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Empire Stadium (Gżira)

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Empire Stadium
Gżira Stadium in the 1950s
Map
LocationGżira, Malta
Coordinates35°54′09″N 14°29′34″E / 35.90255°N 14.492745°E / 35.90255; 14.492745
OwnerTestaferrata heirs
Capacity30,000
Construction
Built4 November 1922
Opened1922
Renovated1933, 1951
Closed1981
DemolishedNo, but dilapidated

The Empire Stadium, also known as the Gżira Stadium or just The Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Gżira, Malta. It was used mostly for football matches and hosted the home matches of the Maltese national football team, including the very first international match for Malta in 1957 against Austria. It also hosted the final of the Maltese Cup. The stadium was able to hold 30,000 spectators and originally opened in 1922. It was notorious for its sandy pitch. The stadium hosted its final game in 1981, being replaced by the modern Ta' Qali Stadium.

History

The stadium opened on 4 November 1922.[1] The ground was inaugurated with an exhibition match between Malta Football Association (MFA) XI and HMS Ajax. The Ground is where during the First World War the RAF had its balloon station and was leased by Pietro Paolo Testaferrata Moroni Viani (Baron Gomerino) to his brother in law Carmelo 'Meme' Scicluna. With the opening of the Empire Sports Ground, the Mile End Sports Ground lost its importance. The Mile End Sports Ground was situated near Spencer's Monument at Blata l-Bajda (limits of Hamrun) and was Malta's main football stadium between 1912 and 1922.

Early in the 1930s Scicluna signed a contract with a British company in order to hold greyhound racing at the Empire Sports Ground. During the summer of 1933 the Sports Ground had to be pulled down. Work on a new stadium started immediately and the MFA First Division had to be postponed for some months. Although not completed, the Empire Stadium was officially inaugurated on 24 December 1933 with a friendly match between a Malta XI and SK Viktoria Plzeň of Czechoslovakia. Other sports activities such as boxing, athletics and motor-cycling were also held at the Empire Stadium.

An important event organized on a regular basis at the Empire Stadium was the Christmas Tournament, in which foreign teams played friendly matches against local teams during the Christmas holidays. Malta's first-ever international match, a 2-3 defeat to Austria, was played on 24 February 1957 at the Empire Stadium.[2]

League Champions Hibernians (European Cup) and FA Trophy Winners Floriana (Cup Winners' Cup) were the first teams to take part in European Competitions in season 1961/62. After suffering a 0-5 defeat in the first leg, Hibernians lost 1-2 to Swiss champions Servette at the Empire Stadium. Ujpest of Hungary qualified to the next round on 15-4 aggregate score after beating Floriana FC 2-5 in the first leg. Leeds United (England), Ipswich Town (England), Manchester United (England), Juventus (Italy), Internazionale (Italy), Celtic (Scotland), Real Madrid (Spain) and Barcelona (Spain) were some of the teams involved in European Competitions matches played at the Empire Stadium.

When the lease expired the owners took over the management. The owners changed the name of the ground to the Stadium and made it clear that they did not want to run it at a loss. The end of the lease saw a new cup called Testaferrata Cup replacing the Scicluna Cup.

During the summer of 1965, the MFA together with the affiliated clubs decided not to play at the Stadium following an argument with the management over the distribution of gate-money. Following lengthy discussions, the MFA decided to transfer all football activities for season 1965/66 to Manoel Island Football Ground. Everything returned to normal during the summer of 1966 when a solution was found. Football started to be held at The Stadium again in season 1966/67.

During the 1970s the MFA was involved in a heated dispute with the Maltese government over the administration of the game. In an attempt to boost the local game the government started to organize football leagues at the Marsa Sports Ground without consulting the MFA. In the meantime the government officially inaugurated the newly built National Stadium (Ta' Qali) on 14 December 1980 leaving the MFA out of the celebrations. Finally both parties managed to reach an agreement during the month of November 1981 following lengthy discussions. Football was finally transferred to the newly built turf stadium of Ta' Qali. Sunday 29 November 1981 was the last time that The Stadium hosted a football match.[1]

The area of the Stadium, which is owned by the heirs of Baron Testaferrata, is today valued at over €30 million.[3]

  • 1920s
    1920s
  • 1920s athletics
    1920s athletics
  • Motorsport in front of the Empire Stadium enclosure during the 1920s
    Motorsport in front of the Empire Stadium enclosure during the 1920s
  • 1935
    1935
  • 1947
    1947
  • 1947
    1947
  • Air view of Marsamuscetto Harbour, Malta, with the Empire Sports Ground in the foreground, ca. 1950
    Air view of Marsamuscetto Harbour, Malta, with the Empire Sports Ground in the foreground, ca. 1950
  • 1950s
    1950s
  • Entrance 1950s
    Entrance 1950s
  • Former entrance, today
    Former entrance, today
  • Former stadium, today
    Former stadium, today
  • Main stand at the former Empire Stadium
    Main stand at the former Empire Stadium

Record Attendances

Date Match Score Competition Attendance
3 February 1971 Malta – England 0–1 29,751
27 September 1967 Hibernians – Manchester United 0–0 23,217
7 January 1951 MFA XI – Wiener Sport-Club 1–1 22,000
28 December 1947 Sliema/Floriana XI – SK Austria 0–4 20,000
19 September 1979 Valletta – Leeds United 0–4 18,735
17 February 1952 Sliema Wanderers – Floriana 2–2 18,346
24 February 1957 Malta – Austria 2–3 17,421
16 September 1970 Hibernians – Real Madrid 0–0 16,056
6 November 1955 Sliema Wanderers – Floriana 1–0 15,000

Further reading

  • Armstrong, Gary; Mitchell, Jon P. (2008). Global and Local Football: Politics and Europeanization on the Fringes of the EU. Routledge. pp. 30, 52–54. ISBN 9781134269198.

References

  1. ^ a b Baldacchino, Carmel (10 April 2008). "Gates close at Gzira ground after 60 years". The Times of Malta.
  2. ^ "History of the Malta Football Association". Malta Football Association. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
  3. ^ Malta Today
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