One of the first discussions I ever had with Antoine Attard centred around the need to get people ever more involved in sport, particularly athletics. Some five years have passed after that initial meeting, yet every time we talk he’ll still mention that responsibility.

With reports of rampant child obesity and the Maltese lack of exercise, he certainly cannot be blamed for feeling that way.

It is fitting therefore that the mission statement of St. Patrick’s AC, the club he has been a member of for many years and of which he was elected president this August, puts forward the notion of “promoting in Maltese society the concept of Athletics as a Way of Life ” as their main aim.

Asking him about his most immediate plans therefore, sounds almost rhetorical. “We have to create above all an awareness in parents, educators, and administrators alike for a concerted effort to appreciate the intrinsic values of sport. We feel it is a culture which is sadly lacking as it is lacking also the culture for sports. We would then analyse the results of the project and extend it to other nearby villages. The team has the passion and the enthusiasm to deliver, and I am sure this will motivate others to follow suit,” he said.

That’s just the tip of the Attard iceberg. “The new team has targeted the young. In particular we are working on a pilot project which we intend to implement in the small but particularly active village of Gudja, which has hosted us for the last 10 years and where our clubhouse now stands.

“We are seeking to partner the village organisations, the local council, schools and their PE teachers, the football nursery, youth organisations, and parents themselves. We will visit these establishments to promote and develop athletics. We intend to make better use of our facilities at the clubhouse, where we can give practical demonstrations to kids in overall athletics.”

That latter point is particularly of interest because St. Patrick’s tradition is deeply rooted in road running. “I have proposed to the new team at Saint Patrick's to start implementing a plan to attract more young people to athletics,” he says, acknowledging the problem. “We are a club with a tradition particularly in road running, but we are essentially an athletic club and that means we have to be well represented in track and field events.

“Three members of the club have also just completed a Level One coaching course organised by Athletics Malta through Olympic solidarity. I hope that if the necessary resources are coming, combined with the right motivation so that in a couple of years Saint Patrick’s will be well represented on the track and field,” he added

Nevertheless, focus will remain on road running. “My background is road running, and there is a wide difference between these events and the track and field disciplines. We are an athletics' club and therefore we have to cater for all athletic disciplines. One has to exploit and develop the characteristics of a young athlete. An Athletic club is not complete if it does not respect his responsibility to develop all athletic disciplines,” he said.

And he added: “On the other hand I still hold that long distance running is where the attraction for the sport lies. Also it is the Marathon which is considered the Queen of Athletics. We are experiencing a shortage of road runners and the present long distance elite are ageing, with no visible young athlete making the grade. This is indeed a national phenomenon. I have brought up this issue many times in the Athletics Malta Council and the Council is now establishing standards so that we can participate in international meetings with a measure of success. This will surely motivate our young road runners to improve their performance.

“On our part we will do our best so that Saint Patrick's A C will establish itself once again in road running true to its tradition. Thankfully, we’ve got a good sponsorship deal with www.enjoytherun.com who help us extensively.”

Talk eventually turns towards the need to attract people to athletics. “The stark reality is that we are living in a highly commercialised world. So much income is derived from television rights, sponsors, etc that we have to compete with standards which are unthinkable to reach in our limitations. You cannot survive if you do not market your product well either.

“Athletics is the sport of the masses. It is the basic discipline of all sports. It is so easy to practise. Its values are so varied, but also unique. So I believe there is so much to be done to compete with other sports.

“Athletics needs more exposure especially with us in Malta. There has to be an aggressive public relations campaign. Football has stolen the limelight for too long.”