Birzebbugia - Water Polo Pitch and Pretty Bay

Although quite small, Birżebbuġa is a stunning holiday destination in the heart of the Maltese Pretty Bay (Bajja Sabiha); it is visited by many tourists who appreciate its sea and fantastic hinterland enriched by four valleys Wied Dalam, Wied Zembaq, Wied Qoton and Wied Buni boasting a variety of olive trees, Birżebbuġa has been famous over the centuries for the cultivation of olives still keeping the local economy very strong; its name confirms this since it is said to derive from the combination between 'Bir', meaning 'well' and 'żebbuġa', meaning 'olives'.

Birżebbuġa's man-made large sandy beach played an important role only in more recent years, the bay has been artificially filled with sand in occasion of the works for the construction of the Malta Freeport (Port Ħieles Ta' Malta), the sand collected from the seabed has turned a desolate rocky coast into a wonderful bay; however, the Malta Freeport and the uninterrupted coming and going of cargo vessels have partly destroyed Birżebbuġa's scenic views but didn't make it less attractive under other point of views, there are amazingly relaxing places, green areas, splendid beaches and crystal sea water, ideal conditions for all types of water sports, a variety of attractions such as the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (1909, Parroċċa Marija Addolorata), St George's Church (1683, Knisja ta 'San Ġorġ), a modern seaside promenade, fashion clubs, high quality restaurants, a number of fortifications such as Fort St. Lucian (Torri ta' San Lucjan, 17th century), Ferretti Coastal Battery (Il-Qajjenza) or the so-called 'Birżebbuġa entrenchments' dating back to the Knights of St. John and plenty of evidence of the earliest Phoenician settlement, the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, the Romans; its archaeological importance has made it very popular in the world especially for the caves of Għar Ħasan and Għar Dalam, and the Borġ in Nadur Temple, moreover the whole beach is surrounded by a lovely scenery made up of modern buildings and high quality facilities which increase its charm and beauty.

Today Birżebbuġa is also undertaking in an ambitious as well as realistic project that, after having faced bureaucratic problems, has finally started, this project concerns the construction of a modern and competitive waterpolo pitch and club house (Water Polo Pitch in Birżebbuġa, Il-Pitch tal-waterpolo ta' Birzebbugia), a large structure (33x25 mtrs) built above the current waterline, an excellent and funny opportunity for children, sports enthusiasts as well as elderly and disabled persons.

The area involved has been strongly influenced by the building of Malta Freeport, in order to accomodate its large ships, extensive dredging works have been made and deepen the seabed in the centre of the bay so that most of this sand was pumped onto the shoreline, thus forming a sandy beach and resulting in the lowering of the seabed and a less circulation of the water within the pool, the extremely stagnant and noxious water has so prevented any possible kind of competitive matches; as a consequence the number of visitors went drastically down and the Aquatic & Sports Club's financial resources, intended to maintain it in operational state, became fewer; over the years the situation has changed, the works finally started and a new Water Polo Pitch will be soon up and running again.