The
Birth of Valletta United
1903 - 1904
In
1903-04 Maltese Football went through a period of hectic activity. It
was as if everybody wanted to form a team, and there was a marked increase
both in teams and also in the number of matches played during the season.
From among the established teams, the most active were St.George's and
the Malta Athletic Club. The most important among the new teams were
Valletta United, the Boy's Empire League, and the Dockyard Albion Football
Team.
The
Birth of Valletta United
The
Blue Ditch at Portes des Bombes, which in 1886 was the scene of the
first-ever recorded football match played by Maltese teams, was again
the venue in 1904 of another match of great historical importance. Football
in Valletta started very early. In fact the Malta Athletic Club of Valletta
was among the first, if not the first club to be formed.
Another club was formed in the city sometime between 1901 and 1906.
This club was known as St.George's Square F.C., because it had its headquarters
in a bar at the Main Guard, which in those days was called piazza San
Giorgio.
The
exact date of the foundation of this club is not known. We feel however
that it was nearer 1906 than 1901, because the first reference of it
that we find in the records is that of the 31 March 1906 when the club
beat the Drummers of the Royal West Kents 5-2.
Towards the end of 1903, some youngsters from Valletta decided to form
a team which they called Valletta United. Their idea was, from the very
beginning, to build a team to represent the District. The club however,
had a humble start. Lack of finance forced the players to content themselves
with anything which they could get free.
Shorts were made from long trousers cut well below the knees, and shirts
were dyed in the clib's colours which, according to tradition, were
brown and yellow.
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