The Exiles, situated below the Tower from which Tower Road, Sliema, takes its name, was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on 11 August, 2011.

Government’s policy that investment in sport is the best investment in children’s education and development, Dr Gonzi affirmed, has led to no fewer than 13 swimming and waterpolo clubs having the use of government land with a commercial value of over €9 million and a commercial rental value of €450,000 a year.

“Instead they pay €22,000 – this means they pay 5%. A subsidy of 95%,” he said. Government is also maintaining infrastructure like the National Pool, with a recurrent cost of €1.7 million, apart from other capital investment in improvement work.

Dr Gonzi added the investment of €108 million in drainage filtration in the past four years with funding from the European Union and the Italian protocol, which means that the sea around the Maltese coast is clean. Research by the European Environment Agency of the European Commission shows that all the bays in Malta and Gozo have an excellent or good water quality.

The Prime Minister pointed to the scheme that enables sports associations to benefit financially when they attract sports tourism to Malta. In the past two years 63,000 bed nights had been attracted, bringing over €2 million into the Maltese economy.

Exiles Sports Club President Andrew Paris, speaking at the beginning of the evening, outlined the club’s history over the past 45 years and paid tribute to the two previous club presidents, Magistrate Gino Camilleri and Karol Farrugia.

The club aims to strengthen its foundations by encouraging more children to practise the sport and to place a greater emphasis on swimming, enabling it to participate once more in the ASA’s age group meetings. Mr Paris also announced that from next season the club is to take part in the Futsal National League.

He expressed appreciation to the sports authorities in the country, to Sports Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli and the National Sports Council (KMS) for their decision to keep the National Pool open during the winter and urged them to consider extending this to the diving pool.

In his address, Mr Puli said the Exiles SC’s vision is in line with government’s policy to sow a sports culture in the country and promote a lifestyle in favour of sport. He outlined various government initiatives both through the KMS, the Sport Promotion Unit and the schemes to encourage civil servants and those in the private sector to train in their sports discipline, apart from the latest initiative to enrol athletes in the Armed Forces of Malta.

He congratulated the club on this milestone and said this was a start for bigger events in its history. The new premises were blessed by Fr Raphael Pace and Dr Gonzi unveiled a commemorative plaque.

Over 700 people were invited to a reception at the club’s new premises, hosted by the Exiles SC Committee, together with the new caterers, Ferretti Catering Ltd, with the support of a number of sponsors, including Attard & Co (Foodstuffs) Ltd, Farsons, Marsovin, M. Demajo Group, Vivian Corporation and Nestle.

Among those present were Resources Minister George Pullicino, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco, MPs from both sides of the House, the Mayor and Councillors of Sliema, ASA President Joe Caruana Curran and senior civil servants.

The area along the Sliema front known as the Exiles owes its name to the British Forces who went there from the St Andrews Barracks to swim after they were ‘exiled’ from the base.

The Exiles Sports Club, dedicated primarily to waterpolo and other aquatic sports, was set up in November, 1966, when the first committee was formed by a group of St Aloysius College students who wanted to start practising aquatic sports, primarily waterpolo. This committee chose the club emblem and colours, and set the regulations.

The club first operated from premises next door and leased its current site in the Eighties where it built the club with government assistance. With an increase in membership and more children being attracted to the various sports offered, five years ago the club felt the need to build new premises to enable it to grow even further.

Apart from having a swimming school for children aged five to 10, the Exiles Sports Club has 120 people playing waterpolo from the age of eight up to adult. 3CX Exiles takes part in a number of ASA leagues, including Under 14, Under 16, Under 19 and the First Division. This year the club reached the final of a major honour for the first time when it qualified to play the 1st Division Knock-Out Final, which the team lost against Neptunes.

In 2011, within four months of being granted planning permission, the new premises were constructed and The Exiles Beach Club given over to Ferretti Catering Ltd, a subsidiary of F. Schembri Holdings, on a lease to enable the club to further finance its waterpolo training activities.

The Exiles now includes a beach club, which is open to both members and non members, with a lounge area and an upstairs dining area with 75 covers offering a choice of both air-conditioned comfort indoors and outdoors dining. The beach club is open from 10 a.m., serving breakfast and snacks with casual dining, Mediterranean cuisine offered at lunch and in the evenings seven days a week.

The Exiles is Ferretti Catering’s second venture, following the opening of Ferretti in il-Qajjenza, Birzebbuga, in 2009. The Ferretti Battery was financed at a cost of 900 scudi by Bailiff Fra Francesco Maria Ferretti, who joined the Order of St John in 1667 aged 15 and continued his studies in Malta. After a career in the Pontifical fleet, with a number of naval attacks in the Mediterranean, he was bestowed the title of Governor General of the Pontifical Fleet at the end of the 17th Century.

The Ferretti Battery, near St Lucian’s Tower, was built on a semi-circular design with embrasures for cannons. On the rear there were two blockhouses and a redan. Fra Ferretti died in 1737 aged 85 and his marble tombstone is found in St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta.

Silvio Carabott, Managing Director of Ferretti Catering, is building a team spirit at both the south-facing Ferretti and the north-facing The Exiles, both of which boast excellent locations, overlooking the sea, in unique settings.