First female inter-school championship to kick off mid-month

The first-ever female inter-school football championship will kick off on March 15, the Macao Football Association (MFA) announced via its social media pages.

A long-standing ambition – in some cases spanning more than two decades – for some schools that have been calling for the introduction of a female division in this type of competition, the championship organized by the MFA and the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) is finally moving forward this year.

According to MFA information, 18 teams are registered across three age groups for the inaugural championship.

In the “A” group, which is dedicated to older students, six teams are listed, including Macau Anglican College, Lou Hau High School, Pui Va School, School of the Nations, Sacred Heart Canossian College, and Escola Oficial Zheng Guanying.

The “B” group also includes six teams: The International School of Macao, the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM), Pooi To Middle School, Santa Rosa de Lima School, Escola Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional, and Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School.

In the primary school division, there are four teams from Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School, two teams from EPM, and one team from the School of the Nations.

The MFA said the competition format will follow a double round-robin system, with final rankings determined by a points system for the youngest group. Match duration in this group will be 15 minutes.

For the “B” group, the championship will first feature a group stage with three teams in each group. The group winners will advance to the final, while the second-placed teams will compete for third place.

In the “A” group, match time will be increased to 20 minutes, following the same format as the “B” group.

The shortened match time is intended to allow teams to play more than one match per day.

The champions in all age groups will be determined when the tournament concludes on April 12 as scheduled.