fees.

Genuine effort

All parties interested in Maltese football must make a genuine effort to try and salvage our football. I used to get very disappointed at the reluctance of many club delegates to discuss such crucial matters during the association's annual meeting.

There seems to be a wall of glass between the MFA executive committee and club officials.

Personally, whenever I had a complaint or wanted to share my views with MFA officials, they never rejected my arguments. Is it possible that, for example, no one wants that part of the MFA's income is used to improve the technical set-ups at clubs?

And why clubs cannot use the MFA facilities without payment? Why can't the MFA instruct its doctors to visit clubs and help players improve their fitness?

In football you cannot stop for one single moment because you are constantly dealing with human beings. Furthermore attitudes must change.

When meetings are held between club delegates and MFA officials, each one must play his/her role. Delegates are there to protect their clubs and MFA officials are there to administer. They should share experience and speak clearly.

We need to make maximum use of our human resources and the most capable club officials should be selected and encouraged to participate more actively in the MFA.

The Council functions are important but, in my opinion, it is not contributing enough. Moreover, when certain delicate issues are on the agenda, clubs cannot be represented by a different Council member. This is wrong as it impedes competent club officials, including presidents, from attending council meetings to give their views.

There is no doubt that the MFA is a well-organised body but it has to enhance its communication with clubs to see that their daily problems are discussed and tackled appropriately. Maltese football boasts a president who has an important role at UEFA and this gives us a loud voice on an international level.

A strategic plan comprising all aspects of football should be devised to help in its rejuvenation and to find new methods for clubs to raise income collectively or individually.

Without money, clubs are doomed to becoming just meeting places where organised football is played.

I hope that more people, including journalists and club officials, come forward and express their thoughts to improve the local football situation.