1925 was a memorable year for Gozitan sport.
On April 26 that year the first-ever football club on the sister island, Victoria United, was founded.
The club was formed on the initiative of a certain Mr Schembri, who became the first president. P. Portelli was treasurer and A. Pace nominated as secretary.
This was the first step in the long process of setting up the game in Gozo. We do not know what happened of Victoria United but we had to wait up to 1934 for another significant movement.
This came from the British soldiers who were stationed at Fort Chambray.
They used to play against each other and sometimes even played civilian teams from Għajnsielem.
It was a certain Colonel Warrel who persuaded Fr Bernard Hersey OFM, who at the time was based at Ta’ Ġieżu convent in Mġarr, to form a team.
Fr Bernard was an avid football fan. His initiative resulted in the birth of the Għajnsielem Scouts team.
In a short while, Fort Chambray became a centre of football activities. However, the island lacked an adequate ground. Games were played either at Fort Chambray or in village squares and the odd abandoned waste of land.
The Gozo FA was founded in 1936 and on September 13 that year the Silver Jubilee Ground was inaugurated with the friendly between Maltese clubs St George’s Ramblers and St Julians.
On January 1937, the first Gozo XI was formed and they played a friendly match at the Silver Jubilee Ground against Tarxien Rainbows which the Maltese side won 2-1.
An attempt to form a league was made and four teams applied – Xagħra Scouts, Nadur Ramblers, Victoria Scouts and Victoria United.
The GFA bound itself to go by the rules of the MFA but introduced an amendment saying no Maltese players could play in their league.
Victoria Scouts had already signed Tabone, of St Edward’s College, and Grima, of the University. However, the other clubs refused to participate unless the Scouts abided by the GFA rule.
The first league match between Victoria Scouts and Nadur Ramblers was abandoned and the GFA decided to postpone the competition to the next season.
During the summer of 1937, six new teams applied – Victoria Scouts, Victoria Swallows, Xewkija FC, Għasri Wolves, Little Tigers and Gozo Lyceum.
Unfortunately most of the results are lost and it is not known if all fixtures were played at all.
Then, in 1938, football in Gozo was given a shot in the arm when the island’s only football ground, the Silver Jubilee Ground, was upgraded and the pitch brought in shape just in time for the forthcoming season.
The first league match of 1938-39 was played between Victoria City and Victoria Stars. This, incidentally, was the first time that the public paid for admission to watch a football match in Gozo.
City triumph
Victoria City won 2-1 and bagged the first points of the season.
They continued on the winning trail beating the other team in the league, Għajnsielem Rovers, 3-1.
Victoria Stars beat Rovers 4-0 but then drew 1-1 with the same opponents in the first match of the second round, thus losing virtually all hope of winning the championship.
City made sure of the title on April 21 when they beat Rovers 3-0.
1939-40 started very late because of the usual bickering between the clubs and the GFA. Unfortunately, all the results of the league are lost.
It is probable that the competition was contested by Victoria City and Xagħra Blue Stars.
During that season, the firm Pax Flour Mills, owned by Francis Galea, presented a handsome silver cup to the GFA to be played annually on a knock-out basis.
The Galea Cup soon became one of the most prestigious competitions in the history of Gozitan football.
The first edition was played in 1940 between three teams. On February 18, 1940 Victoria City beat Gozo Stars 2-0 in the semi-final and then went on to beat Xagħra Blue Stars in the final.
The war prevented any further development in the game in Gozo and the competition was not re-sumed before 1944-45 when the league and Galea Cup were played.
Victoria Athletics won the first three league champions of the post-World War Two era but the championship winners of 1947-48 are not known as results were lost.
The Salesian Youths won the title but between 1949 and 1952 but the interest in the game in Gozo fell so low that the championship was halted.