Xewkija Tigers F.C. is a football club from the village of

Xewkija Xewkija ( mt, Ix-Xewkija, it, Casal Xeuchia, pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an administrative unit of Malta, on the island of Gozo. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014. History Xewkija, which is situated between G ...

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The club was founded in 1938, and currently plays in the

Gozo Football League The Gozo Football League is a football competition for clubs on the Maltese island of Gozo, in the Mediterranean Sea. The league is run by the Gozo Football Association and currently has 14 teams split into two divisions, the First Division ( ...

, First Division.

History

Xewkija Tigers Football Club is a Maltese football club, that was founded in 1938. However, the team did not play their first competitive match until five years after their inception. Prior to this, Xewkija Tigers had only engaged in friendly matches, primarily due to the challenging circumstances that the inhabitants of Gozo faced during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It wasn't until the 1944-45 season, that the club made their debut in local competitions, marking a significant milestone in their history. The following season, in 1945-46, Xewkija Tigers achieved their first notable accomplishment by winning the Galea Cup. They secured this title by defeating Xaghra Blue with a score of 1–0 in a match that was held on May 12, 1946. This victory was a defining moment for the club, and it set the stage for their continued success in the years to come. In the period between 1958–59 and 1965–66 seasons, Xewkija participated in the local league under two different names, Xewkija United/Xewkija Tigers and Xewkija Rovers. The name Xewkija United was only used for a single season (1958–59), where successively the team was called again Xewkija Tigers. Whereas Xewkija Rovers continued to play as a separate team from the Tigers for some more years in the

, precisely until the 1965–66 season. At the end of this season it was decided that Xewkija Rovers should stop participating in the Gozitan league, leaving the village's representation solely to Xewkija Tigers. Xewkija Tigers' first domestic league title came at the end of the 1974–75 season. This squad included the likes of John Busuttil, Mike Apap, Salvu Cilia, Charlie Le Prevost, Frank Mizzi, Carmel Attard, Raymond Rapa, Paul Vella, John Spiteri, Wistin Scerri, John Attard, Carmel Portelli, Benny Vella, Paul Hili, Joe Debrincat and Joe Grech. It was guided to victory under Mr. Joe Psaila, whereas the club was in the hands of President Mr. Frans Zammit Haber. In the early 1980s (1982–83 and 1983–84) Xewkija Tigers managed to win two consecutive league titles, together with the

GFA Cup The GFA Cup, currently known as the BOV GFA Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knockout football cup competition in Gozo, run by and named after the Gozo Football Association. The competition is played between the clubs of the Gozitan First Divis ...

and the Silver Jubilee Cup. The team managed to win all the titles which the Gozitan league offered in these years. Xewkija were managed by Mr. Salvu Cilia. Xewkija Tigers' last domestic title arrived in the 2000–01 season in a decisive final won against Nadur Youngsters F.C. by 4–3. Xewkija were once again managed by Mr. Salvu Cilia, who incidentally left his mark in all Xewkija's league titles (one as a player and three as a coach). After two seasons in the lowest division of the Gozo Football League, Xewkija Tigers returned at the end of the 2008–09 season after winning the Promotion Decided with contenders Xaghra United by 3–2 (starting line-up: J.Grima, S.Mercieca, J.Vella, J.Vella, J.Cefai; S.Mizzi, A.Fotso, M.Pace (P.Rapa), J.Azzopardi (J.Azzopardi); C.Bugeja, R.Buttigieg). The coach at the time was Mario Bonello. In 2011-12 season Xewkija Tigers won the title in

Gozo Football League First Division The Gozitan First Division, known for sponsorship reasons as the BOV GFL First Division, is the top division of the Gozo Football League, the league competition for men's football clubs in Gozo. The GFL First Division is played on three round ...

G.F.A. Cup The GFA Cup, currently known as the BOV GFA Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knockout football cup competition in Gozo, run by and named after the Gozo Football Association. The competition is played between the clubs of the Gozitan First Div ...

Independence Cup (Malta) The Independence Cup was a football competition that took place in Gozo, Malta. The cup holders in 2010 were Victoria Hotspurs who won the cup after beating Sannat Lions 7–0 in the 2009 final at the newly refurbished Sannat Ground. This competi ...

In 22nd December 2022 Xewkija Tigers played against Sannat Lions Xewkija beat Sannat 7-0

Players

Current squad

Out On Loan

Honours

First Division: :This is when the football club reigned champions with their runner-ups. :*Champions (8): 1974–75; 1982–83; 1983–84; 2000–01; 2011–12; 2013–14; 2014–15; 2016–2017 :*Runners-up (9): 1984–85; 1985–86; 1990–91; 1991–92; 2001–02; 2004–05 2012–2013 2015–2016; 2019-2020

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

: :*Champions (7): 1964–65; 1969–70; 1972–73; 1980–81; 1987–88; 1995–96; 2008–09 :*Runners-up (5): 1952–53; 1968–69; 1979–80; 1993–94; 2007–08

: :*Champions (11): 1983–84; 1984–85; 1989–90; 1990–91; 1999–00; 2001–02; 2004–05; 2011–2012; 2014–2015; 2015–2016; 2017-2018; Super Cup: :*Champions (4): 2004–05; 2011–2012 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 Republic Cup: :*Champions (1): 1999–00 Gemaharija Cup: :*Champions (1): 1989–90 Silver Jubilee Cup: :*Champions (1): 1983–84 Independence Cup: :*Champions (4): 1992–93; 2000–01; 2003–04; 2011–12 Freedom Cup: :*Champions (5): 1979–80; 1980–81; 2000–01; 2003–04; 2011–2012 Galea Cup: :*Champions (2): 1945–46; 1952–53 Challenge Cup: :*Champions (2): 1974–75; 1980–81 Rothmans Cup: :*Champions (1): 1987–88 (2nd Div.) K.O. Winners Cup: :*Champions (3): 1993–94 (2nd Div.); 1996–97 (1st Div.) 2016-2017 (1st Div),2018-2019 (1st Div.)

References

External links

Xewkija Tigers Official Website
{{Maltese football Football clubs in Malta Gozitan football clubs 1939 establishments in Malta Xewkija