The Maltese bowling community is in shock following news given at short notice that the Eden Superbowl will close for the next few months due to works to revamp the facility.

In a statement, the Eden Superbowl said the facility will close on January 8.

Edward Mifsud, the president of the Malta Tenpin Bowling Association, said that the news has hit hard and he criticised the government's failure over the years to construct a bowling facility that could be used by his association.

“In a way, I do understand the Eden Leisure Group as at the end of the day their prime interest is to generate revenue as much as they can. But it’s disappointing that we only received notice of this closure a few days ago," he told Times of Malta.

He said the association had already submitted its calendar plans to the Eden Leisure Group and received the green light from them for the new season due to start on January 8.

“Then I was contacted by Simon Decesare a few days ago and told that the facility will be closed for a minimum of five months, which means that we will have no facilities until at least the end of May. That has left us in a very difficult situation.”

Mifsud said that in October he had sent proposals to the government to build a new 12-lane bowling alley. No feedback was received and the proposals were ignored.  

“Once the new facility at the Eden Superbowl is ready, I sense that it will cater more for the needs of the general public than the tenpin bowlers, as the purpose of the facility is to provide entertainment. Looking at the plans, there will be fewer lanes available for us and that will leave us in a difficult situation,” he said.

The Malta Tenpin Bowling Association president said that the effects of being without a facility for the next five months are set to be catastrophic for the sport. 

“We had new teams who were preparing to take part in our competitions this year. They might back out now, and new bowlers who were interested to start practising the sport might look elsewhere. Added to that, there is a big problem for those young bowlers who attend the National Sports School who will have no venue to train for the next five months.

Furthermore,  he said, several international competitions were coming up in 2024 such as the European Championship as well as the Mediterranean Games and Malta did not have a facility where to hold the qualifying tournaments.

“We have eight young bowlers who are scheduled to take part in the European Youth Championships in Helsinki and they have no facility where to train before this important competition.

“The only other bowling alley available in Malta is the one at the Seabank Hotel, which is far smaller. I am planning to at least try and book four lanes for the next few months so the bowlers can at least have the opportunity to train.

“But we are facing a very difficult situation and we need some help from the authorities,” he said.