No date yet set for building of San Ġiljan water polo pool

The government is currently working on plans for a water polo pool for the San Ġiljan Aquatics Sports Club, as was promised in the Labour Party’s 2017 electoral manifesto, this newsroom is informed. No date for the actual start of the project has as yet been set.

In its 2017 election programme, the Labour Party had pledged to enter into discussions with the San Ġiljan water polo club to consider the possibility of constructing a pool.

In response to questions posed by The Malta Independent requesting an update on the project, the government said that “this project is moving forward and the first phase, which involved the preparation of planning documentation and a matching plan to determine expenses, has been completed.”

“This project has now moved onto the next phase, which is currently underway, and it involves a wide consultation with stakeholders.”

San Ġiljan is one of the few water polo clubs still without its own pool. All other Premier Division clubs - Neptunes, Sliema, Sirens and Valletta – have their own pool, with Exiles being the only other club in the top division with San Ġiljan not to have their own.

This evening, San Ġiljan will be involved in the first leg of the play-off premier league final against neighbours Neptunes, who have had their own swimming pool for decades a stone’s throw away from the San Ġiljan club. If the San Ġiljan pool is built, St Julian’s Bay will boast of two pools almost right next to each other.

The Labour government has recently rebuilt the Birżebbuġa pool, spurring the club to return to playing water polo at competitive level after an absence of several years.

San Ġiljan will next year be celebrating its 70th anniversary since its 1949 founding year, and supporters are hoping that the pool will start to be built during 2019.