Origins & Aims of the Paola Hibernians Football Nursery

The Paola Hibernians Football Nursery is a founder member of the Youth Football Association. Before that body was formed, in fact, these same premises were already being used by the Gћajn Dwieli Sports Association. In 1976 a number of altar boys who rendered service at St Anthony’s church, administered by Franciscan friars in the locality of Gћajn Dwieli decided to set up a football team. The aim of the boys was to participate in the Under 16 Football League which was being run by the Ministry of Works and Sports at that time. In 1978 the first official committee of the Gћajn Dwieli Sports Association under the presidency of Mr Joe Barbara and with Mr Joe Cassar as secretary of the fledgling association started functioning. On 31 March 1979, the Hon. Minister Lorry Sant handed over to the committee a football pitch together with a number of rooms which served as a dressing room, committee room and bar.

When the MFA set up the Under 16 league for its affiliated clubs, an agreement was reached for the Gћajn Dwieli team to take part on behalf of Hibernians F.C. After the Youth Football Association was born, our teams became known, first as the Hibernians Gћajn Dwieli Football Nursery, and subsequently as the Paola Hibernians Football Nursery.

The Nursery’s objectives are to further the civic and educational formation of its young members and to develop their footballing skills so that they may wear Hibernians’ colours with pride and loyalty in the country’s topmost League. The Paola Hibernians Football Nursery is grateful to all those who, through the years, have given so generously towards the attainment of these objectives. Among them are the Hon. Lorry Sant, the Hon. Joe Cilia, the Hon. Jesmond Mugliett, the Hon. Jason Azzopardi, mayors and the Paola Local Council, Mr Joe Barbara (the first president), Mr John Agius (the second president), Mr Joe Cassar, and the many committee members who had the Nursery so close to their heart.

Two men still remain to be mentioned: Mr George Demajo and Mr Norman Buckle. Under Mr Buckle's leadership, both the Nursery’s facilities and its administrative structure improved considerably year by year. Moreover, Mr Demajo and the firm Candy have been the Nursery’s sole sponsor for many years. Under the guidance of Mr Norman Buckle several projects were carried out including the laying of synthetic turf at the playing field, improvement of the floodlighting, and the rebuilding of the club house. The latter was officially inaugurated by Fr. Hilary Tagliaferro, the Chairman of the Youth Football Association on 7 June 2008.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention that, standing solidly behind the Nursery for these last thirty years, has been the figure of Mr Tony Bezzina, Chairman of the Hibernians Sports Association, who has never been found wanting whenever his help was invoked.