In 1925, two separate amateur leaguechampionships were played at the Empire Stadium.
One league was organised by the Malta Amateur Football Association and the other competition hosted by the newly-formed Malta Sports Association (MSA).
In the Amateur League the participating teams were Sliema Blue Stars, Sliema Amateurs, Sliema Corinthians, the Tigers of Floriana, Gioventu Cattolica of Valletta and Birkirkara United.
Birkirkara United were founded way back in the 1916-17 season by the famous St Joseph’s United, Floriana FC and Ħamrun Spartans centre-forward Salvu Troisi.
However, as far as we could ascertain, this was the first time that Birkirkara United were taking part in an organised football competition.
The MAFA League was played on Sunday mornings and attracted huge crowds of enthusiastic supporters to the ground.
Tony Nicholl once told me that even the rowdiest supporters were always at their best behaviour because of the groups of women that attended these matches to cheer on their boyfriends.
The Tigers and the Blue Stars were the real protagonists of this competition.
Both teams lost one match but the Tigers also drew 1-1 with their rivals, the Gioventu Cattolica. That draw cost them the championship and the eventual winners were Sliema Blue Stars.
In the MSA League, Flores College finished with eight points, one more than the Civil Service Sports Club and the Malta Eastern Club to win the first-ever competition of this organisation. The other teams were Banks Sports Association, Dockyard Staff Sports Club and the University.
The Malta Sports Association league was once described to me by one who played regularly as a high-class championship because, as we can see from the list of teams which took part, it was made up of sides from the best components of Maltese society.
During that particular season, the Amateur Cup was organised for the first time.
In years to come this competition was to become the biggest prize in the amateur football circle in the local game.
The six teams that played in this first edition of the cup competition were the same ones that took part in the MAFA League.
Later, registration was opened to all amateur clubs on the islands.
In the first match, Birkirkara United, who finished the league at the bottom of the table, caused a big surprise when they defeated Sliema Blue Stars 7-4.
In the semi-finals, however, Birkirkara were beaten 3-2 by Sliema Corinthians.
The other semi was won by Sliema Amateurs at the expense of Gioventu Cattolica.
The result of the final, however, is lost. But we know that Sliema Amateurs beat Sliema Corinthians to become the first winners of the cup competition.