The Birżebbuġa water polo club is still waiting for the long-promised pitch and new club premises two months after the tender for the works closed.

Club president George Farrugia called on the government to give the club and the community an update on the project.

“The tender closed on June 14 and we haven’t heard anything since – we just don’t want the project to be forgotten,” he said.

Four months ago, the club held a press conference welcoming the news that the government had issued a tender for the €1.6 million project to rebuild the pitch.

The deadline for submissions was on June 14 and there were four bidders, Mr Farrugia said.

The Resources Ministry said: “The tender is at the moment being evaluated and a report is being drawn up and should be sent to the Department of Contracts in the coming days. Due to various checks of documents and particular specifications, it is normal that such a procedure takes some time since clarifications are also requested when necessary,” the spokesman said.

The club opened in 1967 but had to close down in the 1990s after the dredging of the bay by the Freeport Terminal shifted sand into the pitch, making the water stagnant.

The plans are for a freshwater pool measuring 33 by 25 metres built above the current waterline. The club has already obtained a planning permit – the final set of plans was approved by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in September, 2010.

Mr Farrugia described the pitch as the “soul and hub” of Birżebbuġa and said the community wanted it back.

“I want to prove that the government genuinely wants to do this project – all we want is some form of commitment or timeframe,” Mr Farrugia said.