Balzan Futsal Club
| Full name | Balzan Football Club Futsal | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 (as ZC Excess), 2012 (as Balzan F.C.) | ||
| Dissolved | 2015 | ||
| League | Maltese Futsal League | ||
| Website | balzanfc1937.com | ||
|
| |||
Balzan Football Club (futsal) was the futsal section of Balzan F.C., based in Balzan, Malta. Active from 2000 to 2015, the team competed in the Maltese Futsal League and quickly established itself as one of the country’s top futsal sides. During its short but successful existence, Balzan Futsal won multiple domestic titles and participated in the UEFA Futsal Champions League. The club ceased operations in 2015 following structural changes in Maltese futsal.[1]
History
The origins of the team go back to the club ZC Excess, which won the Maltese futsal championship in the 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons.[2][3]
In 2011, ZC Excess merged with River Plate Bidnija to form Excess RP Bidnija. This new entity won the 2011–12 national championship.[4]
In 2012, the club became the official futsal team of Balzan F.C. and began competing under the name Balzan Football Club.[5]
During the summer 2014 , Balzan lost a host of players, among them player/coach Gabriel Dobre, Emil Raducu, Andrea Dan, Zeljko Anicic, Jovica Milijic, Reuben Grech and Christian Wismayer. However, they also appointed Bulgarian Boycho Marev as their new player-coach while securing the services of Italian player Marco Conti and Croatian international Frane Despotović. They have also signed promising youngster Matthew Attard, Mark Zammit, Eslam Khalifa and Karl Azzopardi.[6]
Honours
- Maltese Futsal League
- Champions (4): 2009–10, 2010–11 (as ZC Excess), 2011–12 (as Excess RP Bidnija), 2013–14 (as Balzan FC)[7]
- Maltese Futsal Knockout Cup
- Winners (4): 2011–12 (as Excess RP Bidnija), 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15 (as Balzan FC)[8]
UEFA Futsal Cup
Balzan has participated in the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Futsal Cup on several occasions. Their first appearance as Balzan FC was in 2013-14 UEFA Futsal Cup.[9]
Notable Players and Coaches
One of the most notable figures during Balzan's successful era was Romanian international Gabriel Dobre, who acted as player-coach during their UEFA campaigns.[10] Another Romanian international, Emil Răducu, played for the club.[11]
Another key player was Jovica Milijić, who played a vital role in the 2013–14 season, scoring in both league and cup competitions. He left the club in August 2014.[12]
See also
References
- ^ Balzan Futsal withdraws from Elite League, MaltaFootball.com, 2015-09-02
- ^ Malta 2009/10 Futsal National League, FutsalPlanet.com
- ^ Malta 2010/11 Futsal National League, FutsalPlanet.com
- ^ Excess RP make it three titles in a row, Times of Malta, 2012-04-28
- ^ Futsal league to kick off mid-September, MaltaFootball.com, 2012-08-15
- ^ "Futsal – Balzan, Luxol face off in Super Cup". MaltaFootball.com. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ Malta 2013/14 Futsal National League, FutsalPlanet.com
- ^ Balzan win Futsal Knock-Out, MaltaFootball.com, 2015-04-03
- ^ Balzan to take part in UEFA Futsal Cup mini-tournament next week, MaltaFootball.com, 2014-08-22
- ^ Futsal: Comfortable wins for Hibs, Balzan, MaltaFootball.com, 2014-05-15
- ^ "UEFA Futsal Cup: Balzan end commitments with a win". MaltaFootball.com. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ Balzan to take part in UEFA Futsal Cup mini-tournament next week, MaltaFootball.com, 2014-08-22