A total of 80 young footballers under the age of 9, representing eight Maltese football nurseries, participated in the League of Langues Football Festival which was held on Saturday at the San Anton School Sports Complex, limits of Mgarr.

The Festival was organized by Mdina Knights FC on a 5-a-side basis and in a round robin format. The theme of the Festival was set out around the eight langues or provinces which pertained to the Order of the Knights of St. John. The eight participating nurseries, each from a different Maltese locality, represented one of the langues. Indeed, the localities were chosen because of their affinity with a particular Grand Master of the Order who hailed from each particular langue.

The colourful opening ceremony included a parade round the pitches lead by actors in medieval costume, bearing drums and standards, followed by the energetic young participants each proudly sporting their nursery colours. The teams lined up on the 3 pitches utilized for the festival and after a brief inaugural address by Mr. Mark Abela, Chairman of the organising committee, the Mdina Mayor, Mr. Peter dei Conti Sant Manduca, declared the festival open by means of a symbolic kick-off.

The event provided an opportunity for the young participants to understand that a healthy lifestyle can be achieved not only through the practice and participation in sporting activities, but also by pursuing healthy eating habits. Indeed, at the end of the Festival Mr. Joseph Abela, Vice-President of the Mdina Knights Football Club presented each nursery with a memento of the event, while each participant received a pack containing literature related to healthy eating habits, a commemorative T-shirt, a certificate of participation and a souvenir booklet.

This project has been funded with support from the VO Fund within the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector