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As one would expect from an island, waterpolo is a very popular sport in Malta, second only to football. It is a sport that has strong traditional roots particularly in the popular bays of Sliema, Balluta and St Julians where time-honoured rivalries persist to this day.
Even if you've never been to a waterpolo match before, its simple to follow and easy to get hooked. It is tough and elegant at the same time; the players need to be fast and strong, often more than that to keep up with the surges from opponents eager to score or prohibit you from scoring. Malta's first-ever Olympic experience took place with a waterpolo team that competed in the Berlin Olympics of 1938.
Even before that, however, aquatic clubs had sprouted all over the Island, all of them training and producing swimmers for both the waterpolo teams and the swimming events. Each club had its own sea-water pitch so that a home-and-away league schedule could be organised every summer season. However, when competing against foreign teams, the Maltese clubs found it difficult to adapt themselves to the fresh-water pools where European waterpolo is of course played.
With the construction of a National Pool complex with all the modern facilities and an Olympic-size fresh-water pool, the problem was finally solved. Results against foreign opposition improved almost overnight. The national league fixtures are today played at the National Pool where a good-sized crowd watches the games in comfort and with access to eating and drinking outlets within the same complex. The rivalry is still there and peak-season encounters often attract bumper crowds and bumper celebrations. It's fun to be there for all the revelry.
So, if you fancy having a look at another sport while in Malta, we can't think of a better one than waterpolo.
Although many of the major teams have their own pools which they use for reserve fixrures and training, all the big league matches are held at the National Pool in Tal-Qroqq – just opposite the university. For more information check out the association’s website www.asaofmalta.org
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