Football on the Rock - 10 years of UEFA membership.

As advisors to the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA), and avid advocates of football in Gibraltar at both grassroots and elite level, Gian Massetti and I were approached by Sports Law and Taxation Journal  to provide our insights on the development of football on the Rock, 10 years after Gibraltar was admitted as the 54th full member of UEFA. Gibraltar is the smallest member state by population and surface area behind San Marino, Liechtenstein and the Faroe Islands.

We take a look back at the drawn out process spanning 20 years which ultimately led to one of the oldest football associations in the world being admitted (despite 47 member states voting against Gibraltar's application in 2007), how politics and Gibraltar's relationship with Spain still impacts the sport and what the GFA are focusing on to ensure the growth of the sport at grassroots level and to encourage diversity and inclusion.

With plans for an 8,000-seater stadium to be built in the pipeline, the days of the Gibraltar team and supporters having to travel to Faro, Portugal to host their international fixtures could, thankfully, be finally relegated to the history books. 

The editorial can be found here (Sports, Law and Taxation (formerly GSLTR) 2023/3, Pg 4/5). For access to the full journal you subscribe here.