The first venues to host matches in Malta

This week's photograph takes us back to the first decade of the 20th century when football in Malta was still played on the bone-hard pitches of military parade grounds.

In those early days of the game, whenever the Maltese challenged Army teams, the matches were inevitably played on the hard surface of the regiment's parade ground.

In that era, the Malta Garrison housed some of the finest regiments of the British Army. Barracks were strewn all over the island and both the British and Maltese made full use of them as football grounds.

Every day on my way back home from work I pass by the Verdala Barracks. The place seeps with history especially football history.

Verdala Barracks probably saw the birth of the famous Cospicua clubs of St Andrew's, St Margherita and St George's while the Tigne Barracks that of Sliema Wanderers.

The heights on the cliffs of Delimara are hardly the ideal place for a football ground but in 1894, the fortress parade ground was already in use. Known as Delimara Oval Football Ground, it was the home for two service football teams - Delimara Wanderers and Tas-Silg Rovers.

One of the first of such grounds was the Floriana Parade Ground. As early as November 12, 1892, we find that the Dockyard School team drew 0-0 with the students of the Floriana Garrison School.

The surface was hard but level and the balconies and windows of the barracks served as grand stands for the Maltese who attended those early football matches. The ground served its purpose well and it played an important part in the formation of Floriana FC.

Other service grounds in use during that period were: Ricasoli Parade Ground (c.1902), Imtarfa Parade Ground (c.1903), Fort Manoel Football Ground (c.1903), St Leonard's Football Ground (c.1904), St Patrick's Football Ground (c.1908), Rinella Football Ground (c.1909), St Andrew's Football Ground (c.1910), Bighi FG (c.1910), Ghajn Tuffieha Camp Football Ground (c.1916), and Kalafrana Football Ground (c.1918).

All these venues were extensively used but the most famous of them was surely that of Imtarfa. On Sunday, February 14, 1909 this venue hosted one of the classic matches of that particular era.

On that day thousands of people made their way to Imtarfa, using every imaginable kind of transport to see the two giants of Maltese football, St George's and Floriana do battle for the famous 'Imtarfa Cup'. This match was featured in one of my recent columns.

Other alternatives

The parade grounds were convenient venues but when the Maltese teams played each other they had to find their own grounds.

Whenever a new team was formed, a nearby field would be found and willing hands would quickly clear it of stones and other debris. Poles driven in the ground were used as goalposts and a piece of tape or ribbon as a crossbar.

For most of the time this type of surface was rather hard and bumpy, and whenever it rained it quickly became a mud bath.

These types of grounds, or rather fields were used extensively by Maltese clubs well into the 1960s.

Every town or village had its own field where the local league club trained and prepared itself for its competitive encounters.

It was only in the 1970s when subsequent governments embarked on a plan to upgrade sporting facilities on the island.

Nowadays practically every locality has its own football ground, many also covered with artificial turf. Gone are the days when football in Malta was played on the bone-hard pitches of military parade grounds or on the muddy and stone-strewn grounds of fields and ditches.