Children attending the Pembroke Athleta nursery and their parents held a peaceful protest on Sunday to contend the club’s decision to remove one of the three five-a-side pitches at the premises and turn it into a padel court.
A petition was launched this week to try and stop the project and on Sunday the parents of children attending the Pembroke Athleta gathered at the club’s premises to send a clear message to the club’s president who on Saturday was determined to go on with his plans of building a padel court.
“As parents today, we have taken it upon ourselves to organize this short protest as we want to save our children’s training grounds and save our children’s game,” the parents said in a statement.
“The Head coach, the nursery, and all the coaching staff have worked and continue to work hard to create a family here at Pembroke, not just another Football Club.
“This is not only about choosing between football, padel, or any other sport that will bring in more money. This is about us creating awareness that in this situation, the needs of children should be prioritized over financial gain.”
The children’s parents said that they are not sure if this project will be beneficial not just for the young players at the club’s nursery but also for the whole Pembroke community.
“While we understand that there are other sports and that they should be left to grow and flourish, we must ask, is this being done for the good of Pembroke’s community? And for the good Pembroke’s sons and daughters, or is there an ulterior motive?” the statement said.
“We ask you to reconsider this decision, as even though the church you are trying to destroy will not be as financially profitable as the new one that will be built. It flourishes in teaching children love, passion, friendships, memories, and more.
“Save our training ground… save our game.”
On Saturday, club president Calleja made it clear that he has no plans to shelve the project.
He maintained that the project would help the club generate revenue it could use to maintain its premises in good shape.
“There is no reason why I should change my mind on this project as this is something that has been unanimously approved by the club committee and will be done on private property owned by the club, with all the permits needed by the authorities,” Calleja told the Times of Malta.
Pembroke Athleta have rented part of their premises to a private company to set up 10 padel courts.
“The club have three five-a-side pitches and at present the nursery is only using one and a half of them for their training schedule. So, it’s logical for me to try and make good use of all the facilities of the club to try and generate revenue for them and that is why I decided to turn this pitch into a padel court.”
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