Malta
5 Questions with ERL: Malta Rugby League (MRL)
We spoke with David from MRL recently about Rugby League in Malta.
How long has RL been played in your country?
Since 2005. The MRLA staged the first ever game of Rugby League on Maltese soil with a friendly international against the England Lionhearts at Marsa’s Matthew Micallef St John Athletic Stadium.
Local Rugby Union prop Robert Bonavia from the Qormi Sharks RFC was selected as the fourth reserve and played a notable part in the match as well as becoming the first Maltese born and bred player to represent the Malta Knights.
Bonavia played 25 minutes on a warm afternoon, most of the crowd cheering on the pioneer in an unknown code of rugby to the delight of local media.
The Malta Knights, whose squad was made up of Australian-Maltese players and officials, won 36-6 with a crowd of 500 people in attendance and Super League referee Mr Ashley Klein; later a referee in the NRL, was appointed as referee for the historic fixture.
Domestic Championships have been played since 2008. With local team numbers variable from 2 to 5 participating each year.
There are 3 teams in the current 2016 Domestic Championship (Stompers Rugby League, Gladiators Rugby League and Malta Origin Rugby League).
Tell us a bit about your country?
Malta is a southern European country consisting of 3 main islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) in the Mediterranean Sea with a population of circa 420, 000. It lies 80 km south of Sicily and 333 km north of Libya. Malta’s landmass covers just over 316 km2 making it one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital city is Valletta.
The two official languages are Maltese and English. Throughout history a succession of powers ruled the islands (including the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Habsburg Spain, Knights of St John, French and the British).
Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974. Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004; in 2008, it became part of the euro zone, and 98% of the population is Catholic.
After World War II, between 1948 and 1967, some 140,000 people (over 30% of the total population) emigrated from Malta on the assisted passage scheme.
58% of this exodus migrated to Australia, 22% to the UK, 13% to Canada and 7% to the United States.
In 2004, descendants of these immigrants to Australia (Second Generation Maltese) whom grew up in the Rugby League heartland of Western Sydney formed the Sydney based Maltese Rugby League Association. The following year, they introduced the game to their Mother country via an exhibition match against the England Lionhearts. This historical event paved the way for the sport to blossom in the Maltese archipelago.
Malta is a favoured tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most prominently the Megalithic Temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.
What are you in most need to help the game grow?
Appropriate facilities – We do not have equal access to grass pitches with regulation goalposts as Rugby Union do.
The organisation has access to three venues, on the main island of Malta, which are Synthetic Surfaced Football Grounds. i.e: Melita FC located in Pembroke and the Balzan FC in Balzan-Lija.
Gozo Stadium in Xewkija is also available on the sister island of Gozo.
Collectively they do not satisfy the entire needs of the organisation as they do not contain regulation Rugby League goalposts. There is currently no solution to this.
We have recently hosted several of our Internationals overseas due to the lack of suitable facilities.
What are the biggest challenge that you face?
Achieving RLIF Full Membership. (The current criteria does not look at Malta’s unique situation constructively. There has not been a satisfactory dialogue received from RLIF on this matter).
Player numbers - The demographic profile of the organisation has shifted over the years. A significant proportion of the islands player pool is from a private school-university background. They tend to play Rugby Union and some are not encouraged to participate in Rugby League by their RU clubs. As a result, available numbers fluctuate leading to the postponement of matches, and in some instances, entire seasons.
Sabotage - The organisation continues to experience a certain degree of interference by Influential personalities from other sporting and opinionated organisations.
What is your dream scenario 10 years from now for your RL organisation?
• To be a well-managed, financially secure and respected organisation that provides opportunities to participate in rugby league. To continue to recruit the correct skill sets that enable us to deliver comprehensive training, coaching and development programs.
• Continue to grow a strong playing base (domestically and internationally).
• Continue to climb the RLIF World Rankings with the intention to play at least 3 internationals per season.
• To offer an encouraging environment where sportsmanship, personal development and enjoyment of the game are central themes. Off the field we afford an inclusive, social atmosphere built on family values.
• Support for our people is paramount. We endeavour to provide an environment that supports and encourages our coaches, administrators and volunteers.
Thanks for speaking with us David.
Malta FB:
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Malta Website:
http://www.malteserugbyleague.com/
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