Rugby league in Malta

Rugby league is a popular team sport emerging in Malta. The Maltese Rugby League Association is designed to help develop a platform for taking the game of Rugby League to the nation of Malta. The Malta national rugby league team played their inaugural match on "home" soil playing the England Lionhearts in October 2005.

History

Malta made their international debut on 25 September 2004 when they defeated British Defence Forces at Melita Stadium, Sydney, Australia.
*Score: Malta won 78-0
*Crowd: 1200

Malta's first rugby league international played on home soil was on Saturday October 2005 against England Lionhearts at Marsa Sports Complex, Marsa.
*Score: Malta won 36-6
*Crowd: 500

The first domestic rugby league match in Malta was on Saturday 13 October 2007 between San Giljan Dragons and Birkirkara Warriors at Floriana Stadium. (Match played in Nines format).
*Score: Draw 10-10
*Crowd: about 100

Popularity

Malta played their first International at Marsa Stadium in October 2005, which was aired on Maltese TV, as well as receiving good coverage in other forms of media.

Participation

The success of the match against England Lionhearts has helped set up a domestic competition within Malta.

tatistics

A crowd of 500 were in attendance for the first ever rugby league match in Malta played at MarsaFact|date=September 2007.

Demographics

In October 2007 the first domestic rugby league competition in Malta was established under the governing body Malta Rugby League (MRL). It is hosted at Floriana Stadium in a nines format, the current 6 teams are the San Giljan Dragons, Mosta Titans, Sliema Broncos, Qormi Sharks, Birkirkara Warriors and the Siggiewi Storm.

The National Team

The Malta national rugby league team is primarily made up of Local Maltese and Australian born players with Maltese ancestry and are nicknamed the "Knights".

External links

* [http://www.malteserugbyleague.com MRLA official site]