Otters ASC were founded in 1971 by a group of enthusiastic Gozitans whose aim was to promote aquatic sport in the sister island.

House was set up and a four-team competition organised by the Gozo Aquatic Association, which had been functioning since 1967, started in earnest with matches played in one pitch at Marsalforn.

For some time interest in waterpolo in Gozo began to dwindle, but in 1981 Otters decided to take the plunge and entered a team in the national competitions. Almost 30 years on and they have been ever-present in these competitions.

It has really been a good, honest effort to produce home-grown talent. Suffice to say that last year Otters were represented in the senior and all age-group leagues.

For some time now, the forward-looking Otters committee has sought to raise amenities in the clubhouse and the team to better levels in order to attract people to the place and also to make their players more competitive.

But nowadays waterpolo and swimming facilities in the open sea are practically unheard of.

The plight of Otters ASC is on a different scale in that they cannot use the National Pool facilities as frequently as other clubs in Malta.

Not only, but the near open sea where the club is situated, with the attendant inclement weather prevalent through the north-easterly 'gregale' winds and the destruction of the breakwater, are making it difficult for their players to train in decent conditions.

This has prompted the club to submit an application to MEPA to excavate a sea-water pool adjacent to their premises.

Unfortunately, the request has been refused, a decision which, according to the committee, means that 'Otters ASC remain the only waterpolo and swimming club in the Maltese islands without decent facilities on the seashore'.

In this context, the club has urged the Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism to 'implement measures to alleviate the jelly fish problem and the Ministry for Gozo to rebuild the breakwater as soon as possible.'

Otters ASC also said that the MEPA decision further highlights the urgent need of having a public fresh water pool in Gozo, stating that 'the excellent preparatory work done by the Gozo Ministry should be converted into action by starting work on this project immediately.'