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Maltese FA Trophy

Maltese FA Trophy
FieldValue
logoMeridianbet-fa-trophy-Landscape.svg
organiserMalta Football Association
founded
current2024–25 Maltese FA Trophy
number of teams67
region
current championsHibernians (11th title)
qualifier forUEFA Conference League
domestic cupMaltese Super Cup
most successful clubSliema Wanderers (22nd title)
broadcastersTVMSports+ (live matches)
website

The FA Trophy, currently known as the Meridianbet FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football cup competition that takes place in Malta. The cup was founded in 1933; following a match between England and Italy, played in Rome in May 1933, to where a number of pro-British Maltese supporters travelled to support the English side. The Football Association as recognition donated a silver trophy to be played on the model of the FA Cup.

The team who wins the cup wins a place in the First qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. This competition is now played on a knock-out basis between all the senior clubs in the Maltese and Gozitan football pyramids. The cup winners play a match for the Maltese Super Cup against the league champions of the season.

Format

Old Maltese FA Trophy from 1935 to 2016
2017

The ten teams from the First Division and the teams which placed from 4th to the 10th position in the previous season's league, participate in the first round. The cup holders and the top 3 teams are seeded. The eight winning teams play again in the second round, after which, four teams remain. The top three teams in the previous' year league and the cup holders enter straight in the quarter-final phase, together with the other four winning teams.

Starting with the 2009–10 competition, the reigning champions of the Gozo First Division will also be entered into the competition. This will be the case unless Gozo FC, a club based on Gozo but which plays in the Maltese leagues, are playing in either the Maltese Premier League or Maltese First Division and would take the place of the Gozo champion.

On 13 January 2011, the Malta Football Association decided to restructure the format of the trophy as from season 2011–12. Following the success of the MFA League Anniversary Cup, where the then 21 teams of the Maltese four-tiered system participated in the competition, the MFA decided to include all the clubs of Maltese leagues, together with the clubs from the Gozo First Division and the Gozo Second Division. The Gozitan clubs and those from the Maltese Third Division would take part in the First Round, joined by the Maltese Second Division and Maltese First Division clubs in the Second Round, and joined by the Maltese Premier League clubs in a Third Round, where the first six teams of the previous season and the Trophy holder would be seeded. The competition remains on a knock-out basis.

On 21 May 2016, the old silver trophy has been replaced by a new one, partially paid by the English FA. The new trophy has been presented right before the match between England and Malta for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. The new trophy leans heavily on the heritage of the 1934 original and was designed and made by the Thomas Lyte, British silverware manufacturers. It is 65 cm in height, and 7 kilogrammes in weight, six of which are solid silver. The trophy will be produced with the traditional methods of silversmithing, by hand. The new Trophy will carry forward the main features of the current FA Trophy, with the player holding the ball aloft being the top part on a silver pedestal, also featured on the current trophy, containing the exact wording which symbolises the bond between the English FA and the Malta FA, the globe and the base will remain identical, with the effigy of the football match found on the current trophy also retaining its place. The new trophy has been designed in the shape of the old Cassar Cup, which was another historical competition of the MFA in which the best two British service teams used to play against the two best Maltese teams for the cup. Veterans recall the passion of these matches with the Maltese football aficionados all rooting for the Maltese teams against the British ones.

Since this new restructuring of the competition in the 2011–12 season, already a major resemblance to the English F.A. Cup is evident as a lot of giant-killings have already taken place. The best story so far has been that of S.K. Victoria Wanderers F.C. reaching the semi-finals of the 2016-17 edition, as they became the first Gozitan club has reached in this competition.

Both the 2019–20 and the 2020–21 seasons of the trophy has been declared abandoned by the MFA due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners and finalists

SeasonWinnersScoreRunners–upVenue
1934–35Sliema Wanderers4–0FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1935–36Sliema Wanderers2–1Floriana
1936–37Sliema Wanderers2–0St.George's
1937–38Floriana2–1Sliema Wanderers
1938–39Melita4–0Sliema Wanderers
1939–40Sliema Wanderers3–2Melita
No competitions between 1941 and 1944 due to World War II
1944–45Floriana2–1Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1945–46Sliema Wanderers2–1Ħamrun SpartansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1946–47Floriana3–0VallettaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1947–48Sliema Wanderers2–2 (a.e.t.)
1–0 (rep.)HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1948–49Floriana5–1Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1949–50Floriana3–1St.George'sEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1950–51Sliema Wanderers5–0HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1951–52Sliema Wanderers3–3 (a.e.t.)
1–1 (rep. a.e.t.)
1–0 (2nd rep.)HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1952–53Floriana1–0 (a.e.t.)Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1953–54Floriana5–1Rabat AjaxEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1954–55Floriana1–0Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1955–56Sliema Wanderers1–0FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1956–57Floriana2–0VallettaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1957–58Floriana2–0Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1958–59Sliema Wanderers1–1 (a.e.t.)
1–0 (rep.)VallettaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1959–60Valletta3–0FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1960–61Floriana2–0HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1961–62Hibernians1–0VallettaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1962–63Sliema Wanderers2–0HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1963–64Valletta1–0Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1964–65Sliema Wanderers4–2FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1965–66Floriana2–1HiberniansManoel Island Football Ground
1966–67Floriana1–0HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1967–68Sliema Wanderers3–2 (a.e.t.)HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1968–69Sliema Wanderers3–1Ħamrun SpartansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1969–70Hibernians2–1VallettaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1970–71Hibernians3–1 (a.e.t.)Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1971–72Floriana3–1Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1972–73Gżira United0–0 (a.e.t.)
2–0 (rep. a.e.t.)BirkirkaraEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1973–74Sliema Wanderers1–0FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1974–75Valletta1–0HiberniansEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1975–76Floriana2–0
(abandoned in 86')VallettaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1976–77Valletta1–0FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1977–78Valletta3–2FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1978–79Sliema Wanderers2–1FlorianaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1979–80Hibernians2–1Sliema WanderersEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1980–81Floriana2–1SengleaEmpire Stadium, Gżira
1981–82Hibernians2–0Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1982–83Ħamrun Spartans2–0VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1983–84Ħamrun Spartans0–0 (a.e.t.)
1–0 (rep. a.e.t.)ŻurrieqNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1984–85Żurrieq0–0 (a.e.t.)
2–1 (rep.)VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1985–86Rabat Ajax2–0ŻurrieqNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1986–87Ħamrun Spartans2–1Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1987–88Ħamrun Spartans4–2FlorianaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1988–89Ħamrun Spartans1–0FlorianaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1989–90Sliema Wanderers1–0BirkirkaraNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1990–91Valletta2–1 (a.e.t.)Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1991–92Ħamrun Spartans3–3 (a.e.t.)
2–1 (rep.)VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1992–93Floriana5–0Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1993–94Floriana2–1VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1994–95Valletta1–0 (a.e.t.)Ħamrun SpartansNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1995–96Valletta0–0 (a.e.t.)
1–0 (rep.)Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1996–97Valletta2–0HiberniansNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1997–98Hibernians2–1VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1998–99Valletta1–0 (a.e.t.)BirkirkaraNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
1999–2000Sliema Wanderers4–1BirkirkaraNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2000–01Valletta3–0BirkirkaraNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2001–02Birkirkara1–0Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2002–03Birkirkara1–0Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2003–04Sliema Wanderers2–0MarsaxlokkNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2004–05Birkirkara2–1Msida St. JosephNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2005–06Hibernians1–0FlorianaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2006–07Hibernians1–1 (a.e.t.)
3–0 (pen.)Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2007–08Birkirkara2–1Ħamrun SpartansNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2008–09Sliema Wanderers3–3 (a.e.t.)
7–6 (pen.)VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2009–10Valletta2–1QormiNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2010–11Floriana1–0VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2011–12Hibernians3–1QormiNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2012–13Hibernians3–1QormiNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2013–14Valletta1–0Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2014–15Birkirkara2–0HiberniansNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2015–16Sliema Wanderers0–0 (a.e.t.)
5–4 (pen.)BalzanNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2016–17Floriana2–0Sliema WanderersNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2017–18Valletta2–1BirkirkaraNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2018–19Balzan4–4 (a.e.t.)
5–4 (pen.)VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2019–20Cancelled due to COVID-19 (4 Clubs Left)
2020–21Cancelled due to COVID-19 (8 Clubs Left)
2021–22Floriana2–1 (a.e.t.)VallettaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2022–23Birkirkara2–0MarsaxlokkNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2023–24Sliema Wanderers0–0 (a.e.t.)
4–3 (pen.)FlorianaNational Stadium, Ta' Qali
2024–25Hibernians2–1BirkirkaraNational Stadium, Ta' Qali

Performance by club

ClubWinsFirst final wonLast final wonRunners-upLast final lostTotal final appearances
Sliema Wanderers221935202421201743
Floriana211938202213202434
Valletta141960201815202229
Hibernians111962202511201522
Birkirkara6200220236202512
Ħamrun Spartans6198319924200810
Melita119391939119402
Żurrieq119851985219863
Gżira11973197301
Rabat Ajax119861986119542
Balzan120192019120162
Msida St. Joseph0120051
Marsaxlokk0220232
Senglea Athletic0119811
St. George's0219502
Qormi0320133

References

References

  1. (13 January 2011). "Changes to National League, FA Trophy format approved".
  2. (9 October 2016). "Malta receives new FA Trophy prior to Wembley match". [[Times of Malta]].
  3. "The Malta FA unveils the new FA Trophy".
  4. (21 May 2016). "The Malta FA unveils the new FA Trophy". [[Malta Football Association.
  5. Busuttil, Antoine. (19 February 2017). "SK VICTORIA WANDERERS THROUGH TO FA TROPHY SEMI-FINALS". maltafootball.com.
  6. Camilleri, Valhmor. (2020-05-18). "MFA ends 2019-20 Premier League and FA Trophy". [[Times of Malta]].
  7. (2021-04-09). "Sports ban forces termination of domestic competitions". [[Malta Football Association]].
  8. "Malta – List of Cup Finals".
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