Football clubs Rabat Ajax and Mtarfa will get their own respective playing grounds after an agreement signed with the government on Saturday.

The agreement will see the Public Works Department carry out the necessary works on the sports facilities, which include a football stadium, another 5-a-side stadium and a track.

The government will also be funding alternative spaces for Mtarfa's sports communities to train while works are being carried out, to the tune of €70,000 per year. 

MFA President Bjorn Vassallo said: “The sports infrastructure in our country is essential not only for athletes to continue training and practising in state-of-the-art facilities but also for the administration to be able to organize at the community level many activities that benefit our society. The MFA, therefore, remains committed to ensure that all its members have adequate facilities to accommodate the thousands of children who attend in clean and healthy places that offer so much gain for the well-being of these athletes."

Ministers Ian Borg, Silvio Schembri, Julia Farrugia Portelli and Parliamentary Secretary Clifton Grima were present for the announcement at the Rabat football ground.