The Pace Grasso Stadium, formerly known as Schreiber Sports Ground, was a
stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
in
Paola
Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. Notable people with the name include:
People In arts and entertainment
*Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer
*Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consisting of two sisters born i ...
,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It was used mostly for
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
matches.
History
The site of the stadium was formerly occupied by
Tal-Borg Battery, an artillery battery built by
Maltese insurgents during the
French blockade of 1798–1800. The battery was probably demolished during the early 19th century.
The stadium was built in 1946 by Captain Serafino Xuereb, who at that time was also the president of
Hibernians,
[Carmel Baldacchino, ''Goal - The Official Encyclopaedia of the Malta Football Association; Volume 3 - The Good and the Lean Years (1936-1949)'' (Malta, 2014)] on land provided by the
Governor of Malta of that time,
Sir Edmond Schreiber. Fittingly, the stadium was named as Schreiber Sports Ground but eventually it was renamed to Pace Grasso Stadium in remembrance of Harry Grasso and Victor Pace, who were both killed by an explosion caused by fireworks intended to be used for
Hibernians' post-
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
celebrations. Hibernians had lost the match to
Sliema Wanderers on penalties.
The ''Schreiber Sports Ground'' was inaugurated on 12 October 1946 with a match from the Minor League between Mosta Youngsters and
Birżebbuġa St. Peter's. In 1959, the proprietor of the stadium, Mr Xuereb, passed on the ownership of the lease to the owners of the
Empire Stadium in
Gżira
Gżira ( mt, Il-Gżira) is a town in the Central Region of Malta. It is located between Msida and Sliema, also bordering on Ta' Xbiex. It has a population of 8,029 as of March 2014. The word ''Gżira'' means "island" in Maltese, and the ...
for the sum of £9,750.
The new owners originally considered the prospect of demolishing the stadium and erect a new one and move to a home-and-away system, with the clubs to the north of Malta based in the Empire Stadium and those to the south based at the redeveloped Schreiber Sports Ground.
These plans however never materialised.
During the season 1977-78, the lease was terminated and the stadium was taken over by the
Government of Malta
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
.
The stadium used to host matches from the lower divisions of the
Maltese football league
Football in Malta is run by the Malta Football Association and was introduced to Malta during British Empire, British rule in the mid-19th century. The sport at the time was new to England, and was used as a means of entertainment for the soldier ...
but eventually was replaced by the modern
Centenary Stadium
The Centenary Stadium ( mt, il-Grawnd taċ-Ċentinarju) is a stadium located in Ta' Qali, Malta. The stadium, which is situated next to the National Stadium, houses the headquarters of the Malta Youth Football Association. It seats 3,000 and ser ...
in
Ta' Qali.
Future
The stadium, which has since fallen in state of disrepair, was subject to a number of proposed developments. Ultimately, on 28 September 2017, the
Planning Authority approved the construction of a regional health hub in the area. The project also entails the conversion of part of the Pace Grasso Stadium into temporary parking.
Violence
On 14 May 1967, violence broke out and three matches had to be abandoned.
See also
*
List of football stadiums in Malta
The following is a partial list of football stadiums in Malta in order of capacity. Although a number of teams participating in the Maltese football league system own or operate their own stadium, Maltese football league matches are generally play ...
References
{{Reflist
Defunct football venues in Malta
Tarxien