Four Maltese teams will be taking part in European club competitions next month, the ASA announced.
Sliema ASC and San Ġiljan will be representing Malta in the LEN Challenger Cup while Sirens and San Ġiljan will be competing in the Women’s Conference Cup.
This is the first time that Malta will be represented by four clubs in European Aquatics competition and ASA president Karl Izzo was delighted with the Maltese teams’ ambitions.
“Since I was elected as president of the Aquatic Sports Association, I immediately made it clear that seeing Maltese clubs playing in Europe was one of my major ambitions,” Izzo said.
“Having four teams in European Aquatics competitions highlights the growth of Maltese waterpolo but more importantly reflects the clubs’ investments in bringing in top coaches and players. Having teams playing on the continent will further provide visibility to our players and teams on the international scene.”
In the men’s category, Sliema ASC, last year’s semi-finalists in the Euro club competition, and San Ġiljan will be taking part in the same qualifying group after being drawn in Group A.
The Maltese sides will be up against Apoel Nicosia, of Cyprus, and Hapoel Palram Zvulun, of Israel.
Two teams from each group progress, and the Maltese clubs will be hopeful they can progress from this stage together.
Matches will be played at the Cottonera Sports Complex, with matches scheduled between November 28 and 30.
On the other hand, Sirens and San Ġiljan were drawn in different qualifying groups in the Women’s Conference Cup.
San Ġiljan were drawn in Group A and will be up against Goztepe SK, of Turkey, Germany’s SV Blau-Weiss, and the Spanish side CN San Feliu.
Sirens, on the other hand, will be up against Dutch side ZVL-1886, and Greek sides AC PAOK and NC Chania.
Both qualifying tournaments will be held at the National Pool in Tal-Qroqq between November 14 and 16, with the top two progressing to Round 2.
Izzo said that the Maltese national teams in the various age groups are set for several international participation in the next few months.
The first team in action will be the men’s U-15 side who will next month will play in the COMEN Cup.
The team is under the guidance of Paul Privitera, who will be assisted by David Cutajar and Stephen Rizzo, while Milan Cirovic will accompany the squad as Technical Director.
The Malta U-15 will be up against Israel, Monaco and Cyprus and the tournament will be as part of their preparations for the 2027 European Championships.
The men’s senior team will start their preparations in Descember for their participation in the EurO finals to be staged in Belgrade in January.
Apart from their Euro finals’ appearance, the senior selection will also play in the World Cup Division B.
The U-20 selection will be involved in the European
Championships, while the women’s senior team will be involved in the World Cup Division B.
Izzo said that he is proud that Malta’s status on the international scene has grown steadily over the years.
“In the recent rankings published by European Aquatics, the men’s team is ranked 13th out of 36 countries while their female counterparts are 17th from 24 nations, for a combined placing of 15th out of 36 countries,” Izzo said.
“Our international status has grown to the highest level, making Malta, despite being the smallest country in Europe, respected and recognized on the international waterpolo stage.”
