Melita

Origins

Melita Football Club was founded on 28 April 1933 at the first general meeting by Sur Gian Bencini who was elected the first president of the club at that meeting. The cardinal points in its first statute were that the club would have its base in St. Julian's, would have an "amateur" status, that the original colours would be red and white and the motto of the club would be "Play the Game for the Game's Sake" and "The Game First and Foremost". Any or all of these points could only be changed by a unanimous vote at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for such a purpose.

The club has been affiliated with the Malta Football Association since 23 April 1944, representing the locality of St. Julian's.

Anton Naudi, who served as club president for 26 years starting in 1983, a period during which Melita competed in the First Division. He stepped down in 2009 and was succeeded by, Paul Zammit. Matthew Naudi, was appointed as the new secretary while Alfred Zammit replaced Oliver Lautier as the club's representative on the MFA Council. and John Naudi as vice-president, also an ex player. The treasurer remains the same, Joseph Borg.

Although the club has won many honours since its foundation, the greatest of all is the 4–0 victory by the club over Sliema Wanderers in the FA Trophy Final in 1939 and has inscribed its name among the many famous local clubs in this competition. The second biggest success in the club's history was in season 2008–2009 when four competitions were won in maltas Senior Sector which the club was participating in, namely the Runner-up position in the Second Division which meant automatic promotion to the First Division and winners of the 11/111 Division K.O. Cup for the Senior Team and champions of Youth Section "B" which meant promotion to Section "A" and K.O. Cup Winners of Youth Sections "B", "C" and "D" for the Youth U/19 Team. This success has never been attained by the club before and has also never been achieved by any club member of the MFA competing in all the competitions at stake in one season. The third biggest success emerged in season 2012/2013 when the club will be playing Premier Division football for the first time in its history.

Early years

The club was founded in 1933 by Gianni Bencini. After only six years in the Malta Football Association, Melita FC managed to go all the way to the final of the Maltese Cup. In the final Melita faced Sliema Wanderers, winning the game 4–0 – the first and so far the only major Cup trophy Melita 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. Their league form was very promising having shot up the leagues to play their first season of top flight football in the 1939-40 Maltese Premier League, finishing runner-up, their highest ever league position. They kept their position among the elite of Maltese football until their relegation from the top flight in the 1947-48 Maltese Premier League. The club managed to return to the top tier for the 1953-54 Maltese Premier League, however their stay lasted only one season.

1963-1964: Return to Premier Division

Following an absence of 10 years, Melita F.C. sealed their return to the top level of Maltese Football for the 1963-64 Maltese Premier League season.

Late 1960s - early 2010s: Life in the lower leagues

The club survived for one solitary season before a period of 45 years playing lower league football in the first, second and third divisions, with varying levels of success. Many titles have been won in the third and second division, while Melita'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. This period also saw inauguration of the Gianni Bencini Ground in Pembroke.

2012–13: Golden Era – Premier League

Season 2012–13 promised to be a historical season as it meant that Melita would be playing in the Premier League for the first time in their history. Following near misses for promotion from the 2nd tier, they finally managed to gain promotion by winning the 1st Division title. Melita's Premier League adventure started slowly; however, as the season went by some historical wins and results were obtained, including a 2–1 victory over reigning champions Valletta F.C. as well as a 5–3 victory over Ħamrun Spartans the final day of the season.

First phase

At the end of the first phase, Melita ended up finishing in 11th place and therefore qualifying for the relegation pool. At this point, the points would be halved and another two rounds of fixtures would be played. Melita did not fair very well in this phase, winning only their final game of the season and therefore confined to relegation.

2013 – 2018: Return to 1st Division

Following the clubs' relegation from the Premier division, Melita have once again cemented their place as a 1st Division team in spite of a number of players ending their playing time with the club. Melita have gone close to returning to the premier league in recent seasons, one time missing out on promotion after losing to Gzira United on penalties in a play-off decider, where the eventual winners ended up facing Mosta F.C. for a place in the 2015-16 Maltese Premier League. The club had maintained their status within the division for a number of years, although survival became the clubs ambition year after year. Unfortunately, the club's long spell in the division came to an end on 18 April 2018, following a crushing defeat to San Gwann F.C. which sealed the clubs fate.

2018 – 2020: Limited success in the 2nd Division

Melita F.C. competed in the third tier of Maltese football for the first time in 10 years following the club's most successful period. Led by newly appointed coach Edmond Lufi, the club will be looking to bounce back up to the 1st division at the first attempt with a mix of experience and youth, the majority of which are homegrown products.

Following a disappointing mid-table finish during head coach Edmond Lufi's first season in charge, an inconsistent start to the 2019–20 season ultimately led to the termination of Edmond Lufi's contract at the club, with Youth team coach Saviour Debono Grech stepped up as interim coach, assisted by former player Emilio Cornago San Pedro, until the end of the season. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was cut short and considered null and void, with Melita in 6th position after 19 games.