Maltese Sport in Context: A Turning Point for Local Research

For too long, debates about sport in Malta have relied on imported ideas and quick fixes. But what happens when we finally start building an evidence base of our own? In 2022, Matthew Muscat-Inglott and Renzo Kerr-Cumbo edited a groundbreaking special issue of the MCAST Journal of Applied Research & Practice — the first ever volume dedicated exclusively to sport and physical activity in Malta.

This wasn’t just another academic exercise. It was a milestone, signalling a shift towards locally-contextualised knowledge — research designed for Maltese realities, rather than borrowed wholesale from abroad.

What the issue covered

The special issue brought together studies spanning health, psychology, performance, and football science, including:

• Health and lifestyle at MCAST: Johann Zarb and Linniker Grech surveyed students’ physical activity and habits, feeding into the college’s growing “exercise for health” movement.

• Elite sport under pressure: Roberta Argento, Mark Holland, Stephan Lawrence, and Tony Myers explored athletes’ aspirations and obstacles; Andy Grech, Tynke Toering, and Dave Collins tackled Malta’s persistent “under-performance” and “devaluation” problems in elite sport.

• Sport psychology in practice: Bernice Sant, Mark Nesti, and Martin Eubank studied how mindfulness reduces injury anxiety, while Elvira Buttiġieġ and Amanda Dimech examined the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in PE.

• Body image and dance: Dorianne Caruana Bonnici and Amy Emily Galea highlighted the health risks of body image pressures on female dancers.

• Football frontiers: Josef Mifsud analysed debates on foreign player quotas; Mauro D’Amato looked at how Premier League clubs use social media; Charles Sciberras, Karl Attard, Matthew Muscat-Inglott, and Renzo Kerr-Cumbo studied goal-scoring trends; and Ivan Woods with Rob Parry investigated how coaches create motivational climates.

Why this matters

The collection emphasises two key points:

1. Local problems need local solutions: From obesity to under-performance in sport, Malta cannot rely on imported models that don’t match its cultural, social, and demographic context.

2. Evidence-based practice must lead the way: Whether it’s policy decisions, coaching methods, or investment strategies, Malta’s sports sector can no longer afford to be driven by guesswork or tradition.

   
   

The bigger picture

This special issue represents more than the sum of its articles. It marks the start of a movement towards rigorous, Maltese-led sport science, built on the understanding that:

• Sport and physical activity in Malta face unique barriers — from cultural devaluation to resource limitations.

• The answers lie not only in facilities or funding, but in research-informed strategies tailored to the Maltese context.

• By connecting health, psychology, performance, and technology, Malta can begin to close the gap between potential and performance.

The takeaway

This special issue is a call to action. Malta now has a platform to generate and showcase its own research. The question is whether stakeholders — from policymakers to coaches — are ready to act on it.

Reference: Muscat-Inglott, M., & Kerr-Cumbo, R. (Eds.). (2022). Maltese Sport and Physical Activity: In Context. MCAST Journal of Applied Research & Practice, 6(3).