Balzan F.C.

Last updated
Balzan
Balzan F.C..png
Full nameBalzan Football Club
Founded1937;87 years ago (1937)
(as Balzan Youths)
PresidentAnton Tagliaferro
Head coach Dave Rogers
League Maltese Premier League
2023–24 Maltese Premier League, 8th of 14
Website Club website

Balzan Football Club is a Maltese football club from the village of Balzan that competes in the Maltese Premier League, the top tier of Maltese football. The club was founded as Balzan Youths in 1937 and has been playing in the top division since 2010. They were renamed Balzan FC in June 2012. [1]

Contents

Balzan has qualified for the UEFA Europa League for five seasons in a row between 2015–16 and 2019–20. The club finished as runners-up in the Malta Premier League in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons and were finalists of the 2015–16 Maltese FA Trophy, which they lost on penalties to Sliema Wanderers after a goalless draw in the regular time. In May 2019, the club finally won its first major honour, the 2018–19 Maltese FA Trophy, after defeating Valletta on penalties in the final. [2]

Players

First-team squad

As of 4 February 2024 [3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Rudi Briffa
2 DF Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Ivan Božović
4 DF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA André Fausto
5 DF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Samir Arab
6 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Marcus Grima
7 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Tristan Caruana
8 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Paul Fenech
9 FW Flag of South Sudan.svg  SSD Manyluak Aguek
10 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Jan Busuttil
11 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Benjamin Hili
12 GK Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Niklas Vella
14 FW Flag of Nigeria.svg  NGA Oluwatobiloba Awosanya(on loan from Domžale )
No.Pos.NationPlayer
17 FW Flag of South Korea.svg  KOR Han Eui-kwon
18 MF Flag of Japan.svg  JPN Ryohei Michibuchi
21 FW Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Aleksandar Katanić
22 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Jake Grech
23 DF Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Nikola Žerjal
24 MF Flag of Montenegro.svg  MNE Nikola Braunović
27 MF Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Olivier Rommens
42 MF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Gareth Buttigieg
44 DF Flag of Malta.svg  MLT Gianluca Cacciatore
77 MF Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Aleksa Andrejić
80 FW Flag of Australia (converted).svg  AUS George Blackwood
99 GK Flag of Serbia.svg  SRB Danilo Golović

Club facilities

The club's Administration Building 'Solerville' is located at Main Street, Balzan. A bar and garden restaurant on the ground floor are open to the public. The club's training facilities, located at Robert Mifsud Bonnici Street, Lija, include a clubhouse and a full-size pitch with synthetic turf. The clubhouse includes a conference room, a bar and a gymnasium and was officially opened on 13 March 2011. From September 2015, Balzan teams also commenced training at St Aloysius' College ground, after the ground underwent a major upgrade.

In 2019, Balzan FC started the construction of an additional two-storey clubhouse at its Lija ground which feature additional changing room facilities, as well as accommodation for visiting teams. The building was completed in late 2021.

Honours

Balzan players celebrating the club's first major title in 2019, after defeating Valletta 5-4 on penalties in the Maltese FA Trophy final. Balzan FC wins FA Trophy.jpg
Balzan players celebrating the club's first major title in 2019, after defeating Valletta 5–4 on penalties in the Maltese FA Trophy final.

European record

Balzan players and supporters celebrate the club's historic qualification to the UEFA Europa League following a 3-1 victory over Hibernians on 26 April 2015. Balzan players and supporters celebrate Balzan F.C.'s historic qualification to the UEFA Europa League following a 3 -1 victory against Hibernians FC on 26 April 2015..jpg
Balzan players and supporters celebrate the club's historic qualification to the UEFA Europa League following a 3–1 victory over Hibernians on 26 April 2015.

All results (home and away) list Balzan's goal tally first.

SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Željezničar 0–20–10–3
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Neftçi 0–22–12–3
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Hungary.svg Videoton 3−30−23−5
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Keşla 4−11−25−3
2Q Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan Bratislava 2–11−33−4
2019–20 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Slovenia.svg Domžale 3–40–13–5
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Flag of Slovenia.svg Domžale 1–3 ( a.e.t. )4–15–4
2Q Flag of Belarus.svg Neman Grodno 0−00–20–2
Notes

List of managers

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References

  1. ↑ "Club History". Balzan FC. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Camilleri, Valhmor (18 May 2019). "Effiong scores four as Balzan win first-ever FA Trophy". Times of Malta. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "Senior Team – Season 2023/2024". Balzan F.C. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Camilleri, Valhmor (5 June 2022). "Balzan FC appoint Oliver Spiteri as new first-team coach". Times of Malta. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
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