St. Andrews FC Malta has officially launched its 2026/27 season, unveiling a new-look senior squad and outlining an ambitious three-season development plan during an event held at the Palm Suites InterContinental Hotel Malta.
The launch brought together players, coaching staff, sponsors, partners and members of the media as the club presented its plans for both the immediate future and its longer-term development.
Rebuilding the club
Addressing those present, club president Captain Nigel James Dunkerley reflected on what he described as a turbulent period for St. Andrews, with the previous three seasons ranging from narrow escapes from relegation to a respectable top-half finish last season.
Following the conclusion of the previous campaign, a new committee moved quickly to reset the club’s direction, placing greater emphasis on long-term player development and organisational growth.
The club identified potential within its youth ranks, promoted academy players towards the senior setup and made a number of key appointments as part of its restructuring.
The 2026/27 squad has been assembled through a combination of returning former players, new signings and players promoted from the club’s academy, alongside changes to the coaching staff.
Founded in 1968, St. Andrews FC operates from facilities covering more than 15,000 square metres and welcomes over 290,000 visitors annually. Its Luxol Football Academy currently has more than 650 students.
Rajic outlines technical approach
Head coach Marko Rajic outlined his vision for the season ahead, describing a squad built around a combination of academy graduates and experienced local and foreign players.
The 2026/27 squad consists of 23 players across four positional groups, comprising two goalkeepers, eight defenders, eight midfielders and five forwards. The average age of the squad is 20.4.
Rajic said the technical programme would be based on a structured framework incorporating a clear code of conduct, defined training protocols and a consistent feedback system.
The coaching structure will also include clearly assigned roles, continued staff education and regular assessment of coaching methods and player development.
A key part of the plan is closer integration between the club’s youth and senior levels. This will include joint training sessions, a defined pathway from the academy into the first team and daily performance monitoring to allow training programmes to be adjusted when required.
Meanwhile, on behalf of head goalkeeper coach Nikola Milojevic, the club highlighted the specialised development programme for its goalkeepers and the progress made by both youth and senior players in recent seasons.
Investment, infrastructure and community
The club also set out plans to modernise its corporate structure, with responsibilities across operations, marketing, technical matters, talent identification and resource management to be allocated according to the strengths of individual committee members.
Among the initiatives outlined were expanded medical and performance support, including GPS tracking, video analysis and injury prevention protocols.
St. Andrews also plans to continue investing in infrastructure, equipment and staff training, while placing a stronger emphasis on marketing, sponsorship and commercial partnerships.
The club acknowledged the challenges posed by rising operating costs and the need to strengthen its community identity. Its response will focus on reinforcing Luxol as a permanent home for supporters, aligning the club’s branding and messaging and adopting a multi-season approach to financial planning.
One of the club’s principal long-term ambitions is to return its Challenge League home matches to Luxol Stadium and restore the ground as the traditional home of St. Andrews FC.
The club confirmed that discussions are ongoing with the Malta Football Association on the matter, while separate talks are also taking place with shareholders and interested local and foreign parties regarding wider infrastructure investment.
Commercial partnerships
During the launch, St. Andrews also introduced its growing list of commercial partners, including Laferla, Form Ltd, Team Sport, vOCO by IHG, Lumi, InterContinental Malta and 897BAY.
The club said that further partnerships are currently under discussion in the retail, IT, telecommunications, automotive and hospitality sectors.
Closing the event, club representatives reaffirmed St. Andrews FC’s founding mission of developing and improving the quality of its academy while fielding competitive teams at every level through to the senior side.
The club said its future plans would continue to be guided by the values of sport, commitment, teamwork, honesty and fun.
The official launch concluded with a networking reception attended by players, staff, sponsors and guests.
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