National Stadium, Ta' Qali

Ta' Qali National Stadium
Ta' Qali
Full name	Ta' Qali National Stadium
Location	Ta' Qali, Attard, Malta
Coordinates	35°53′41.51″N 14°24′55.34″E / 35.8948639°N 14.4153722°E
Owner	Government of Malta
Capacity	17,797 (seated)
Field size	102m x 67m
Surface	Grass
Opened	14 December 1980
Tenants
	Malta Football Association

Ta' Qali National Stadium is the national stadium of Malta, and is the home stadium of the Malta national football team. It stages most Maltese Premier League and cup matches, as well as international matches. The stadium seats 17,797 people, and is the largest stadium in Malta.

History

The Ta' Qali National Stadium was built in 1980 and in 1981 it became Malta's national football stadium replacing the Empire Stadium, Gżira.

Facilities

There is a garage underneath, two gymnasiums, an indoor pool, two squash courts, a shooting range, training rooms, bars, restaurants, catering areas and many parking spaces around the stadium. All facilities at the stadium are easily accessible by means of several entrances.

The almost 20,000 all-seater stadium with a top of the order floodlighting system, has an excellent and durable natural turf pitch, which has had its surroundings along the perimeter embellished only recently. The main stand of the stadium is the 5,000 seater Millennium Stand, which also houses 22 executive boxes. The stadium is the main-centre of football on the island, with all that goes with it, including a modern scoreboard, and new red and white seats, as well as all the facilities for the Press.

The Malta FA’s Headquarters were moved to the Millennium Stand from Valletta in 2007, while the National Team Quarters, which cater for the physical well-being of the players, are recent additions to this complex. The living quarters, comprising a restaurant and leisure areas, the Conference/Lecture Hall, the Physiotherapy and the Technical Centre beneath the West Stand, the Fitness Centre and the indoor swimming pool under the East Stand, make the place a comprehensive location for footballers and athletes of every genre, ranging from archery and shot put to equestrian and Mario Muscat's bullriding rodeo shows.

This football complex not only attracts thousands of spectators every week for domestic and international matches, but also innumerable football administrators as well as coaches, referees and of course, the players themselves.

Ta' Qali Centenary Stadium and Training Grounds

The Centenary Stadium, barely 200 metres away from National Stadium, is an important addition to the complex, with its all-weather FIFA-approved artificial turf, and the enhanced pitch and dressing room amenities adding to the quality of the place. The stadium building also houses a conference hall where the association’s council meetings, seminars and routine press conferences are held. A mini-pitch situated alongside the Centenary Stadium is another useful facility for the use of the youngsters.

The extensive grounds adjacent to the Centenary Stadium have a grass surface and are thus very convenient as a warm-up and training area. These grounds can be utilised throughout the year and also serve as the main base for teams visiting Malta for training camps. In recent years well-known clubs, including Juventus and Milan, as well as various national teams have had a taste of the stadium in Malta and were all praise for the excellent facilities and ideal climate they found.