Following meetings with representatives of Local Councils in the Kottonera and southern areas of Malta, the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport has announced a new initiative to attract the young people from the areas around the Cottonera Sports Complex.

Forming a part of the Sport for All programme, which the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport operates, children between five and ten years old will be able to start attending a Judo Nursery every Saturday afternoon at the international-level facilities available at the Complex.

This initiative could only come to fruition with the assistance of the local councils of the area, who are making their community communication and contacts available. Interested applicants can, in fact, pick up a copy of the application form from the council of their own town.

The nursery will be run on a professional level by the Tigne Judo Club, who are supplying volunteer instructors to coach the young students. Parents will only be asked to pay a Lm5 membership fee, which will cover all equipment required. In fact, some local council mayors and representatives have already expressed the wish that the council absorbs this small fee on behalf of the parents, so that participation levels will be high.

Although the nursery will cater for students entering on an introductory level, the Tigne Judo Club and the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport are not excluding the possibility that students may wish to continue training even on a professional basis later on. Mario Bezzina, who represented Malta at the Olympic Games, and also won a silver medal at the Small Nations Games, is one of many professional judokas who started with the club.

Established for over 25 years, the club’s instructors all work on a voluntary level and states its aims as being those of teaching fun, discipline, confidence and mutual respect in children.

All those interested in attending are to contact their local councils, or call the KMS on 21660658/9 or [email protected]