Interview with Mr.Karm Galea

by Matthaeus Grasso - 18th August 2009

With the appointment of a new President for Birkirkara FC, the club's official website has decided to ask Mr.Karm Galea a few questions, for you Stripes supporters to get to know him better.

Full Name and Surname: Carmel T Galea

Date of Birth: 27 December 1942

Status: Widow.

You are a relatively new name to the young generation of Birkirkara FC supporters, can you tell us on the involvement you had with the club in the past years?

I started playing for the Club's minors when I was under 14 years in the 1950's. My first appearance for the first team of the club was in 1959 at the age of 17 and from then on I continued to play for the first team becoming its captain and eventually, in 1974/75, I was appointed the Club's coach. We had a very good season finishing 4th in the table beating Sliema and Valletta in both rounds of the league. I remained the team coach for the next season and then resigned for personal reasons. Since then, I have had little contact with the Club though I kept following the Club's fortunes mostly through the media.

When you were first approached to become the new Birkirkara FC President, what were your initial thoughts?

My initial thoughts were that I have no energy or time to take up such a responsible position and I kept refusing to accept this role until I met the committee and was convinced otherwise by the enthusiasm of the relatively young members of the committee.

What are your fears and ambitions, of accepting this role?

My fears were, and maybe still are, that when I get to know the present culture in the club it might be extremely difficult for me to change it or to accept it and work within it. As to my ambitions, it is very difficult to surpass what my predecessors have done for the Club. Birkirkara FC has been lifted to the status of one of the 'big ones'. I, therefore, want to strive to keep that status and see more successes for our team.

Which sectors of our club do you think that need immediate amendments/reconstruction?

Due to my very long absence from the football scene, I still have to find my feet on the ground and get to know better the structure and workings of the club before I can decide what needs to be changed.

Many supporters expect big changes when there is a change in such an important role within the club, are you expecting to make big changes or do you like the way the club is currently operating?

As I mentioned previously, I still have to see what changes are required, if any, before making any decisions to change anything. I am not a person who likes to change for the sake of change; if something works fine, I might fine tune it but not change it. If something needs changing, then rest assured that I will change it.

What will make you look back and say this was a good first year for me at the helm? .

(a) I hope that I look back and see that the administration of the club is being run professionally in a business like way (b) That the young team that we have will continue with the good work started last season and, together with our energetic and intelligent coach, will attain a better position than last year (c) That we will make it again into the UEFA Champions League and progress further than we have done so far.

Birkirkara's first competitive match under your Presidency will be against eternal rivals Valletta. What do you expect to happen in this match?

Having seen our team play yesterday against Hibernians in the tournament of that club, which tournament we managed to win on goal average, I am extremely pleased with the performance of our team and, if we continue to believe in ourselves, I am sure we will obtain a positive result.

Is there anything you would like to say to the numerous Birkirkara FC supporters reading this interview?

The Club appreciates immensely the support you give to our team on the field of play and urge you to continue doing so. I also would appreciate your helping the Club in other ways. In particular, for a club of our size, the number of paying members is ridiculously low. Therefore, if you are not yet a member, I kindly ask you to consider becoming one and also encourage others to join too. It is only a small annual fee. You can't imagine how much this would help in the yearly expenses of the Club. Finally, if you would like to make suggestions that could help the Club in any way whatsoever, feel free to e-mail me at cgalea@maltanet.net.

In the name of the BirkirkaraFC.com staff and the rest of the supporters, I would like to thank you for spending some time in responding to our questions, and wish the best of luck in your new and exciting role

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