‘There's nowhere to play ball with my son’

Updated 1.04pm with SportMalta comments

A father from Mqabba has raised concerns about the lack of accessible and well-maintained football pitches for children in several southern localities, saying the situation has been neglected for decades.

Christian Mifsud, a parent who regularly tries to play football with his son, said that, in Mqabba, the only two existing pitches are inaccessible to the public as they are owned by their respective football clubs.

The problem extends to neighbouring villages, including Żurrieq, Qrendi and Kirkop, where pitches are either closed off or unusable.

In Safi, access to the football pitch depends on the local council. Residents must ask the council to open the grounds during office hours, which means that, on weekends – when families are most likely to visit – the pitch remains closed. As a result, families who gather in the nearby park are unable to use the playing area.

The local council did not respond to a request for comment.

The few pitches that are open to the public, such as the Kirkop Sports Complex and the grounds at Għar Lapsi, in Siġġiewi, are in a “disastrous” condition, Mifsud said.

Both local councils also failed to respond to requests for comment.

“At Kirkop Sports Complex, for almost 25 years since the school opened, there has been no maintenance of the pitch,” Mifsud said.  “The turf is in very bad condition. On our side of the island – Mqabba, Żurrieq, Qrendi, Siġġiewi – this is the only place where you can go with your kids to play football.”

Mifsud said he even contacted Prime Minister Robert Abela when schools reopened and was assured that action would be taken. While the goalposts were eventually changed, he claims no further improvements followed.

He stressed that his decision to speak publicly was to keep a record of the promises being made. “In 25 years, the turf did not change. Thousands of children come to school here. As a parent, I feel it should be up to standard. We don’t have places where kids can play in their free time.”

Mifsud also pointed to other areas, such as Pietà, where a playing field used by children lacks even basic turf. Residents in Pietà told him repeated requests for improvements had so far been ignored.

Contacted for comment, the Pietà council said they were aware of the issue and that a full refurbishment of the grounds is planned for the near future. 

In Siġġiewi, Mifsud proposed adding synthetic turf to the Għar Lapsi grounds to reduce injuries and improve aesthetics. The local council, he said, acknowledged the suggestion and described it as a good idea.

“Now we wait and see,” Mifsud said.

SportMalta investments

In a statement following the article's publication on Monday, SportMalta noted that in 2022, the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools (FTS) had completed €100,000 works to sports grounds in Mrieħel and Kirkop.

The entity also noted that a tender for the installation of synthetic turf at the Kirkop football pitch was published at the start of this month, representing an investment of more than half a million euros.

The pitch upgrades include a new lighting system, new turf and upgrades to tracks and the basketball court. "This is in line with SportMalta's mission to work with schools and local communities", it said.