Interview with Charles Sciberras

by Jonathan Spiteri - 3rd June 2013

Mr Charles Sciberras, known as il-Fly and one of the founding members of the Nursery, is now the longest serving coach and committee member with his 30 years of non-stop activity. It was therefore not an option to have his input in this issue, and conducting an interview with the humble, but hard working, pillar of this Nursery. Here is what Mr Sciberras had to say:

Who is Charles Sciberras?

I am a 62 year old happily married man. I've been married to my wife Mary for 36 beatiful years now and I am also father of two, Renaldo and Romina. I have always lived in Birkirkara, thus I consider myself a pure ‘Karkariz'. Before retiring, I used to be a builder, but now I still do some part time work with Casapinta Company. I consider football both as a passion and also a profession, therefore the thing I can describe as being my hobby is fishing. Being a football professional does not mean being paid for it, but doing it the right way. I love to follow the Brazil national team, but I am not attached to any foreign club, my club is one and only: Birkirkara FC!

How did your love for football kick off?

I started to love football since the first time I kicked a ball. My first footballing experience I recall is that of playing with my school's football team. Then I started playing with Birkirkara Minors as a goalkeeper, there was no nursery of course at that time. Birkirkara's senior squad coach was the great Salvu Cuschieri, may God grant him eternal peace. We used to train as St Aloysius, and we used to have regular training sessions with the seniour squad, which included players like ‘Karmnu d-Dunda', Gillu Pace, ‘l-iScotch', ‘il-Bula', Frankie Pisani, Charlie Spiteri etc.

And when did you decide to start your coaching career?

I always had in mind to take the coaching patch, rather then actually become an established football player, as I was always fascinated by teaching younger ones to become professional footballers. My first coaching experience was to guide the OK Boys, a team which used to take part in the 11 a-side Under 15 District League. My first official appointment though was with Birkirkara St Joseph, who during that period were expertly guided by President Mr Joe Borg, and seemed to be better organised than Birkirkara FC, with whom they were in direct competition in the Federation League. Many players used to prefer playing for St Joseph rather then the club from the Valley.

As time went by, the desire to form a nursery for youth players was increasing, and a delegation from Birkirkara St Joseph, which was made up of the Late Mario Borg, Joe Mallia and myself, approached the Birkirkara FC committee and the establishment of a nursery was proposed. Birkirkara had been 5 years without even having a minors team, therefore it was not so difficult to get their green light. Gillu Pace was the Nursery's technical director and also took care of the communication between the Nursery and the mother club. Karmenu ‘il-Fra' was the person who procured the funds in order to pay the coaches.

The first two age groups which the nursery catered for were the Under 16s and the Under 14s. The Nursery committee would meet at Birkirkara St Joseph, while training used to take place at Lija training grounds. The first Birkirkara Nursery president was Mr Ritchie Muscat, and he was appointed after 3 years since the Nursery was established. These were hard times, especially from a financial point of view, but thanks to the Mr Muscat's contribution together with some sponsors, the committee managed to meet financial obligations and also was able to expand and improve.

In their first competitive season, the Under 16s had an excellent debut and managed to qualify to the competition final. This team was composed of players like Simon Sammut, Moses Montebello, Julian Micallef, Franco Pisani and Alex Grima, who made it to the Premier League either with Birkirkara or some other team.

It was mainly thanks to the Late Mario Borg that the Nursery grew and moved forward through important values and a strong sense of discipline. He was also influential because of the close contacts he had with the Malta Football Association and also with foreign clubs, which were of utmost benefit to our Nursery. After 4 seasons it was the turn of Mr Joe Brincat to be appointed as Nursery President, after he had occupied to role of Secretary with Birkirkara FC.

Which are the things that gave you the most significant sense of satisfaction during your time at the Nursery? And do you recall any major disappointmens?

For someone involved in a football Nursery like me, the greatest satisfaction is to see your products make it to the senior team or with any other established team in the top division and, why not, with the national team. It is also very satisfying to see the Nursery grow and improve, especially when long term investments in the nursery facilities are made. Here I must mention the great work done by ex-Chairman Mr Henry Bray, which culminated in the installation of synthetic turf over the old hard pitch. This gave a new dimension to our Nursery. On a personal point of view, I have fond memories of my Under 12s team which travelled to Barcelona in Spain where we managed to win an 11-aside tournament. The team included Rowen Muscat, who now is a regular player with the senior team.

With regards to disappointments, the one which still itches me is our first Under 16s final which we lost to Hibs Ghajn Dwieli 1-0, a match which was characterised by a number of unfortunate refereeing decisions against us. There was great expectancy for this final, with a large number of supporters following the team, but the result brought huge disappointment.

Another disappointing moment was losing an Under 16 final again, this time to Floriana at Ta' Qali, with our squad consisting of other great players such as ex-Birkirkara Captain Antoine Zahra, Giles Lanzon, Roderick Sammut, Daniel ‘is-Suki' etc. All in all, football is made of ups and downs, that's what makes it so special. I must say, though, that in these 30 years I had more things to be satisfied of rather than disappointed.

What roles did you cover in the Committee in these 30 years?

Since the Nursery was founded, I always formed part of its Committee. My main role has always been of Techncal Director. I was never keen in taking up and administrative role as I feel more comfortable as a coach. Besided, administrative roles would not have given me enough time to focus on my coaching career, in which I managed to obtain a ‘C' Licence qualification.

How do you compare the Birkirkara Nursery with other nurseries of its stature in Malta?

With regards to the level of quality I have to say that there were years in which our Nursery was at par with top nurseries on the island, and in other years we were not at our possible best. As for the structural aspect, I feel that there is much more room for improvement, as the administration and the technical board should work closer with each other. I still feel Birkirkara FC Youth Nursery is one of the top five nurseries in Malta, but one aspect we have to surely work on is the scouting of Under 16 and Under 15 players.

In your opinion, what are the most important aspects that need to be taken into consideration so that the Nursery continues to move in the right direction?

First and foremost, the mother club committee has to believe that it is in its own interest to invest in the Nursery since it will be the ultimate beneficiary when players make it to the senior squad without having to spend money on players from other clubs. In this aspect though I still feel that Birkirkara Fc can do more, even though, to be fair, I have seen improvement in the last few seasons in this respect. Needless to say, a sound nursery needs to have good quality technical staff and also a good structure. There need to be enough qualified coaches to give the best possible services to the children.

Also, coaches need to be dedicated ones, always ready to learn and to teach what they have learnt, and obviously, they need to have good material, as in promising players, to work with. The administration has to be hard-working and always knowing what's going on within the nursery, seek new opportunities for coaches and players alike, improve the areas in which the nursery migh be weak and also use its strengths in order to attract children outside the nursery to join in. Partnerships with foreign clubs are also welcome.

What message would you like to pass on to both the young players and their parents?

My first message is for the parents. I would like them to appreciate the fact that the nursery's aim is not just to develop their footballing talents and to produce quality players for the senior squad, but also to help them build a strong personality based on value like loyaly, honesty and sportsmanship, which will help them in their everyday life. I urge parents to be supportive without putting unnecessary pressure on their children, and also to have faith in the nursery's coaches, allowing them to do their job without interfering.

On the other hand, I would like to say to the young players that in order to become a real athlete, in this case a football player, the road is a long one full of challenges. One has to put in a lot of sacrifice and hard work in order to reach the objectives. Young players should follow the example of established players who first and foremost developed a strong character that helped them go through all the obstacles they encountered.

Then, through sacrifice, they became good athletes as they developed their physical abilities. Finally, through the montoring of their coaches they became quality football players who made it to the seniour squad and also to the national team. Not all children make it to that level, but they can still take a lot from being part of a football nursery.

We have learnt that you have decided to call it a day on your coaching career. Is there anything you would like to say before you bid farewell?

First of all I would like to pay tribute to the Late Mario Borg (R.I.P.) who was the key person in the establishment of the Nursery and he also encouraged me to take on the coaching career. I always looked up towards him and he is still considered as a legend by everyone involved in the Nursery.

I would also like to salute the Late Alfred Borg (R.I.P.) who covered the role as Vice-President and worked relentlessly for the Nursery's interests. I must say that this is the end of the line for my coaching career and I can say that I always did my best and tried to coach all the children under my responsibility with dedication and passion.

I am proud with all of them, both those who made it all the way and others who for some reason or another decided to stop playing football as I am sure they still carry my teaching with them.

I will always have Birkirkara Nursery at heart and I am sure that it will continue to produce great players and great people.

On behalf of all those who have Birkirkara FC and the Birkirkara Nursery at heart, we would like to thanks Mr Charles Sciberras for his magnificent service he gave in the past 30 years. He will surely remaing an iconic figure for the years to come.

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