Floriana F.C.


Floriana Football Club is a semi-professional Maltese football club in the town of Floriana that currently plays in the Maltese Premier League. In all, Floriana F.C. has won 26 national leagues and 20 FA Trophies. It is also the only team from Malta to have qualified from the qualifying rounds to the first round proper of the UEFA Champions League, in the 1993–94 season.

History

Floriana Football Club was founded in 1894 with the inauguration of the football ground officiated by Queen Alexandra. The site was a cricket ground from 1890 till its conversion project. Together with St. George's FC, is one of the two oldest clubs in Malta. During that period, football in Malta was introduced by the British Servicemen who were stationed on the island, which was then a colony of the British Empire.
The club is affiliated to the Malta Football Association which in turn is a member of both UEFA and FIFA. The team's colours were green and red but after a friendly match against the Royal Dublin Fusiliers which plays in green and white, Floriana FC changed its colours to green and white. The team's nicknames are: Tal-Irish and Greens.
Floriana Football Club has won the major Maltese League championship 26 times and the FA Trophy 20 times.

Formation

Football was introduced in Malta at the end of the 19th Century by the British troops stationed on the island. At that time Malta formed part of the British Empire and, the Island was the base of British forces in the heart of the Mediterranean. The forces' barracks, which were strategically located around the island of Malta, enjoyed large areas that were used as parade grounds, training areas and for sporting activities.
The sports practised by the soldiers were mainly cricket, hockey and football. The British forces in Malta were mainly stationed in Floriana, Cospicua, Mtarfa, Marsa and Sliema. The locals who were influenced by the soldiers stationed in the area were introduced to these sporting activities. The most popular sport amongst the residents of Floriana was football, however some also practised cricket and hockey. Floriana still has its hockey club, carrying the name Floriana Young Stars Hockey Club.

Club colours and mascot

Between 1894 and 1905 the club's colours were green/red quartered shirts, black shorts with green and red socks. The official colours of the club as we know them today, green and white vertical striped shirts, white shorts and green/white horizontal striped socks, were introduced in 1905. At that time the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were stationed in Floriana. During that year, three friendly matches were held between this regiment and FFC. At the end of the final match both teams exchanged their shirts and later the FFC changed their official colours to their green and white shirts. The regiment left the Island for India in that same year. The ties between Floriana and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers were so strong that the people hailing from Floriana were nicknamed after the Irish, "Tal-Irish".
The club's mascot is the lion, which features prominently on the club's badge since 1936 together with the Latin motto "Ex Ludis Virtus", meaning "virtue out of the game". In this regard the club's badge represents the fierceness of the lion together with the virtues of sportsmanship. The lion was chosen as the club's mascot for two general reasons attributed to history of Floriana.
First attribution is to the coat-of-arms of the Grandmaster of Order of St. John, Manoel de Vilhena, which has the lion on it. Vilhena was the mastermind behind the construction of a fortification suburg of Floriana to defend the capital city of Valletta from land attacks. He even ordered the construction of a lion statue fountain, with his Grandmaster code of arms being held by the lions hand, in the centre of Floriana's main square, St. Anne Square, which is still there today.
Second attribution to the lion is the statue of St. Publius who is the patron saint of Floriana. The St. Publius' statue has a lion with it which shows how Publius was killed for his Christian preachings.
The first game won by the team was confirmed on the feast of the patron's village St. Publius, on 13 April 1910, which is to some considered as a divine confirmation.

2020 Win and COVID-19 national outrage

On the 25th of May 2020 Floriana FC were crowned champions of the BOV Premier League. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the season was ultimately stopped earlier and Floriana was crowned champions of the league.
Celebrations were then hosted in the Fossos in Floriana where a mass gathering of supporters broke social distancing rules and broke several Maltese laws by not staying in groups of six of less. The event sparked national outrage within the public in Malta and was featured on nearly all Maltese national newspapers.

Domestic successes

Since the foundation of the Malta Football Association, in 1909, and local competitions the club won a total of 108 honours, which includes 26 league titles and 25 Cup knock out competitions. The club has also achieved a number of impressive feats, such as four consecutive league championships, ten doubles and a League title with maximum points.

UEFA competitions

Over the years FFC participated in the various competitions organised by the European football body, UEFA, such as the:
In 1962, the club was the first to represent Malta in UEFA competitions in its Cup Winners' Cup against the Hungarian side Ujpest Dozsa. Over the years, FFC had the opportunity to meet some renowned European football clubs, including the likes of:
On two occasions FFC made it to the next round, 1993–94 Champions Cup and Intertoto Cup 1999–00.

Youth sector

In 1987 the club founded its youth sector, Floriana FC Nursery, which is affiliated to the Malta Youth Football Association. The club's youth sector may also be considered as one of the most successful organisations of its type on the Island; not only has it produced a number of some of the finest footballers, but it has also won a number of league titles organised by the Association. The following are some of the major honours won by FFCN:
06 / 07 UNDER 14 Knock out competition
Today all the major six Premiership clubs in Malta have at least two players forming part of their squad, which have been raised by the Floriana Youth Nursery.

Rivalries

During their history Floriana had two main rivals Sliema Wanderers and neighbors Valletta. The rivalry against Sliema is very old but today has lost much of its legacy. The rivalry was at its peak from 1910 and till the late 1970s when the two sides dominated the Maltese football scene. Football hooliganism between supporters and direct conflicts were something usual.
Today the rivalry has declined. Recently Floriana won the 20th FA Trophy against Sliema. This triggered again the rivalry between both clubs as Floriana won 9 finals in this Cup Competition against The Blues.
The rivalry against Valletta City is still alive. The fact that the two cities are near each other's the rivalry continues to persist and it is one of the most classic derbies in Maltese football. The matches between the two sides always attract big crowds to the stadium and the fans treat these clashes as cup finals.

Colours

Floriana' s official colors at the beginning of the century were green and red quartered shirts with black shorts. Later on these were replaced with Green and white striped shirts and white shorts. These colors were adopted after a game played at the Floriana Parade Ground against the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. This regiment of the British army was stationed at Floriana. The two sides played three times against each other in 1904–05. The Fusiliers won the first two games while the third one ended all square.
A fourth game was organized between the two sides and this time Floriana won 2–1. As a symbol of friendship, the players swapped their shirts. From that moment onwards, Floriana Football Club adopted the colors of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, which are the green and white stripes and white shorts. The Florianites are still called 'Ta' l-Irish' meaning 'The Irish'. In the early 1920s which went something like this: In plain English, this translates as 'The Irish are always as strong as metal; they decide if to inflict harm or not'.

Honours

From 1900 to date, Floriana FC won 96 honours. 30 of them were won before the second war, that is, between 1900 and 1940. The other 66 honours were won from 1940 to date.Floriana FC holds the following records:*Won four consecutive championships – 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52 and 1952–53.*In 1961–62, Floriana FC won the league without losing a single point. Played and won 14 games, scored 43 goals and conceded 10 goals.*Made the League and Cup double for 7 times in seasons 1921–22, 1930–31, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1957–58 and 1992–93.*Between 15 February 1976 and 22 May 1977, Floriana played 37 consecutive games without losing a game. During this period, the Greens scored 99 goals and won seven major honours, which are the League, Trophy, Independence Cup, twice the Sons of Malta Cup and twice the Testaferrata Cup.During Season 1952–53 Floriana FC was the first Local Club to obtain SIX HONOURS in one season,League Champions-FA Trophy-Cassar Charity Cup-Infantile Paralyses Cup-Schembri Shield and Poppy Day Fund Cup. The league of season 2019-20 was won by votes with 6 games to go, 18 points to be won and lost and other potential winners of the league.
Maltese Premier League :
1909–10, 1911–12, 1912–13, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1992–93, 2019–20
League Runners-up :
1922–23, 1925–26, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1991–92, 1993–94, 2010–11
First Division Champions :
1985–86
MFA Knock-Out Competitions
National Ground Cup :
1910–11
Gaelic Whisky Cup :
1912–13
Cousis Shield :
1921–22, 1922–23, 1930–31
Empire Sports Ground Cup :
1927–28, 1928–29
Maltese FA Trophy :
1937–38, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1980–81, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2010–11, 2016–17
FA Trophy Finalists :
1934–35, 1935–36, 1955–56, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1987–88, 1988–89, 2005–06
Super Cup :
1992–93, 2016–17
Cassar Cup :
1920–21, 1922–23, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1949–50, 1951–62, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1957–58, 1960–61
Independence Cup :
1966–67, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79
Sons of Malta Cup :
1967–68, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78
Super 5 Cup :
1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
Testaferrata Cup :
1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78
Schembri Shield :
1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55
Scicluna Cup :
1958–59, 1961–62, 1962–63
Poppy Day Fund Cup :
1952–53, 1.953–54, 1954–55
Christmas Cup :
1968–69, 1969–70
Malta Playing Field Association Shield – MPFA :
1951–52, 1953–54
Partisans Cup :
1909
Amateurs Cup :
1911
Mtarfa Cup :
1912
La Gloire Trophy :
1921
Prince of Wales Cup :
1921
Malaya Congress Cup :
1924
Marian Congress Cup :
1949
Infantile Paralysis Cup :
1953
Lowenbrau Cup :
1993–94
AME Cup :
2013
Joma Cup :
2018
DIMBROS Summer Tournament :
2019
Challenge Cup :

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Non-playing staff

Administration

PositionName-
PresidentRiccardo Gaucci-
SecretaryDione Borg-
TreasurerMario Cilia-
Vice SecretaryRuth Brincat-
Vice TreasurerFrank Camilleri-
Senior Vice PresidentJoseph Cauchi-
Vice PresidentPeter Agius-
WebmasterAlan Michael Vella-
MFA Club Delegates Frank CamilleriPeter Agius-
Events and Media OfficerRyan Agius-
Floriana FC Nursery RepresentativeMark Piscopo-
Committee MembersMark Victor CamilleriAnthony Grech Sant

Managerial history

NameNatFromTo
Karim Bencherifa1 July 200030 June 2002
Ziya Yildiz20022004
Jimmy Briffa20052006
Joseph Grech20062007
Danilo Dončić1 July 200730 June 2008
Zoran Popović1 July 20089 Jan 2009
Antonio Carlos Vieira1 July 200824 March 2009
Roddy Collins1 July 200915 Dec 2009
Zoran Popović20092010
Todor Raykov1 July 201021 Feb 2011
Michael Woods20102012
Joe Brincat20 March 20122012
Mark Wright18 Aug 201218 Oct 2012
Stephen Azzopardi18 Oct 201225 Jan 2013
Iain Brunskill29 Jan 20138 May 2013
Ian Dawes9 May 20138 April 2014
Giovanni Tedesco8 April 20148 May 2015
Luis Oliveira14 June 20158 May 2016
Giovanni Tedesco15 June 20164 December 2017
Nicolas Hernan Chiesa15 December 201727 August 2018
Luis Oliveira28 August 201814 November 2018
Guido Ugolotti14 November 201815 May 2019
Vincenzo Potenza15 May 2019

European record

Matches

League and cup history