NEWS | Wednesday, 29 October 2008

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Rugby loses £50,000 grant, despite ‘imminent’ pitch deal

Raphael Vassallo
The Rugby Association of Malta has forfeited a £50,000 capital grant from the International Rugby Board (IRB) to build a national rugby stadium, after numerous government promises of a plot of land failed to ever materialise.
The IRB grant was intended to finance the building of a new stadium to accommodate the average of 3,000 rugby aficionados who regularly attend national fixtures, currently held at the Pace Grasso football stadium in Kordin.
But after holding the grant open for a number of years, the IRB finally withdrew it, presumably to fund other projects around the world. Under the new regime, the IRB does not give capital grants and so no further funding for a stadium is now possible.
Ironically, a new deal with the Malta Sports Committee now appears to be imminent, with association president Martin Galea confident that an agreement over pitch no. 5 at the Marsa Sports Centre will be signed in the near future.
The association is requesting a 40-year lease of the currently disused Marsa plot; but while this will provide Malta’s national rugby team with a permanent pitch on which to build the stadium – as well as relieving the association of the financial pressures of renting out the Pace Grasso stadium from Hibernians FC – it comes too late in the day to salvage the IRB grant, leaving the rugby association to its own devices when it comes to financing the actual construction.
Contacted yesterday, Galea expressed satisfaction that after years “in the wilderness”, the new administration within the ministry responsible for sports has proved far more helpful than its predecessors.
“Things are finally moving,” an upbeat Galea told MaltaToday. “We have a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) with Joe Cassar of the Malta Sports Committee (KMS). Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli and his team have been very helpful in resolving the impasse we have been in over the years, even providing a temporary pitch until pitch 5 is complete, which will allow all league matches to be played on Saturdays.”
Questions however remain over Marsa Sports Centre’s pitch 5, which the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) has meanwhile allocated for use in the eventuality of an expansion of the nearby Marsa Golf Club.
It is not clear how the pitch would be connected to the existing golf course, as the two are separated by a road, as well as pitches 1 to 4 of the Marsa Sports Centre: currently shared by rugby, football, archery and baseball, among other disciplines.
But after a series of meetings with officials in the Ministry for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, as well as the KMS, it seems as though a breakthrough is on the horizon.
“There will have to be a consultation process before MEPA’s decision can be revoked,” Galea said, adding that this will most likely result in yet another delay. “Until this issue is resolved the lease will be on a year to year basis which means no building can take place until our tenure is secure. But we are confident that a positive decision will be taken soon. What remains to be seen is the question of alternative funding to make up for the lost IRB grant. This will be our next priority, after securing the pitch.”
Rugby Union is Malta’s fastest growing sport, and also among the most successful on an international level. But while most national teams in the world rely on gate money for funds, the Maltese national team is the arguably the only one in the world to host its own fixtures at a loss.

rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt

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