Balzan F.C.

Balzan
Full nameBalzan Football Club
Founded1937; 87 years ago (1937)
(as Balzan Youths)
PresidentAnton Tagliaferro
Head coachDave Rogers
LeagueMaltese Premier League
2023–24Maltese Premier League, 8th of 14
Websitehttps://balzanfc1937.com/

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]

Balzan has qualified for the UEFA Europa League for five consecutive seasons (2015–16 to 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

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First-team squad

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As of 21 August 2024[3]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Malta MLT Dylan Ciappara
2 DF Malta MLT Gary Camilleri
4 DF Brazil BRA André Fausto
5 DF Malta MLT Samir Arab
6 MF Malta MLT Marcus Grima
7 MF Malta MLT Tristan Caruana
8 DF Malta MLT Nicolas Pulis
9 FW England ENG Isaac Westendorf
10 MF Malta MLT Jan Busuttil
11 MF Malta MLT Benjamin Hili
12 GK Malta MLT Niklas Vella
14 FW Nigeria NGA Oluwatobiloba Awosanya
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF Belgium BEL Henri Stanic
18 MF Malta MLT Jake Engerer
19 FW Malta MLT Gabriel Farrugia
21 FW Canada CAN Carson Buschman-Dormond
22 MF Malta MLT Jake Grech
23 DF Serbia SRB Nikola Žerjal
24 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Kevin Williams
27 FW England ENG Udoyen Akpan
77 MF Afghanistan AFG Mosawer Ahadi
80 MF Brazil BRA Cerezo
99 GK Serbia SRB Danilo Golović

Club facilities

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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

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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

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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.

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar 0–2 0–1 0–3
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Azerbaijan Neftçi 0–2 2–1 2–3
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q Hungary Videoton 3−3 0−2 3−5
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Azerbaijan Keşla 4−1 1−2 5−3
2Q Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 2–1 1−3 3−4
2019–20 UEFA Europa League 1Q Slovenia Domžale 3–4 0–1 3–5
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Slovenia Domžale 1–3 (a.e.t.) 4–1 5–4
2Q Belarus Neman Grodno 0−0 0–2 0–2
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round

List of managers

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References

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  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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