TRULY A SUPER BOWL
by Keith Hale
The well-known and much loved Eden SuperBowl in St Julian's, the
entertainment capital of Malta, was opened way back in 1988. As part of the Eden
Leisure group, its 20 AMF-equipped lanes quickly became a welcome attraction to
the company's adjacent assets, which now embrace a 16-screen cinema and Imax,
with another four screens in nearby Fgura, Malta Intercontinental Hotel, fitness
center and beauty studio, and local radio station.
 The SuperBowl's international reputation quickly grew after the first highly
successful Malta Open Championships, held in June 1992, and that event has gone
from strength to strength ever since. A Senior Open was added to the center's
tournament calendar in 1998 and last year saw the inaugural Junior Open, so now
the center features at least three major international events each year,
bringing close to a thousand visitors to Malta annually.
Roderick Mayl ran the center and promoted the Malta Open for the tournament's
first eleven years but since 2001 the general manager has been Neil Dent, a 'geordie'
from Newcastle who migrated to Malta after marrying a local girl in 1991. He,
too, is a strong supporter of international bowling and is now well-known in
many nations as a favorite 'mine host' on the tournament circuit. His right-hand
'men', Michael Gatt and Charmaine Aquilina add the touch of efficiency and
friendliness, seemingly so lacking in so many international events elsewhere.
A vigorous promotion program has made the SuperBowl a favorite stop for
the local population. Both sport and recreational bowling are well catered for
and the names of several Maltese bowlers like Sue Abela, Doris Camillleri,
Melissa Anastasi and Dennis Mercieca have featured in the medals and on the
victory podiums of major events and championships. Local leagues and
tournaments, children's and youth parties, fun bowling - you name it and it's
there for the 400,000 population of this jewel of the Mediterranean.
"Running a bowling centre within a complex such
as has been created by the Eden Leisure Group here in St. Julian's is a very
interesting concept," says Neil Dent. " Being part of a leisure and
entertainment 'family' means that the SuperBowl can collaborate and feed off
our sister outlets such as the cinemas, IMAX, leisure centre and, of course,
InterContinental Malta, just as those outlets can also utilize the SuperBowl
to their own benefit. Having one central marketing department, other than the
internal marketing we do down here, is a great help in this.
"Running the international tournaments is still
my biggest thrill, even though my team and I know how much work and
preparation is involved. We all love it when the Malta Junior Open, Open or Senior Open
come around, and because of that we all manage to find the energy to put in
that extra effort to make it happen. The consistently high entry levels
definitely give us a kick, and the thought that we attract probably close to a
thousand sports tourists here each year is just great.
"Being the only viable centre on the island
obviously has its benefits as far as your market is concerned, but that
doesn't mean you can be complacent and just wait for the business to roll
through the doors, not by a long shot. Here in the St. Julian's area we're
competing with a myriad of nightspots, bars, restaurants and the like, so you
still have to be on your toes.
"A definite drawback of being a little one-center
island right in the middle of the Mediterranean is obviously availability of
spare parts, and of course avoiding being caught short of any essentials. We
can't just jump into a car and pick up parts from another center just up the
road, or have deliveries trucked in within a day or two. It all has to be
shipped or flown in, and that takes time.
"All things considered, I've been at the
SuperBowl for over 12 years, and held the position of GM for over four, and I
still love it. It's challenging, varied and very interesting. I've met a lot
of great people and characters over the years, and look forward to meeting
lots more."
Tenpin bowling is acknowledged as a major sport
by the island's appropriate government departments and tourism offices and the
sports' representatives are given backing for their forays abroad for major
international competition. Media coverage for all events is good, too, which
just goes to show how successful the sport can be when everybody works together.
A unique center in a unique location. There will
be pangs of jealousy from a few proprietors reading these words.
Pic: Mike Gatt, Neil Dent and Charmaine Aquilina outside the Eden
SuperBowl.
Return to Main Page
For further information, contact Keith Hale:
keithhale679@aol.com
|
