A new, young President investing for the future

At only 35 years of age, Silvio Scerri President of a top Maltese waterpolo club: Marsacala. He speaks to RAY ABDILLA about the game in Malta. And why the new format is wrong, and what needs to be done for water polo

How did you start in water polo and why Marsascala?

I used to like to hear the game on the radio when I was very young, my father was and is a staunch supporter of Sliema as he was born and lived there. I became involved with Marsascala when I used to go there to have a drink with my wife and made friends with some committee members. It took them two years to convince me to join them. It never crossed my mind that one day I would become their President.

Why Marsascala ?

I always wanted to live here; there is a mixture of everything and a dramatic change from summer to winter.

With water polo concentrated more in the Sliema/St Julians area was it difficult to push the sport to the south of Malta?

The game has its roots and history in Sliema/ St Julians. To my understanding, Marsaskala never thought that one day they would be one of the top four teams. It all depends on good administration. A good set-up attracts young people to take up water polo as their favourite sport. It is not easy to push this sport forward as there is no serious help from the Government.

How do people from that area, Zabbar, M'Scala, Cottonera, Paola etc. look at waterpolo?

We need to do more to reach areas like Paola and other remote parts of Cottonera, luckily some families that come from these places own a summer residence in Marsaskala, the result of this is, two players from Cospicua and one from Zabbar.

How long have you been the President of M'Scala WPC?

I started as Treasurer three years ago, a much more difficult designation in water polo, this is my first year as President.

Was it always your dream to become so deeply involved with the club?

I dream all the time, dreams keep me positive. The first time I went to the pitch I felt a certain attraction to the club, so my involvement was a natural process.

In the past, the teams that used to win all the Malta water polo honours were Sliema or Neptunes. Sometimes a team from Valletta. Sirens or San Giljan used to break that barrier. At last M'Scala did it as well. Why do you think it's the Sliema, Neptunes tandem that are the most successful in Malta?

One of the most important things to be successful is to be organised. Sliema and Neptunes have very strong committees and water polo is in their bones. I learn a lot from them and because they have great experience in the rules and the game itself they hardly ever make mistakes.

There were some famous Presidents at M'Scala. Was it difficult taking such a post?

I would not say famous, smart would be more appropriate. It is always difficult to lead others, but I believe in teamwork, and fortunately for me I have two of the best officials the club ever had, coupled with a good committee members.

What about this year's league. Do you agree with the new format? And what about the chances of your club winning an honour or two this season?

No I don't, the format is wrong, what is the point in winning against Valletta 25-1, playing all our youngsters including the reserve goalkeeper. The gap is too wide; it may serve Marsaskala well but surely it demoralises Valletta which also had a history in water polo. Having one-sided games is no match, in fact there were only 28 people watching this game.

Our chances are always there we play to win, and we train hard to achieve this objective. We have a young team so we can look forward, I will guarantee that Marsaskala will stay at the very top.

Who are the teams to beat this year?

I do not have the slightest idea who will win the championship this year, on paper it is Neptunes, technically it is Sirens (the team to beat) and practically it is Sliema who are always consistent in their game. So theoretically it is Neptunes and probably it is Sliema.

What about your youths this year? Are there any names that will finally make it at the top one day?

We invest heavily in nurseries, and we have strong teams at the U/15 and U/19, we also employed good coaches, as we believe that to stay at the top you need to produce your own players. The names to watch out for are, Ryan Cutajar, Ramon Calleja and Stephen Micallef who already play regularly with the first team.

Could you tell me something about the incident you had with referee Miro Caruana? And do you want foreign referees to officiate our top matches?

I was extremely upset by the incident because I had to pay for Mr. Caruana's incompetence. I am very disappointed by his poor level of refereeing. The worst thing is that the ASA does not acknowledge this shortcoming. We pay more that a thousand pounds in refereeing fees and in return we get the poor services of Mr. Caruana. Every club complains about this and nothing happens. Initially we used to pay because of foreign referees, now they only bring one and the fees remained the same. There are some referees that are up to international standards and they should control first division matches alongside foreign referees, but surely this does not apply for Mr. Caruana.

Do you think that there is something that the ASA needs to change in the game of water polo? And do you think that water polo is dying a natural death, especially when you look at the crowds present. Do you think that the game needs a major overhaul?

Something needs to be done immediately to save the game. We need fresh ideas; a good suggestion is that clubs that do not have nurseries may not participate in the league. This for the simple reason that they spend all their money in importing retired players, when they should finance nurseries.