International football fever kicks off in Malta this Friday (tomorrow), as fans brace themselves for a month filled with action from the UEFA Euro 2024.
With 24 countries going toe-to-toe in 51 games, the stage is set for the international competition to dominate football-mad Malta yet again.
From watching close games at home to celebrating wins with friends at bars, some way or another, fans will be getting their fix of football this month.
Local pubs and bars seem to be sharing this same sentiment, with many telling WhosWho.mt that they expect a very busy couple of weeks.
Shane O Dwyer, Owner of The Crafty Cat in St Julian’s, remarked that international football tournaments always tend to attract large crowds, and as a result the team is preparing for increased foot traffic and higher demand.
“It’s an exciting time for both our staff and patrons,” he said.
This was echoed by Rapid Sports Lounge Owner Kenneth Buttigieg, who said that the Buġibba establishment will be “very busy,” particularly during England games, given the number of British tourists who visit the town.
There were others who were mixed about the coming month, feeling that while international football tournaments tend to be very busy periods for their establishments, it does not have the same impact on sales.
“I believe it will boost business. However, during football, clients usually come just for the game, while on non-football days they tend to spend more time at the pub. I consider it business as usual,” the Owner of Balzan’s Żmerċ Pub said.
Jeff Gambin, the Owner of Surfside in Sliema, affirmed that it tends to be “more of a hassle for a similar number of sales,” as people often stay for longer periods yet spend less when there’s football on.
Others were less optimistic, with the Owner of The Brew Grill & Brewery stating that summer tends to be “the worst time for the Sliema Strand area,” and the pub is not expected to be extraordinarily busy at the initial stages of the tournament.
Euro 2024 will also represent a return to normality for the international football tournament calendar, with it taking place in summer. The previous major tournament, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was held in winter, a change that had prompted mixed feelings from fans, teams, and also bar owners.
Some bar owners expect their establishment to be busier than it was in 2022 as a result, particularly given that the tournament will be held during the peak tourist season.
“The World Cup was a big event and we do anticipate the European Championships to be just as busy. The only difference now is the times of match, with the majority of matches being shown in the evening. We feel it will allow people to catch more matches with friends and families,” said a representative of Birkirkara’s Charles Bar.
However, others felt that this won’t be the case. Many stated that the World Cup taking place in winter was “legendary” since it came during a quieter period of the year, and given the nicer weather, pubs and bars will also face competition from organisers who hold outside events in areas such as village squares.
Different establishments in different areas have different peak seasons, as exemplified also in the comments given by Brandon Falzon, Owner of Mqabba bar Dos Avos. He argued that the bar’s peak season comes during winter, and so having a major tournament in December “was a big loss.”
“The World Cup in 2022 came at a time when we are at the peak for the year and very busy normally. So, it was a waste at that time,” he added.
When asked whether they tend to navigate these busier periods by increasing their staff headcount, many of the bar owners said that they do not feel the need to do so, yet there were some that remarked that they simply need to.
“To manage busier periods, we do ramp up resources. This includes hiring additional staff, both for the bar and the kitchen, to ensure that we can serve our customers efficiently. We also extend our opening hours and sometimes set up additional outdoor seating areas to accommodate more patrons. Proper planning and coordination are key to navigating these busy times,” Mr O Dwyer said.
Mark Sant Cassia, Managing Partner of Msida’s King's Gate, said: “Our gastropub only has so many tables and thus we don’t need to have many extra staff on shift during the time. We may, for example have to increase the duration of a shift by a few hours, but generally speaking we manage with our current setup.”
Despite this, local pubs and bars have still had their fair share of challenges, one being inflation. People seem to have less cash to spend now since the price of food and drinks increased over the last two years.
This has had an impact on consumer spending habits at such establishments, with many opting for cheaper drinks and sharing platters, the bar owners said.
Mr Falzon said that nowadays, people have an average budget of €15 to €20 for a night at a bar, and thus it is proving to be “very hard to maintain a catering business” with that level of income from patrons.
The Owner of Żmerċ affirmed that sales have “gone down drastically,” even if the pub is full, as many customers are becoming more conscious about how to spend their money.
“On average, our customers opt for beer rather than other types of drinks. When there is football, there is a rush hour in the first half, but orders stop when the games reach the last 20 to 30 minutes,” they added.
Others were more split on the issue, with the Owner of Remissa Sports Bar in Mqabba saying that there are some patrons who don’t mind spending money on food and drinks.
Mr Gambin stated that while people seem to be spending less, "Surfside is happy to cater for everyone."
The Brew’s Owner said that the Sliema establishment is in a different situation from other bars, as it produces its own beers and ciders, benefitting from subsidised electricity from Government, and therefore “prices have not been raised for basic beers since 2017.”
“We are very blessed with having a strong customer base,” the Owners of Charles Bar said, before adding that while spending was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in this regard since.
Mr Sant Cassia said that King's Gate has maintained consistency with regards to prices and quality, and he does not foresee any changes in the prices of drinks and food during the Euro 2024 month.
Mr Buttigieg remarked that given Rapid Sports Lounge is located in a touristic area within Buġibba, it primarily depends on tourists, and hence inflation is “not a major factor.” “We need more tourists to continue operating,” he affirmed.
Main Image:The UEFA Euro 2024 trophy / UEFA
