English plus sports in Malta

“Since Malta is a popular destination for diving, we had several enquiries from students wishing to take a diving course during their stay,” explains David Meadley, Marketing and Admissions Manager at Gateway International School of English in San Gwann. As a result, two years ago, the school set up its English plus diving programmes, which are pitched at various levels of diving competence and usually result in a PADI certificate.

According to many English language schools in the country, interest in English plus sports programmes is growing, which has led many providers to widen the range of sports options on offer. For example, the English Academy in Sliema added English plus windsurfing to its range of programmes as a result of student demand, and Linguatime School of English in Sliema expanded its portfolio to include horse riding and fencing. “We had a great demand for sports activities – something other than diving, especially in the winter months – so we thought of combining these courses, which is very successful,” explains Lisa Audino, Linguatime’s Marketing Manager.

To set itself apart from other schools, Melita Language School (MLS) in Birkirkara recently launched English plus football and English with dance, as a strategy to boost student numbers at the school. “We think that these programmes might help the school to recruit more students as they are rather innovative on our island,” states Sandra Hammett, Head of MLS.

One of the most established schools in this sector is Magister Academy in St Julians - not surprising as the school’s General Director, Paul Fenech, used to be Malta’s national basketball coach. The school offers courses in all types of sports, including basketball, football, volleyball, handball, table tennis, badminton and cycling. “The lessons all take place in the morning and the sports programme is tailor-made to suit the specific requirements of the clients,” explains Fenech.

He believes that the sports component of a language programme can greatly enhance the language learning experience, as “people from different cultures speak the same language on the field of play”. He adds, “The students learn English that enhances the specialised sports vocabulary relative to their field of interest.” Another advantage of undertaking a combined English plus sports programme, according to Joanna Vella from the International School of English at the University of Malta, is that it can help students “get to know other people”.

As to student nationality profile, the appeal of English plus sports programmes is almost universal. Meadley reports that their English plus diving programme is most popular with Russians and Eastern Europeans, although enquiries are growing from Germany and Italy. Other schools report high demand for sports combinations from Japan and Scandinavia. With interest in such programmes growing, coupled with the innovations of the language schools themselves, the English plus sports niche will surely continue to be a winner for Malta.