The advent of the FA Trophy competition in Malta all kicked-off with an advert from Thomas Cook and Sons announcing a seven-day tour to Rome intended to attract the attention of local football followers.
In fact the tour package included a first class seat (“Ingresso Posti Distinti”) for the first ever Italy v England encounter which was to be played at the Stadio Partito Nazionale Fascista in Rome in May 1933.
The tour was priced at the princely sum of £12 but this did not deter a group of 200 Maltese supporters, mainly English sympathisers, to take the bumpy crossing to Sicily on the mail-packet and a further 24 hours on a coal-driven train to Rome. Among the group were high MFA officials namely, Lieut. H. Melville, Mr J. Cachia, Mr Alfred Stagno Navarra and Mr J. H. Cracey.
Three days after their arrival in Rome the Maltese group had a special appointment as they were at the train station to greet the English party upon their arrival in Rome.
Sir Frederick Wall, The FA Secretary and Head of the English delegation invited the MFA officials to lunch at the Grand Hotel where they met the English players. The following day the whole group was invited to watch a training session of the English team.
On matchday, the 200 Maltese supporters in a jam-packed Italian Stadium filled to the brim with 50,000 tifosi azzurri were not silenced as they voiced their whole-hearted support to the English team.
Joe Griffiths, the first coach of the national side, who was present for the match recalls how the English players themselves were startled and equally pleased to hear the encouraging support in their own English language coming from the Maltese group seated in a prime location near the touchline.
The efforts of the Maltese group did not go unnoticed. Sir Frederick Wall was quick to notice, appreciate and promise a reward. In fact, a year later, true to his word Sir Frederick Wall fulfilled his promises made to MFA Officials as he sent a handsome statuette made of silver in appreciation of Malta’s vociferous support on that fateful day in Rome. Together with the Trophy there was a signed letter from Sir Fredrick Wall requesting the MFA for an annual competition on a knock-out basis which would involve local and service teams in Malta, the winner of which would retain the Trophy for one year.
Hence the start of the FA Trophy.
Just for the record: The history of the knock-out competition in Malta did not start with the very first FA Trophy match between Melita and Sliema Rangers in April 1935 but many years before, that is, since Valletta United played against Msida United for the National Ground Cup on 9th April 1911. Since then, the Cup had changed shape and name on several occasions as the knock-out competition was renamed Mile End Sunday Football Cup, Gaelic Cup, Empire Sports Ground Cup, the MFA Cup and the huge Cousis Shield always according to the name of the new sponsor. But still it was our knock-out competition long before the arrival of the handsome FA Trophy.