Melita F.C.

Melita

Full name	Melita Football Club
Founded	1933
Ground	Gianni Bencini Ground (Capacity: 500)
Manager	Martin Gregory
League	Maltese First Division
2010/11	Maltese First Division, 4th

Melita Football Club is a Maltese football club that represents the town of St. Julian's. The team finished the 2008-2009 season in second place in the Maltese Second Division, gaining a long-awaited automatic promotion to the First Division, Malta's second tier of football.

Origins

The club was founded in 1933 by Gianni Bencini . Melita F.C has never been in the Maltese top flight, although the club has come close on several occasions. After only 6 years in the Malta Football Association Melita F.C managed to go all the way to the final of the Maltese Cup. In the final Melita F.C faced Sliema Wanderers, winning the game 4-0 - the first and so far the only major Cup trophy Melita F.C have won. Melita made it to the final for the second consecutive year in 1940, again playing Sliema, but this time they lost the match 3-2.

During the past 74 years Melita F.C have had a taste of celebration as well as disappointments. Many titles have been won in the third and second division and Melita F.C's youth nursery team have also had their share of success, as well as a reputation for bringing through quality players that have gone on to play at the highest level.

New sports complex

In 2004 Melita F.C inaugurated their first 5-a-side artificial pitches and in the summer of 2007 the club launched the Melita F.C Complex at its training facility in Pembroke, Malta. The complex includes changing rooms, gymnasiums and a 105-metre full sized 2-Star FIFA-recommended pitch, certified to host UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League matches. The complex also includes a small stand with a maximum capacity of 70 (400 standing). When the pitches were launched they were seen as one of the best training facilities in the area.

Players

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Karl Zahra GK Matthew Sapiano DF Steve Bonnici DF Michael Cachia DF Luke Bianco DF Rudi Alhinho DF Malcolm Mamo DF Andrew Caruana Scicluna MF Matthew Borg

No. Position Player MF Emilio Cornago MF Tobias Terpougoff MF Karl Vella Petroni MF Luca Martinelli FW Maxime Batel FW Nicolo Baldacchino Orland FW Julian Galea FW Michael Galea FW Luke Sammut

Notable players

See Melita F.C. Players

Stephen Azzopardi Ernest Barry Bjorn Bondin

Steve Borg David Cluett Michael Galea

Michael Grixti Michael Cutajar Edward Herrera

Steve Borg

Honours

• Maltese Cup (aka F.A. Trophy)
  • 1939: Winners - final versus Sliema Wanderers 4-0
  • 1940: Runners-up - final versus Sliema Wanderers 2-3
• 2007/2008 Second/Third Division Knock-out Winners - final versus Balzan Youths 5-1
• 2008/2009 Second Division Runners Up
• 2008/2009 Second/Third Division Knock-out Winners - final versus St. Venera Lightnings 3-0