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Football or soccer is, by far, the most popular sport in Malta & is considered by many to be “the national game”. A network of associations, clubs, complexes and schools ensures that Malta continues to produce competitive athletes and players for the game it loves the most. |
Systemized, organized initiatives and efforts by the government have also played a major role in popularizing the sport as a national game. Football started to be played in Malta towards the end of the nineteenth century when the country, then a Crown Colony, was under the governorship of the British Sir Arthur Borton. As a matter of fact, local football owes its origin to the members of the British Services which were stationed in the colony. Records prove that it was introduced as early as 1884 when soccer was “played bootless on a piece of land which could be described as anything but a football pitch”.
The Malta Football Association
One of the oldest in Europe, the Malta football association, was founded in 1900. Over the years the following of football arose dramatically with the foreign teams arriving to play against local teams to the delight of thousands of fans in the 1920’s. Most of these visiting teams were of top caliber. Consequently, when any of the local teams had a good game, the players of the local team were hailed as heroes.
The Malta Football Association joined the world soccer federation, FIFA, in 1959 and one year later it became a member of the European Football Union, UEFA, in 1960. Membership of these international organizations heralded a new era for Maltese football since Malta could start participating in international football competitions both at national level and at club level.
Today, the Malta Football Association is formed of forty-eight (48) Member Clubs and seven (7) other Member Associations which in turn organize football competitions for the clubs or teams affiliated to them. These member associations are the Gozo Football Association, which is a regional association and which organizes football competitions in the island of Gozo; the Inter Amateur Soccer Competition which organizes competitions for amateur players; the Govt/Parastatal Football Association, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Sports Association and the Industries Soccer Association which organizes football competitions at places of work; the District Football Association which organizes competitions on a district level; and the Malta Youth Football Association which caters for young players under 16 years.
