Hibernians Football Club is a Maltese professional football club based in the town of Paola. They are the only Malta football club to have never been relegated from the Premier League.

History The club played one season in 1922 as Constitutionals FC, representing the pro-British Constitutional Party. They resumed playing again in the 1927–28 season and became a top amateur side, winning the Amateur League in 1930–31.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Party had upset the Catholic Church so much that, in May 1930, Catholics were told not to vote for the party. The football club changed its name a year later to Hibernians Football Club as a nod to Hibernian, the club founded by Irish Catholics in Edinburgh. They won their first match as Hibernians 2–1, against in October 1931. They had to wait for a place to become available in the professional league, but in January 1933 they joined the league, their first result being a 3–1 victory over Sliema Rangers. They have stayed in the top division ever since. Hibernians then won their first league title in 1961, with a team featuring Maltese international players like brothers Louis and Eddie Theobald and Freddie Mizzi.

Around 1970 English football legend Sir Stanley Matthews managed Hibernians. He led the club to a League title and two Maltese FA Trophies.Stanley Matthews’s connection with Malta, Carmel Baldacchino, Times of Malta, 19 August 2010

Hibernians faced a long period of decline followed the success of the 1980s to the end of the decade. Hibernians have a futsal team, which plays in Malta's top futsal league, the Premier Futsal League.

Stadium

The club's home ground is Hibernians Stadium, a multi-use stadium in Paola, which has a capacity of about 3,000.

Honours Source: Maltese Premier League Winners (13): 1960–61, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1978–79, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2021–22 Maltese FA Trophy Winners (11): 1961–62, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1997–98, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2024–25 Maltese Super Cup Winners (5): 1994,2007,2015,2022,2026 Cassar Cup Winners (2): 1961–62, 1962–63 Testaferrata Cup Winners (3): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81 Euro Challenge Cup Winners (4): 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10, 2012-13 Quadrangular Tournament Winners (1): 2005-06 Independence Cup Winners (3): 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71 Sons of Malta Cup Winners (3): 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72 Olympic Cup Winners (1): 1962–63 Schembri Shield Winners (1): 1961–62

European record Accurate as of 11 August 2022

CompetitionPlayedWonDrewLostGFGAGDWin% Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate 1961–62 European Cup Prelim Servette FC 1–2 0–5 1–71962–63European Cup Winners' CupPrelim Olympiacos advanced by walkover1R Atlético Madrid 0–1 0–4 0–5 1967–68 European Cup 1R Manchester United F.C. 0–0 0–4 0–4 1968–69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1R Aris Thessaloniki F.C. 0–6 0–1 0–7 1969–70 European Cup 1R FC Spartak Trnava 2–2 0–4 2–6 1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Real Madrid C.F. 0–0 0–5 0–5 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup Prelim Fram 3–0 0–2 3–2 1R Steaua Bucharest 0–0 0–1 0–11974–75 UEFA Cup1R FC Amsterdam 0–7 0–5 0–121976–77UEFA Cup1R Grasshoppers 0–2 0–7 0–91978–79 UEFA Cup1R S.C. Braga 3–2 0–5 3–7 1979–80 European Cup 1R Dundalk F.C. 1–0 0–2 1–21980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup1R Waterford 1–0 0–4 1–4 1981–82 European Cup 1R Red Star Belgrade 1–2 1–8 2–10 1982–83 European Cup 1R Widzew Łódź 1–4 1–3 2–71986–87UEFA Cup1R Trakia Plovdiv 0–2 0–8 0–10 1994–95 UEFA Cup Prelim FC Dinamo Minsk 4–3 (a.e.t.) 1–3 5–6 1995–96 UEFA Cup Prelim FC Chornomorets Odesa 2–5 0–2 2–71996UEFA Intertoto CupGroup 11 FC Ural Yekaterinburg 1–2 5th PFC CSKA Sofia 1–4 RC Strasbourg Alsace 0–2 Kocaelispor 3–5 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Zagłębie Lubin 1–0 0–4 1–4 2002–03 UEFA Champions League 1Q Shelbourne F.C. 2–2 1–0 3–2 2Q Boavista F.C. 3–3 0–4 3–7 2003 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R AC Allianssi 1–1 0–1 1–2 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R NK Slaven Belupo 2–1 0–3 2–4 2005–06 UEFA Cup 1Q AC Omonia 0–3 0–3 0–6 2006–07 UEFA Cup 1Q FC Dinamo București 0–4 1–5 1–9 2007–08 UEFA Cup 1Q FK Vojvodina 0–2 1–5 1–7 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R ND Gorica 0–3 0–0 0–3 2009–10 UEFA Champions League 1Q FK Mogren 0–2 0–4 0–6 2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q FK Sarajevo 4–4 2–5 6–9 2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1Q FK Vojvodina 1–4 2–3 3–7 2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q FC Spartak Trnava 2–4 0–5 2–9 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2Q Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. 2–1 1–5 3–6 2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q FC Spartak Trnava 0–3 0–3 0–6 2017–18 UEFA Champions League 1Q FCI Tallinn 2–0 1–0 3–0 2Q FC Red Bull Salzburg 0–3 0–3 0–6 2019–20 UEFA Europa League 1Q Shakhtyor Soligorsk 0–1 0–1 0–2 2020–21 UEFA Europa League 1Q Vaduz 2–0 2Q Fehérvár 0–1 2021–22 UEFA Champions League 1Q Flora 0–3 0–2 0–5 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Folgore 4–2 3–1 7–3 3Q Riga 1–4 (a.e.t.) 1–0 2–4 2022–23 UEFA Champions League 1Q Shamrock Rovers 0–0 0–3 0–3 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q FCI Levadia 3–2 1–1 4–3 3Q RFS 1–3 1–1 2–4 2025–26 UEFA Conference League 2Q Spartak Trnava 1–2 1–5 2–7

Players

Maltese teams are limited to eight players without Maltese citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country.

Current squad

Out on loan

Historical list of coaches

Joe A. Griffiths Saviour Cuschieri (1961 – 1962) Jimmy Davidson (1962 – 1963) Hillary Tagliaferro (1964 – 1966) Lino Bugeja (1966 – 1970) Hillary Tagliaferro (1967 – 1970) Johnny Calleja (1972 – 1977) George Busuttil (1977 – 1979) Eddie Theobald (1981 – 1982) Johnny Calleja (1982 – 1983) George Busuttil (1984 – 1985) Terenzio Polverini (1987 – 1988) Edward Darmanin (1987 – 1989) Joe Cilia (1989 – 1992) Brian Talbot (1992 – 1996) Mark Miller (1997;– 1999) Robert Gatt (30 June 1999 – 8 July 2007) Edmond Lufi (2007 – 8 September 2008) Mark Miller (1 July 2008 – 2012) Michael Woods (13 June 2012 – 2013) Branko Nišević (30 May 2013 – 2016) Mark Miller (2016 – 5 March 2018) Mario Muscat (5 March 2018 – 4 July 2018) Stefano Sanderra (4 July 2018 – 30 June 2022) Andrea Pisanu (8 July 2022 – 6 February 2023) Silvio Vella (7 February 2023 – 1 June 2023) Branko Nišević (17 July 2023 – 26 February 2026) Andrei Agius (26 February 2026 – )

Women's team A women's team plays in the Women's Maltese First Division. The team is the national record champion with twelve titles, the most recent being won in 2016.

See also Hibernians Basketball Club

References

External links