Football enthusiasts in Gozo had something to look forward to during the month of July, a month in which football is at a standstill. This is because for the 11th successive year, S.K. Victoria Wanderers organized another edition of the 5-a-side indoor soccer tournament, the only one of its kind in Gozo, at the Gozo Sports Complex.

This year’s edition had an important change in the format of the tournament. After the group stages, all teams progressed to the knock-out phase, with first and second placed teams going to Division One whilst third and fourth ones were placed in Division Two. This was done to give an opportunity to win even to the lesser teams. This change in format was well received by the teams, with a total of 16 teams participating, with a total of 38 games being played.

Both Division One and the Division Two finals were held on 28th July and were tightly contested. In the first final between teams from Division Two, New Team Boys defeated Ninu’s Boys 4-3. In the Division One final, Victoria Red Stars had the better of La Grotta 5-3 and were crowned champions for the second consecutive season.

Division One champions won the prize of €400 while Division Two champions won €200. All finalists were awarded a trophy and a commemorating medal. Additionally, individual honours were awarded to players from both divisions. Top scorer Joseph Portelli (Victoria R.S.), best player Alex Tramboo (Victoria R.S.) and most promising player Dylan Mercieca (La Grotta) claimed the Division One awards, while the winners of Division Two were top scorer Daniel Pace (New Team), best player Justin Falzon (New Team) and most promising player Angelo Brigiones (Ninu’s Boys).

This edition of the tournament was also marked by the introduction of a new technical sponsor: The BodyForge, Gozo’s Biggest Fitness Arena. As part of the sponsorship, The BodyForge awarded all players of both winning teams a free month of gym membership as well as substantial membership discounts to every player participating in the tournament. This offer will give these footballers a great opportunity to better their game by focusing on sports conditioning. In fact, these players will now have access to a complete range of the latest, custom-designed cardiovascular, plate loaded, and selectorized equipment, as well as a vast range of free weight equipment, comprising the biggest fitness facility in Gozo, all under one roof. Furthermore, they can even make use of the personal training facilities available to design a completely individual, custom made program intended to condition them into top form to improve their game. Another great plus is that all members will also have access to BodyCurves, the first health café in Malta and Gozo, where they will have superior nutrition in the form of the finest supplements and actual meals, right at their fingertips. More information can be obtained by emailing The BodyForge at info@bfgozo.com or on their website at www.bfgozo.com.

The S.K. Victoria Wanderers committee would like to congratulate all the winners and thank all the participants. Special thanks go to the main sponsor HSBC, technical sponsor BodyForge, Bellusa Daughters, Farsons, Ministry for Gozo and the staff of the Gozo Sports Complex.

Permalink: The eleventh HSBC Indoor Soccer Tournament