Floriana FC are satisfied that the team has achieved Championship Pool status, but in the second phase, they will be aiming for a place in one of the European competitions next season.

This was stated by coach Willie Vassallo during a press conference in which the club management also announced a new project aimed at providing the club with a much needed facility – three (five-a-side) or one (nine-a-side) artificial turf pitches.

Vassallo admitted the team had not played attractive football, but still had achieved the results which were enough to lift them to a Top Six placing. “In the second phase, I think we can challenge for a place in Europe, even though I consider Sliema, Hibernians and Birkirkara as being stronger than the other three. To get among the first three will be hard, but nothing is impossible, considering that we will be stronger when Gango Rtsa returns from injury,” he added.

Vassallo said the new arrivals – Mauro Brincat and Anthony Evi Parker – will certainly help the club to achieve its aims. “Their presence enables us to provide a stronger challenge in the second phase. I think we are on the right track. The future looks brighter as the new facility will enable the team to train without much hassle,” he said.

The two players were also presented officially yesterday by the president, Tony Zahra.

Brincat has already played for three seasons in Hamrun’s senior string before joining the Greens. Evi Parker has now been in Malta since 2001-2002. He has played for Nadur Y. in Gozo, Marsa and Balzan before joining Floriana last month.

They both said they were very happy in their new surroundings and would be doing their best to lift Floriana to the place which befits them.

Zahra later revealed that Floriana had reached agreement with a company, Green Investments Ltd, for the development of three artifical turf pitches (five-a-side) or one (nine-a-side). “Work started early last month and should be completed by next April,” he said.

The club will not be involved in financing the project, but will obviously benefit not only financially, but also because they also plan to establish a Football Academy possibly in collaboration with a foreign team, probably from Eastern Europe.

Zahra said the cost of such a project should be around Lm100,000 and all those who would like to invest with the company, formed mostly of Floriana supporters, will all be made welcome. He then thanked Ministers Ninu Zammit and Louis Galea for their support to the project.

The club’s treasurer and PRO, Trevor Zahra, said bookings for use of the pitches by locals will open as from 1 June. There will be ample space for advertising and reasonable prices will be charged.

Asked about the financial position of the club at present, the Greens vice-president, George Carbone, explained that it was much better than it was four or five years ago, but admitted there were still several problems to be solved. “Because of the court case involving former president Anthony Grech Sant, we have not even received any gate-money from the MFA in the past three seasons. It was the selling of some of our players that has kept Floriana alive. But at present we have no intention of selling any more players. Only if some player expresses a wish to leave the club shall we consider such a request. In the case of goalkeeper Reuben Gauci, we have offered him exactly what he has requested of us according to the MFA parameters, but there must be someone else who must have made a much better offer,” he said.

At the end, Dr Hugh Peralta, chairman of the Floriana Nursery, said the dream of turning the ‘Xaghra’ into a centre for sporting excellence had commenced. “It will not be easy as it requires a lot of finance and needs to be commercially viable if the facilities are to be maintained to the highest standard,” he said.