Interview with Kelly Agius Pace

by Ayrton Galea - 8th March 2012

After Birkirkara became champions last Tuesday, this week we decided to interview the Women's Team best scorer, Kelly Agius Pace.

In this interview, we talked with Kelly about her personal life, the Women's Team, this league campaign and its significance amongst others.

Who is Kelly Agius Pace?

I'm 20 yrs old. I'm from Attard currently residing in Kappara. I'm a very outgoing person I like to joke and make people smile however keep your distance when I'm angry or disappointed. I'm also known as "trouble".

How do you spend your regular day?

Not much to say. It's a routine. I wake up for work then rush to training. At around 8 or 9pm I get home, do some house-work, maybe cook and sleep.

How do you spend your weekends?

Saturdays I stay asleep till very late in the morning. I try to go for lunch and then I head to my Saturday job as an assistant restaurant manager, something which I enjoy doing a lot. Sunday I wake up very early to watch the U/17 girls team of Birkirkara and then I dedicate some time to my friends.

What are your main hobbies besides football?

I love playing bingo. It is one of my favourite pastimes, and I never get bored playing. Also, I love abseiling and rock-climbing however I can't practice much because of football. And obviously, shopping and travelling.

What kind of music do you like?

I listen to a particular genre depending on my mood, and I have a secret playlist to listen to before I go to any match. But although I don't look the type, I love opera and Joseph Calleja is my favourite.

What is your favourite food?

Like everything else in my life, it has to be exciting. I need to find a challenge in whatever I do to enjoy myself. My favourite food is Chinese. I always try something new and I always ask to have it cooked in extra amount of fresh chillies.

Can you tell us something about your rather particular hairstyle? Is there any reason behind it?

(Laughs) I get this question all the time. No, there is no one behind it and this is why I have a particular hairstyle. I love experimenting with my hair and I always want to be different from the rest. I guess my hair stylist Mr Robert Laviera does a pretty good job to keep me satisfied. Not to mention that I never make an appointment. I always go “just for a shave” and to my surprise he always manages to shape something unique from the little hair I have.

Do you follow international football? If yes, which is your favourite nation when it comes to football, and which is your favourite foreign Club?

Yes, I do follow international football as I find it very helpful to improve. My favourite nation is Netherlands and favourite foreign team is Real Madrid.

Who is your favourite striker?

Karim Benzema and Edinson Cavan.

At what age did you start playing football, and what motivated you to start this sport?

I started playing football at 13 years of age. I used to do athletics before, but I always had a special attraction to football. From when I was very little a football was always the best toy I could get.

What would you like to see change at team level, Club level and at a national level in Women's football?

The attitude of the teams to start with. Having a lot of walk-overs this year gave a bad name to female football. Media coverage should be given at any level. Also, decent time to train and better facilities would help to improve the game.

Financial help is essential to invest in equipment and helps paying day-to-day costs incurred to keep a team going. I must say that from a few years ago, things have improved but there is still room for bigger improvements at any level.

I consider myself lucky to be part of the Birkirkara team as we have a hard working committee, always on the move in our interest.

When and why did you join Birkirkara FC?

I joined Birkirkara when I was only 13. I believed that if I wanted to improve, my move had to be to Birkirkara and I never regretted it.

What do you enjoy most at training?

Training is not like the old days anymore, thanks to our coach Johann. All exercises we do are specifically made for the position we play in. The fact we never get to have the same training session is the most enjoyable thing.

Who is your best team mate?

My best team mate, and I'm also very proud to call her my best friend, is Rachel Cuschieri.

Which player teases you most and which player do you tease most?

I must say me and Gabby (Gabriella Zahra) tease each other all the time, being during training or during a match and it's always fun to see who will have the last word. And last, but not least, I get teased all the time by our coach. He uses it as a strategy to boost me up before a match.

What are your comments about the last match?

I'm very happy with the way we played. One could see two-touch football all the time with fast tempo leaving our opponents struggling to keep up with us. We wanted to seal the league as soon as possible and it showed from the first few minutes.

What does this league title means to you?

It's the highest point one can go locally. It pays off all the sacrifices we do as a team throughout the whole year and it's a ticket to compete in the Women's Champions League. It means a lot to me. I won the league 4 times in 6 years and I'm still thirsty for more league titles with Birkirkara.

If you have to mention one thing that makes your squad unique and that gives you an edge over our opponents, what would it be?

The determination we have to improve and to be 10 times better than we were as a team.

Which was your favourite match this season?

My favourite match is of the first round, 2-1 against Hibernians.

In your opinion, which was your best goal this season? Can you describe it?

I think it was the second match against Pembroke, when Rachel and me took a short corner, and I scored from few meters away from the corner kick as I bended the ball to the furthest top corner.

Attendances at Women's football are minimal, however in the last two matches there were a good amount of supporters. How important are the supporters for you and do you have a message for them?

Getting attention from the people you represent and actually getting acknowledged boosts up the spirit of the team and we always try our best to satisfy them. My message is that we are part of Birkirkara FC as well, and when we win, we win in the name of Birkirkara FC. So if they consider themselves supporters of Birkirkara FC, we are part of it. I thank them for being present in the last two matches

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