Malta Football Association

In the year 2000, the Malta Football Association celebrated the first century since its foundation in 1900, having been the first sports organisation on these islands and also becoming one of the oldest, out of the present 204 national football associations world-wide.

The game of Association Football was introduced in these Islands by the British Services who were stationed on the island and, as recorded, the first ever match of Association Football held locally, was played on 4th March 1882 at Marsa between soldiers of the Garrison and the Royal Engineers. Later on, as more matches were played, the game gradually gained in popularity. Maltese teams were formed and started playing against each other or against the British Services. Floriana FC and St. George's FC are the two oldest Maltese football clubs. As early as 1910 The first league competition for clubs was organised as early as 1910.

Another eventful occasion for the Malta FA was the introduction of the FA Trophy competition in the thirties after the Football Association (London) donated a trophy to the Malta FA, to be played on a knock-out basis, in gratitude for the support given by Maltese fans in the first ever encounter between Italy and England in Rome in May, 1933. This Trophy in solid silver, is still in existence and is one of the most prestigious in Maltese football.

History of Association Football

The game of football played at the Old Charterhouse was a typical "mob" game involving as many players as were available. This was the outdoor game known as runabout where dribbling the ball was very much the thing to do. The indoor game was played in Cloisters shown on the right of this drawing where the two teams of boys, in a mass scrum, pushed the ball towards doors at either end of a long stone floored and walled corridor. This was a precarious affair which would cause much damage to the participants. When the school moved to Godalming the Cloister game gradually died out and runabout thrived on the flat open grassy spaces of the new Charterhouse. Charterhouse football is regarded as a major influence in the development of the global game. Indeed Charles Wreford Brown an OC, Oxford Blue and international player is reputed to have used the word "soccer" first.

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