I have always said that it's the Valletta F.C.'s supporters who makes the V.F.C. an extraordinary team, a team which might be more supported than other teams, in fact one must say that the game of football in Valletta started in 1886, that is, it is as ancient as it is in Cospicua and in Floriana.


It would be sufficient to say that between 1886 and 1919 there were about fourteen teams representing Valletta. Obviously not all teams were so strong, but the three most popular teams are the Boys Empire League, the College, and the Malta Athletic Club. We might state that the history in Valletta has started by the foundation of the Valletta United. Valletta United were known as the 'team of the square' simply because there club was situated in St.George's Square, that is just opposite the Grandmasters' Palace, infact, the Valletta United were actively representing the City people between 1904 and 1932 but though Valletta United was a strong team it had its positive times too. Obviously they were always behind the Sliema and Floriana, whilst one must take into consideration that Sliema and Floriana always dominated the Maltese football before the second war.

Infact Valletta United, amongst all the honours they obtained, they also won the Championship twice in 1914/15 and 1931/32. They were also runners up for two seasons 1925/26 and 1926/27 and then one of the United success was that of winning the Cousis Shield, which we know as the Knock Out Competition, and the word Trophy is even more familiar - they have won this twice in 1914/15, in fact they have done the double in that season and in 1920/21

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One must take into consideration that these honours won by the Valletta United were all honours that did not allow Sliema nor Floriana to win them, even though they both dominated the local scene in those times, that is Valletta were the ones who started to break into this monopoly of the Sliema and Floriana Team. Valletta United were very active in the Championship of the first division and have in fact played 97 games.

During the period that the Valletta played within the M.F.A., that is from 1909 to 1932, somehow, when Valletta United won the championship in 1931/32, in the following season when they were obviously ready to defend the title, the Valletta United disappeared and obviously the title could not be won by them again, so the monopoly of Sliema and Floriana has recommenced.

Valletta United was the not the only team that played in the highest Division of the M.F.A., in fact in the 1925/26 and the 1926/27 seasons there were Valletta Rovers who played in the highest Division of the M.F.A., then in the season 1937/38 and 1938/39 there were the Valletta City. The Valletta City were known as the market team. Obviously there were the St.Paul's and the Valletta Prestons - they were playing in the second division. The St.Paul's were always in a better division than the Prestons.

The Amalgamation between St.Paul's and Prestons

It was 1935 that the M.F.A. started its campaign so that each city and village will be represented by one team, obviously during that time, as we have already said, the St.Paul's and the Prestons were the big teams so to say in Valletta City and negotiations for the amalgamation had to start and which amalgamation took long time and there were arguments between the two clubs. There was also War in between which impeded us from concentrating on amalgamation, but after the end of the second World War, football started again, so did the M.F.A. Competitions. In 1943, the amalgamation took place between Valletta St.Prestons and St.Paul's, originally the notes read that they are named Valletta St.Paul's but such name was immediately changed into the Valletta F.C. In this amalgamation between St.Paul's Valletta Prestons there were number of people connected with, referring to these two Club's Committees, but particularly one must name Guze Muscat who was the President of St.Paul's, Emanuel Calleja and Joseph Salinos known as the 'Chief' who both were the 'factotum' of the Prestons, these three persons worked hard in fact they also formed part of Valletta F.C. for many years.

One must say that regulation number 3 of the statute, says that Valletta F.C. must recognize Valletta United, St.Paul's, Valletta City and Valletta Prestons as well as those who proceeds them. That is why Valletta F.C. prove that before the war they won the Championship twice, these had been won by Valletta United, but when the Valletta F.C. was founded the club's history was then different.


As we have already stated, the amalgamation took place in 1943 and on the re-opening of the M.F.A. activities, after the World War II, Valletta F.C. had a great success- do not forget , it was a team amalgamated between St.Paul's and Prestons and in the first season 1943/44, the M.F.A. had created the Malta Cup instead of the league. At first the Malta Cup, was the significant of being the Championship, but then the M.F.A. decided to be played on knock-out basis, owing that football had just been reviving after the war. Valletta F.C. became final against Floriana where we noticed the youthful of the Valletta Team which consisted of St.Paul's and Prestons' players against the big experience that the Floriana team had, but notwithstanding all this experience, the Valletta spirit has risen for this occasion and defeated Floriana by 2-1.

This beautiful Malta Cup is up to this day in our Club and it is one of the most precious honours that the Valletta F.C. have won, but we must also say that after the Malta Cup, the Valletta Team did not stop here, as this was not something created by chance. In fact, between 1943 and 1948, Valletta F.C. have won not less than three times, the Championship in 1944/45, 1945/46 and 1947/48 and they also won the Cassar Cup in the year 1944/45 just after they had won the Malta Cup.
When we mention the Cassar Cup, at that time this was considered as the true Malta Champion, because in this Cup very good British Services' Teams mixed with Maltese ones used to take part too. Then there was a stop from honours wins, in fact between 1948/49 and 1958/59 seasons, Valletta F.C. did not win any particular honours.