 | |||
| Full name | Sliema Wanderers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Blues The Wanderers | ||
| Founded | 3 November 1909 | ||
| Ground | Tigne Sports Complex, Sliema, Malta | ||
| Capacity | 1,000 | ||
| Chairman | Dr.Fisal Abdullah Alokla (Chairman) & Jeffrey Farrugia (President) | ||
| Manager | Andrea Pisanu[1] | ||
| League | Maltese Premier League | ||
| 2019–20 | Maltese Premier League, 10th of 14 | ||
| |||
Sliema Wanderers Football Club, nicknamed "tax-Xelin" (of the shilling),[2] is a professional Maltese football club.[3] It is the most successful team in Malta and hails from the seaside town of Sliema. It currently plays in the Maltese Premier League.
History
The club was founded in 1909. The club competed in the first ever Maltese Premier League season in 1909–10 and finished in second position to Floriana after the five game season came to an end.
Ten years down the line Sliema Wanderers finally made their mark in Maltese football by winning the Maltese Premier League title in the 1919–20 season. Since then the team have gone on to win the title 26 times, a record for Malta; the last three being in 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05.
Sliema Wanderers also hold the record for the most FA Trophy wins, with their first coming in 1935, when they overpowered Floriana with a 4–0 victory. The club have gone on to win this particular honour 20 times, most recently in 2000, 2004 and in 2009; the last title was won against Valletta 7–6 on penalties after the match finished 3–3 following extra time.
With all these honours, Sliema Wanderers are currently the most successful team in the history of Maltese football with approximately 113 honours. Sliema Wanderers train at the Tigne Sports Complex, in Sliema. Grant Tissot almost played for them, which would've been a major acquisition for such a club.
Sliema Wanderers also have a futsal team, which participates in Malta's top futsal league.
Supporters
Sliema Wanderers have their own supporters' group, the Sliema Wanderers Supporters Club. 2010 marked the club's 20th anniversary. The supporters' group was started by Joe Debono and Mario Avallone, and the group's clubhouse is in Manwel Dimech Street, known as 'The Lazy Corner'.
In 2008, a group of young Sliema fans formed the group known as Sliema Ultras Blue Gladiators 2008, better known as (Sliema Ultras '08 or SUBG'08). This young group is not only known to support the Blues at football but also water polo, futsal, rugby, hockey and many other sports that include the name Sliema.
The clubhouse is on Tower Street and welcomes visitors.
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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European record
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–64 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Preliminary Round | .svg.jpg){kind=small} | Borough United | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| 1964–65 | European Cup | Preliminary Round |  | Dinamo București | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–7 |
| 1965–66 | European Cup | Preliminary Round |  | Panathinaikos | 1–0 | 1–4 | 2–4 |
| 1966–67 | European Cup | Preliminary Round |  | CSKA Sofia | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–6 |
| 1968–69 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round |  | US Rumelange | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2(a) |
| 2. Round |  | Randers Freja | 0–2 | 0–6 | 0–8 | ||
| 1969–70 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round |  | IFK Norrköping | 1–0 | 1–5 | 2–5 |
| 1970–71 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1. Round | | Akademisk BK | 2–3 | 0–7 | 2–10 |
| 1971–72 | European Cup | 1. Round |  | ÍA Akranes | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 |
| 2. Round |  | Celtic | 1–2 | 0–5 | 1–7 | ||
| 1972–73 | European Cup | 1. Round |  | Górnik Zabrze | 0–5 | 0–5 | 0–10 |
| 1973–74 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
| 1974–75 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round |  | Lahti | 2–0 | 1–4 | 3–4 |
| 1975–76 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round |  | Sporting CP | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–5 |
| 1976–77 | European Cup | 1. Round | | TPS Turku | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2(a) |
| 1977–78 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round |  | Eintracht Frankfurt | 0–0 | 0–5 | 0–5 |
| 1979–80 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | | Boavista | 2–1 | 0–8 | 2–9 |
| 1980–81 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round |  | Barcelona | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
| 1981–82 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | | Aris Thessaloniki | 2–4 | 0–4 | 2–8 |
| 1982–83 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round | | Swansea City | 0–5 | 0–12 | 0–17 |
| 1987–88 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round |  | Vllaznia Shkodër | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–6 |
| 1988–89 | UEFA Cup | 1. Round | | Victoria București | 0–2 | 1–6 | 1–8 |
| 1989–90 | European Cup | 1. Round | | KF Tirana | 1–0 | 0–5 | 1–5 |
| 1990–91 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1. Round |  | Dukla Prague | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 |
| 1993–94 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Qualifying Round | | Degerfors | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–6 |
| 1995–96 | UEFA Cup | Preliminary Round |  | AC Omonia | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–5 |
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup | Preliminary Round |  | Margveti Zestafoni | 1–3 | 3–0 | 4–3 |
| Qualifying Round | | Odense BK | 0–2 | 1–7 | 1–9 | ||
| 1998 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1. Round |  | Diósgyőr | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–5 |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round |  | FC Zürich | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| 2000–01 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | %3b_Flag_of_Serbia_and_Montenegro_(2003%e2%80%932006).svg.png){kind=small} | FK Partizan | 2–1 | 1–4 | 3–5 |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round |  | Matador Púchov | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–4 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | | Polonia Warsaw | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 |
| 2003–04 | UEFA Champions League | 1. Qualifying Round |  | Skonto Riga | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–3(a) |
| 2. Qualifying Round | | Copenhagen | 0–6 | 1–4 | 1–10 | ||
| 2004–05 | UEFA Champions League | 1. Qualifying Round |  | FBK Kaunas | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–6 |
| 2005–06 | UEFA Champions League | 1. Qualifying Round |  | Sheriff Tiraspol | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–6 |
| 2006–07 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | | Rapid București | 0–1 | 0–5 | 0–6 |
| 2007–08 | UEFA Cup | 1. Qualifying Round | | Litex Lovech | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–7 |
| 2009–10 | UEFA Europa League | 2. Qualifying Round |  | Maccabi Netanya | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| 2010–11 | UEFA Europa League | 1. Qualifying Round |  | Šibenik | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| 2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | 1. Qualifying Round |  | Khazar Lankaran | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| 2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 1. Qualifying Round | | Ferencváros | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 |
Managerial history
| Manager | Period |
|---|---|
 Salvinu Schembri | 1963–1964 |
| János Bédl | 1 July 1964 – 30 June 1966 |
| Victor Scerri | 1968–1978 |
| Edward Aquilina | 1979–1983 |
| Robbie Buttigieg | 1981–1982 |
| Tony Formosa | 1982–1986 |
| Lawrence Borg | 1987–1989 |
| Martin Gregory | 1999–2001 |
 Augustine Eguavoen | 1 July 2000 – 30 June 2001 |
 Jeff Wood | 2000–2002 |
| Lawrence Borg | 2001–2002 |
| Edward Aquilina | 2002–2006 |
| Ray Farrugia | 2006–2007 |
| Stephen Azzopardi | 1 November 2007 – 30 May 2010 |
| Mark Marlow | 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011 |
 Danilo Dončić | 3 February 2011 – 27 May 2012 |
| Clive Mizzi | 27 May 2012 – 7 August 2012 |
 Alfonso Greco | 1 July 2012 – October 2014 |
| Stephen Azzopardi | October 2014 – December 2015 |
| Alfonso Greco | 1 January 2016 – May 2016 |
| John Buttigieg | June 2016 – present |
Honours
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- Champions: 26 1919–20, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1948–49, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1988–89, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05
Maltese FA Trophy
- Winners (21): 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1939–40, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1989–90, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2008–09, 2015–16
- Winners: 1983–84
Maltese Super Cup Champions
- Winners: 1996, 2000, 2009
References
- ^ "Pisanu named as Sliema Wanderers coach". Times of Malta. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Cassar Pullicino, J. (1956). "Social Aspects of Maltese Nicknames" (PDF). Scientia. 22 (2): 92.
- ^ https://usa.laliga.es/en/news/laliga-the-best-show-in-malta-1