Football in Malta is governed by the Malta Football Association and was introduced to Malta during British rule in the mid-19th century. The game was new to England at the time and was used as a means of entertainment for the soldiers stationed in Malta at various barracks around Malta at the time. Malta Football History.
A Football Association was formed in 1863 to govern the rules and regulations for this rapidly changing game, which was still in the amateur competition stage and played in an unfixed format until 1909 when the league format was introduced. Done.
The association runs the national football team, as well as the semi-professional Maltese Football League and the Maltese Cup for clubs.
Official Game Play
The first official game played by Malta was in 1957 in a 3–2 friendly defeat against Austria. His competitive debut came five years later, against Denmark in the opening round of the 1964 European Nations Cup. Since becoming a member of UEFA in 1960 and FIFA in 1959, Malta has participated in every qualifier for the European Championship and the World Cup but has never reached the final of a major international competition.
The first Maltese championship was won by Floriana in the 1909–1910 season. The league regularly changed in number as teams changed managers, dropped out of the league, and new teams re-entered. Until the 1939–1940 season, this first league remained the only league in Maltese football and was called the Maltese Division One. Sliema Wanderers and Floriana dominated, winning all but four championships by 1940.
World War II
The Maltese Football League Trophy was introduce in the 1935 season which was dominate by Sliema Wanderers and Floriana between them until World War II.
Unfortunately due to World War II, the league had to disband as many Maltese players were drafted in the early 1940s to defend the island due to its strategic position in the conflict over the Maltese peninsula in North Africa.
Early History
General league activity resumed after the end of the war in 1945 with a four-team league format featuring Sliema Wanderers and Floriana. The format of the Maltese Football Association league soon changed however from the 1946 season to a multi-tier format.
The post-North African conflict saw the greatest interest from Maltese football associations, with fifteen clubs registering to join the Maltese FA in the 1940s, doubling the number of registered clubs in ten years. done Many of today’s familiar names joined the league, including Valletta and Hibernians.
Best Team
Interest in the Maltese league continued in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s with fifteen. More clubs joining, including Birkirkara FC in 1950. However, it was Hibernians and Valletta who put together a good challenge to Sliema Wanderers and Floriana. Winning eight championships between them and three league trophies.
Sliema Wanderers and Floriana’s monopoly in the 1980s finally ended with four clubs taking most of the honors in that decade. The opening of the new national stadium, Ta’ Qali, could have been one of the reasons. With a major restructuring of the Maltese league program to align with the impressive new home of Maltese football.
League Championship
The Maltese won the league championship in 1981 and 1982, and Rabat Ajax won in 1985 and 1986. But the real surprise came from one of Malta’s oldest clubs, Hamrun Spartans, who won in 1983, and 1987 won the league three times. and 1988, and won five league trophies. Floriana won the league trophy in 1981 but was relegate to Malta’s second division in the 1985 season. Malta Football History.
The last decades of the century saw the league format expand to a fourth tier. With fifty clubs now registered in the league. A diverse range of clubs now shares trophies in the top tier of the Maltese league to contribute to an entertaining and high-quality semi-professional football league.
Valletta enjoyed a golden era in the 1990s, winning five championships and four league cups. A rejuvenated Floriana won the Championship as well as two League Cups in 1993. And Sliema Wanderers, Hamran Spartans, and Hibernians also won notable honors. Malta Football History.
Championship
There are currently many clubs with the resources and ability to win the Championship Trophy. Now known as the Maltese Premier League Trophy. Birkirkara FC is a notable new force in the Maltese league, having won its first championship in 2000.
The team from Malta’s biggest city has won regular honors since propelling themselves into the history books. Other teams that made a comparable impact were Ureki in the 1980s and Valletta in the late 1990s. For more details click here