Swieqi United F.C.
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| Full name | Swieqi United Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
The Orange The Owls | |
| Founded | 2009 | |
| Ground |
Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | |
| Capacity | 3,000 | |
| Chairman |
 Justin Fenech | |
| Manager |
Roberto Debrincat | |
| League | Maltese Third Division | |
| 2012-13 | 11th | |
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Swieqi United Football Club is a Maltese Football and Futsal club representing the municipality of Swieqi. The club was created by a group of University Students and Swieqi residents. Founded in 2009, the club enjoys a good fan-base especially amongst young people on the island. The team plays in Orange shirts (a fusion of the red and yellow of Swieqi) and use blue as the away kit. The club is renowned for giving young players the opportunity to play football and the club's symbol is the Owl - a reference to the students who founded Swieqi United F.C. The club is registered with the Malta Football Association and is registered with the Malta Sports Council.
Crest
The name is not only popular but also acts as a symbol. "The town of Swieqi, the village of Ta' l-Ibrag and the hamlet of Madliena have all merged hence UNITED into one team: Swieqi United FC". The 3 colours on the new crest (yellow, red and blue) represent these 3 entities which form the basis of the club's kits when competing in official MFA Competitions. The badge itself is primarily made up of Swieqi's colours. Modelled on the Swieqi Coat of arms it incorporates the red and yellow (merged into orange) symbolising the valleys and fields of Ta' l-Ibrag and Madliena. The blue and white represent the waterflow, the 'saqa' which gives its name to our beloved town
History
For many years, people were surprised that such a locality, with a population of over 8,000 people didn't have a football team. Talks of forming an Ibrag Football Club in the 1990s never materialized and in 2007 an application for a Swieqi Football Club was rejected by the MFA. However, it was always a question of 'when' rather than 'if' and the youths of Swieqi were always determined to make sure Swieqi was represented in the National Football League.
The club was approved unanimously by the Council of the Malta Football Association on Thursday, 28 May 2009 and the addition of Swieqi meant that the number of clubs in Division 3 increased to 20 as Qrendi and Mtarfa who placed last in Sections A and B respectively both re-applied and were approved. Swieqi would start competing competitively in 2009-10 MFA season.
The club's main colour was chosen to be orange since no other team in Malta used this colour at the time and Swieqi United wanted to create an up-market and elegant brand. The 14 April 2009, will certainly go down in the history of Swieqi United FC as its first ever committee was chosen to represent the club and in effect, the locality as a whole.
On 24 June 2009, the acting committee held the first ever Annual General Meeting at 119, Triq il-Qasam, Swieqi. Club President Ralph Agius Fernandez, Secretary Michael Calleja and Vice-President Gavin Ellul addressed the members of the club and described the work that had been done, together with the objectives and future projects. The nominations for the committee were also held, and thus the official committee for the 2009/2010 MFA season was announced.
On 28 June 2009, Roberto Debrincat was confirmed as Swieqi United's first ever manager.
2009-2010
On 13 July 2009, Swieqi United took part in the first MFA 3rd Division draws of their history. The new club was pitted against Zejtun Corinthians FC, Naxxar Lions FC, Gudja United FC, Attard FC, Xghajra Tornadoes FC, Qrendi FC, Sirens FC, Kirkop United FC and Santa Lucija FC.
The Orange were scheduled to play their historic, first-ever league match against the club from the seaside village of Xghajra.
The Quick Keno Division II/III Knock-Out draws were held on Tuesday, 21 July 2009. Swieqi United were drawn against Gudja United FC, Gzira United FC and Zebbug Rangers FC in Group 1.
Swieqi registered its first ever victory on 18 August 2009, in a friendly game vs Kirkop United. Daniel Bianco and Brian Grech scored in a 2-1 win.
Swieqi gained its first ever point in the Quick KENO Knockout on Saturday 12 September 2009. Trailing 0-3 against Gzira, Swieqi managed to score 3 goals and could have added a fourth in the final minutes. It was a dramatic end to a pulsating encounter.
Despite being their first season, Swieqi managed to register some positive wins throughout the campaign. On 1 October 2009 at the Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali, Swieqi played their first game in the BOV Third Division against Xghajra Tornadoes, winning the game 3-2. The support pushed the team on to claim a marvellous victory on their league debut. Notable wins included 3-1 vs Gudja, 4-0 vs Santa Lucia and 4-3 vs Qrendi. Also, Swieqi played some excellent football but were unlucky to lose 0-1 against table-toppers Naxxar Lions. Swieqi ended the 2009-10 season in 8th place with 16 points.
2010-2011
Swieqi United started the 2010-11 campaign quite promisingly. Contrary to the previous campaign, the KO Quick Keno Competition proved to be much more fruitful as Swieqi lost 0-2 to Senglea Athletic and registered draws against Santa Venera and Gharghur. The league campaign also got off to a very good start with Swieqi registering 3 wins from the first four matches propelling them into second place in the league by the end of October. However, a series of injuries and suspensions were coupled with a bad run which saw the club lose 3 matches on the trot sliding down the table. Nevertheless, some changes were made to the squad and the Christmas period proved to be more satisfying as Swieqi won the Noel Muscat Cup vs Pembroke Athleta (3-1) and were unlucky to lose the Strickland Cup 2-4 on penalties against Mtarfa.
A nightmarish end to 2010 was put to bed as 2011 kicked off with some good performances most notably a good 2-2 draw against Attard, wins against Qrendi and Mtarfa and a record 8-0 victory against Xghajra. A 1-0 win against Santa Lucija was enough to ensure Swieqi consolidated a mid-table position in the league standings.
Swieqi United ended the 2010-11 season in the 6th place (out of 11) with 25 points.
At the end of the season, Edward Vella was crowned 'Club Player of the year', with goaler Ryan Marmara 'Most improved player of the year, Captain John Debono won the 'Players Player of the Year' whilst Christopher Dalli won 'Most dedicated player of the season'
2011-2012
Swieqi United began the 2011-12 season with a new manager - Roland Sollars who joined the club from Sirens. Swieqi made some major changes to the team and brought in many young players many of which came on loan from Melita F.C. The team was knocked out by eventual Gozitan champions Xewkija Tigers in the first round of the FA Trophy losing 0-5.
The league campaign had started with a draw against Fgura United (2-2), before losing to Ghaxaq and Santa Lucija. Thereupon, Swieqi embarked on a positive run beating Xghajra and Mgarr. A slump in fortunes then followed, although Swieqi did register some positive results during the season such as a 3-1 victory against title challengers Ghaxaq, a 6-2 win vs Kalkara and a 0-0 draw against eventual section winners Pembroke Athleta. Swieqi finished the season in 9th place with 29 points.
Steven Diacono (on loan from Melita) won Swieqi United's 'Player of the Season Award'
2012-2013
Swieqi kicked off the season in great fashion defeating Mdina Knights 2-1 in the FA Trophy and racking up three wins out of four in the early stages of the League campaign. (Santa Lucija 2-0, Marsa 1-0 and Mtarfa 4-1). Everyone expected the club to push forward but some internal problems led to coach Sollars resigning on 1 December and the club never recovered from this blow, losing games by high scores and never recovering confidence.
Things only picked up when during the end of the season, coach Roberto Debrincat was re-appointed Head coach and results improved, at one point notching four wins out of seven games. (Wins vs Attard (2-0), Ghaxaq (2-0), Ta' Xbiex (1-0) and Kalkara (1-0). Nevertheless, despite coach Debrincat's timely intervention, Swieqi would end their most difficult and disappointing season in a lowly position thereby not accomplishing initial expectations.
Futsal
This season also witnessed the successful participation of Swieqi United Futsal who began life in the Malta Futsal Second Division. Led by Paul Hyzler and Simon Gingell Littlejohn, the Futsal squad produced some great performances and ended up as the club's most successful section. For the 2013-14 season, Swieqi United Futsal will be competing in the Maltese Premier Division.
Training facilities
Swieqi United recently inaugurated a new training facility in Pembroke (an 8 a side football pitch). The ground forms part of the Pembroke Saint Claire Primary School and will serve as the main hub of the club's operations. As from 2013-14, it will also serve as the Nursery and Minors base.
Minors and Youth Academy
Swieqi United FC has an Under 19 (Minors) Squad which participates in the MFA Youth League. The club has also established a Youth Academy which caters for the young footballers between the ages of 5 to 17.
Kit
Swieqi United's current home kit consists of an orange shirt, with black shorts and orange socks whilst the away strip consists of a grey top with black shorts and socks. The second kit's grey in colour. A third is also occasionally used and it consists of a blue top. Swieqi's kits are manufactured by Sportika SA.
Franchise Information
Since 2009, Swieqi United FC represents the municipality of Swieqi which incorporates the following areas: Swieqi proper, Ibrag and Madliena, together with High Ridge, Upper Gardens and Victoria Gardens. The total area population is about 9,000 people.
Board of Directors 2013/14
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Hon. President: | Roger Strickland Jr. | Maltese |
| President: | Dr. Justin Fenech N.P | Maltese |
| Vice-President (Team Matters) | Dr. Michael Calleja LL.D | Maltese |
| Vice-President (Admin Matters) | Dr. James Scerri Worley LL.D | Maltese |
| Secretary | Dr. Michael Calleja LL.D | Maltese |
| Marketing Manager | Robert Dingli | Maltese |
| MFA Council Member | Mauro Miceli | Maltese |
| Media Manager | Jeffrick Cachia | Maltese |
| First Team Co-ordinator | Jacques Ellul Soler | Maltese |
| Events Manager | Matthew Muscat | Maltese |
| Futsal Manager | Paul Hyzler | Maltese |
| Youth Academy Co-ordinator | Alan Pace | Maltese |
| Youth Academy Co-ordinator | Jonathan Bartolo | Maltese |
Squad
The current squad: Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current management
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Manager: | Roberto Debrincat | Maltese |
| Club Doctor: | Dr. Daniel McKean M.D |  English |
| Technical Director: | Mario Mifsud | Maltese |
| Team Manager: | Michael Calleja | Maltese |
| Youth Academy Director: | Andrea Vella | Maltese |
| Youth Academy Coach: | Leon Camilleri | Maltese |
| First Team Physician: | Sandro Vella | Maltese |
External links
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