Long before footballs rolled across the immaculate green pitch of Malta's National Stadium, aircraft were taking off from the same landscape. During the Second World War, Ta' Qali was a military airfield, home to Royal Air Force operations at a time when Malta occupied a strategic position in the Mediterranean. Today, the sound of aircraft engines has been replaced by cheering supporters, training sessions and international football matches. Few sporting destinations illustrate the transformation of a place quite so dramatically. What was once infrastructure for war has become a landscape dedicated to sport, recreation and national identity.
The story begins in the 1930s, when Ta' Qali was developed as an aerodrome. Its grass landing surfaces proved vulnerable to heavy rainfall, limiting its usefulness for civilian aviation. During the Second World War, however, the airfield became an important RAF base, particularly for fighter operations involving Hurricanes and Spitfires. Malta endured intense aerial bombardment during the conflict, making its airfields essential to the island's defence. Military aviation continued at Ta' Qali after the war, before the area gradually acquired a completely different purpose. The former airfield evolved into a recreational landscape that today includes the National Stadium, public parkland, a crafts village and the Malta Aviation Museum. The transformation is remarkable: land once shaped by military necessity now accommodates places where people gather, compete and spend their leisure time.
At the centre of this transformation stands the National Stadium, officially inaugurated on 14 December 1980. With a current seating capacity of 16,997, it is Malta's largest football stadium and the home of the national team. During our European Sports and Wellbeing Alliance for Municipalities (ESWAM) study visit in October 2026, we explored the stadium from several perspectives. Our journey began inside the Malta Museum of Football, where historic shirts, photographs, trophies and memorabilia tell the story of a footballing nation. Opened in 2021, the museum celebrates generations of players, clubs and supporters who have shaped Maltese football since the beginning of the twentieth century. It provides an important reminder that a stadium is more than a physical structure. It is also a place where collective memories are preserved.
From the museum, our visit continued through the hospitality areas and skyboxes before reaching the stands overlooking the pitch. The view reveals a traditional football stadium surrounded by the Maltese landscape. The Millennium Stand, opened in 2002, introduced modern hospitality, conference facilities and offices for the Malta Football Association. Walking around the pitch offered another perspective on the scale and character of the venue. For decades, this has been the stage for international matches, domestic competitions and moments of national sporting pride. Yet the stadium also reflects the challenges facing ageing sports infrastructure across Europe. Facilities designed for previous generations must continually adapt to changing expectations around accessibility, sustainability, spectator experience and commercial viability.
The most interesting development, however, may be taking place beyond the main stadium. Our visit also included the adjacent training grounds, where Malta is investing in the future of football development. Originally established in the 1980s, the training facilities have undergone significant improvements through cooperation between the Malta Football Association and UEFA. Four pitches support different training requirements, while upgraded natural turf and irrigation systems contribute to better playing conditions. The neighbouring Centenary Stadium, inaugurated in 1999, provides another important venue for competitive football. Together, these facilities demonstrate that developing a football nation requires more than an impressive national stadium. It requires an entire infrastructure supporting athletes, coaches, clubs and emerging talent.
“The future of sports infrastructure is not always about finding new land, but about giving existing places a new purpose.”
That ambition gained new momentum in September 2025 with the inauguration of the National Football Centre. Developed at the Ta' Qali Training Grounds, the approximately €15 million project brings together a compact UEFA Category 1 stadium, sports science facilities, medical support, a gymnasium, administrative spaces and facilities for national teams. The investment reflects a growing understanding that sporting performance depends on the quality of the entire development environment. Young players need opportunities to train, recover, learn and progress. Coaches require professional facilities, while national associations benefit from bringing technical expertise and operations together. The centre represents an important step towards a more integrated approach to football development. But Malta's ambitions extend considerably further. In April 2026, the Malta Football Association presented its City of Football Ta' Qali masterplan, outlining a comprehensive transformation of approximately 100,000 square metres of sporting infrastructure. The proposals include redeveloping the National Stadium into a modern venue with around 12,000 seats, upgrading the Centenary Stadium, creating additional facilities for youth football, futsal and beach soccer, and introducing commercial and recreational spaces. A sports hotel, improved hospitality facilities and opportunities for international training camps are also part of the vision. The ambition is to create a destination where elite sport, grassroots development, tourism and commercial activity reinforce one another.
For ESWAM, this raises an important question. How can major sports destinations become financially sustainable while remaining connected to their wider communities? Malta's proposals explore the potential of public-private partnerships, complementary commercial activities and more efficient use of existing infrastructure. Yet the transformation will require careful choices. The financial feasibility, environmental impact and accessibility of such a large development will be crucial to its long-term success. A national football centre should not become an isolated destination reserved for professional athletes and major events. Its broader value depends on how effectively it supports clubs, young players and the wider sporting community.
Standing beside the pitch at Ta' Qali, it is difficult not to appreciate the extraordinary journey of this landscape. From military aircraft to international football, from wartime infrastructure to a national sporting destination, the site has repeatedly reinvented itself. Its next transformation is already being planned. For European cities searching for ways to revitalise existing spaces, Ta' Qali offers an inspiring lesson: the future of sports infrastructure is not always about finding new land, but about giving existing places a new purpose.
Marcel de Visser Member of the board ESWAM