Mqabba F.C.
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| Full name | Mqabba Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Tal-Gebel Hajduks |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Ground | Ta'Qali Stadium |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Chairman |
 Mario Borg |
| Manager |
Leslie Noel Burke |
| League | Maltese First Division |
| 2013–14 | Second Division (promoted from 1st place) |
| Website | Club home page |
Mqabba F.C. is a Maltese football club from Mqabba, a small village in south-western Malta. They were founded in 1957, and currently play in the Maltese First Division
Following the re-organisation of the Maltese football leagues and the creation of the Premier League, they gained promotion to this division in 1990-1991, 1992–1993 and 2006-2007. Mqabba F.C. has the merit of being one of the smallest Maltese localities to feature in the highest level of local football, especially since it has just been promoted once again (during season 2010-2011) to the Premier Division.
Players
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Minor squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Mqabba Football Club Youth Nursery
Club History: The first attempts to establish the Mqabba F.C. Youth Nursery date back to 1993, when the never forgotten Mr Joe Bugeja (known as id-Demsey), gathered children from the village and gave them the opportunity to acquire basic football training. For some reason or another, the Nursery soon came to an end.
In the year 2000 Mr Joe Farrugia shared his thoughts with Mr. Mark Bondin about establishing a football nursery. A group of 20 trainees all aged under 12 attended training with Mr Bondin, who is the current Nursery’s Head Coach. This season coincided with the promotion of the Mqabba F.C. senior team to the 1st Dvision.
The following season (2001/2002), the number of children doubled and the U/10 section was introduced, with training being held twice a week. The U/12’s had an impressive year, having good runs in YFA Tournaments and finishing Runners Up in another two tournaments organized at Zebbug and Zurrieq.
The 2002/2003 saw the Nursery growing considerably with the increase of both, children and coaches. The trainees attending for regular training rose up to 70. The coaches were Omar Caruana and Joe Borg (U/8), Alan Friggieri (U/10), Paul Calleja (U/12) and Mark Bondin (U/14), under voluntary basis. Tracksuits and kits were also introduced for training sessions and matches. During the following year (2003/2004), the situation remained practically the same, with a slight rise in trainees. However, during this season, the Nursery started investing in the coaching staff with coaches beginning to attend courses organized by MFA, so as to have better quality training.
A new 5-a-side synthetic football ground adjacent to the renovated sandy pitch enabled the Nursery to improve the quality of the training. Apart from these, new premises were erected for the Nursery to have its own facilities. During this season, the squads were divided in U/6, U/8, U/10, U/12, U/14, U/16 and U/19. The number of trainees attending training rose to 160 with 15 coaches organizing 16 training sessions per week. Training sessions were coordinated by two Head Coaches with UEFA "B" License, Mr. Mark Bondin and Mag. Darren Micallef.
The 2008-2009 season saw the installation of synthetic turf on the Nurseries main ground together with the building of adjacent dressing rooms, equipment room and an administration office. These added and renovated facilities gave more opportunities for better improvement of both the technical and personal aspects of the trainees. For the 2009-2010 seasons, given that the facilities were in place, the Nursery invested in experienced and qualified coaching team with the aim to improve on the continuous personal development of the trainees.
In 2010, Mqabba FC Youth Nursery has celebrated its 10th Anniversary. The logo chosen for this celebration was "FOR THE GOOD OF THE YOUNG". Several activities were organized with the main event being a reception organized at the nursery premises in the presence of Onor. Clyde Puli, Parliamentary Secretary for Youths and Sports. As from 2011-2012 season Mr Jimmy Briffa, ex-Maltese national player, was appointed as Technical Director. This was an important season when Mqabba FC Youth Nursery signed a new sponsorship contract with Eurosport and changed its kits’ brand from Legea to Adidas.
Successive Players (Nursery Products): Since the foundation of Mqabba FC Youth Nursery, both Brandon Debono and Omar Farrugia made their debut and are still regularly selected as part of the parent team. Brandon Debono, from the Under 17 team made his debut with Mqabba FC on 3 May 2010 in the match against Balzan Youths which match was won by Mqabba FC 1-0. Brandon made his debut at the age of 15 years. Omar Farrugia, another player within the Under 17 who made his first debut with parent team Mqabba FC on Sunday 1 May 2011 against Dingli. Omar was instrumental for the third goal scored by Jean Paul Muscat from penalty in a game which Mqabba won 3-1. Omar was also selected to join the U17 Malta National Team and made his debut for Malta on Monday 24 October 2011 during the UEFA U17 Championship against the team of Montenegro. During the season 2012/2013 we saw the debut of more players. On Sunday 14 April 2013, it was the time for our Under 19 regular player Kurt Falzon. Kurt made his debut with Mqabba FC at the age of 17 years in the match against Naxxar which match ended 3-0 for Naxxar. On Saturday 20 April 2013, Ryan Vella (17 years) from the Under 17 squad and Adrian Abdilla (18 years) from our Under 19 team made their debut for Mqabba FC against Gudja United during the pre-last First Division League match held at Luxol Ground. Match ended 4-1 for Gudja. It is to note also that during this match Mqabba FC had five players from the Nursery on the pitch with Curtis Callus, Under 17 goalkeeper selected on the bench. During the last First Division league match against B'Bugia held on Saturday 27 April 2013 at the Centenary Stadium, Curtis Callus made his debut on the 82 minute at the age of 15 years. Match ended 5-1 for B'Bugia. Moreover both Ryan Vella and Curtis Callus were regularly selected for trials with the U17 National team. On Sautrday 20th December 2014, Jake Callus, made his debut with the senior team at the age of 16 years 11 days. Jake played for the last 17 minutes during the First Division League match against Vittoriosa FC. Mqabba lost 2-1.
The main objective of our Nursery is to contribute to the continuous personal development of children from Mqabba and villages in the vicinities by luring them to the beautiful game of Football, for the ultimate benefit of the community. The accomplishment of this objective is testified by the ever increasing number of trainees attending training sessions. The positive contribution of the Nursery was also acknowledged by the Mqabba Local Council when in 2009 Mr. Mark Bondin, the Nursery founder and current Head Coach, was awarded with the Gieh L-Imqabba award in appreciation for his continuous contribution to the Nursery and the community of Mqabba.
Mqabba FC Youth Nursery is looking forward for innovative ways in which it can continue with its positive contribution. In fact, as from the 2009–2010 season, apart from the technical and administrative aspect in the Nursery's operations, the nursery committee has set up a Parents’ and Community sub-committee in order to encourage more parents participation in the Nursery.
The Nursery believes that parent’s involvement is crucial for the Nursery to continue pursuing its mission and the Nursery acknowledges the obligations that it has towards the community it forms part of. This sub-committee is responsible for the organization of activities which are earmarked to enhance the Nursery's presence in the community. This sub-committee widens the operational structure of the nursery which structure now caters for three aspects, that is Technical, Administration and Community.
For further details everyone is invited to visit the official website www.mqabbafcyn.org or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mqabbafcyn. Publications by the Mqabba FC Youth Nursery can be accessed on www.issuu.com/mqabbafcyn.
Personnel
Current technical staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Leslie Burke |
| Ass. Manager | Antoine Camilleri |
| Fitness coach | Guillermo Ganet |
| Goalkeeping coach | Christian Bartolo |
| Youth Nursery Head Coach | Nicholas Baldacchino |
| Under 19 Coach | Warren Said |
| Under 19 Ass. Coach | Gianluca Mallia |
Last updated: 11 September 2013
Source:
Managers
- Charles Farrugia, President
- Ethienne Borg & John Sciberras, Vice-Presidents
- Paul Spiteri, Secretary
- Martin Gauci, Treasurer
- Steve Debono, Team Manager
- Leslie Noel Burke, Coach
- Antione Camilleri, Assistant Coach
References
External links
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