Are Maltese football clubs capable of accommodating foreign football clubs' training camps?

Abstract

This study analyses the potential of Maltese Clubs as well as that of Malta in accommodating foreign clubs for training camps. In recent years, football tourism has emerged as an important niche market to our islands. This study includes multiple views from different stakeholders, including a number of Maltese clubs, the Malta Football Association and local travel agents with vast experience in this sector. A plethora of investment is needed should Maltese clubs want to infiltrate the professional football market. This is due to the fact that the main demand from foreign clubs is natural turf pitches which meet FIFA requirements. Up until now, only Hibernians Stadium and Ta’ Qali training grounds are suitable for training camps, as they are the only grounds with natural turf pitches as is demanded by foreign clubs. However, Maltese clubs do have the capacity to accommodate non-professional sides. Despite this, many Maltese clubs still have a lack of experience and a lack of facilities such as proper dressing rooms, gymnasiums, and supporters’ stands among others. Such facilities would obviously make this market more attractive and viable. Clearly the support given to the involved stakeholders, such as travel agents and football clubs, coming from the MFA and the MTA as well as that of the government is the key to recent and also to future success. The new sports legislation entitled ‘The Commercialisation of Sport Facilities: Moving towards the financial self-sustainability of sport organisations in Malta and Gozo’ that should soon be that was introduced adopted by the government in 2017, should have very positive effects leave a beneficial impact on this sector. It will also have a positive effect on Maltese clubs as they will hopefully become more self-sustaining and they will also have their facilities upgraded. Apart from Maltese football clubs, investors such as hoteliers will also benefit from this new legislation. This is because these hoteliers could then directly infiltrate this market by adapting and improving their resorts to specifically meet the requirements looked for by foreign clubs. The resorts could improve and adapt their facilities by for example building natural 11-aside natural turf pitches and other requirements which are mostly demanded.