Many important world events happened in 1968. Russia invaded Czechoslovakia, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, the Mexico Olympics took place, and Rod Laver beat Tony Roche in the men’s Wimbledon Final.
Probably less noticeable during the summer of 1968 was a small group of teenage friends who hung around the Sliema - Ghar id-Dud area and who decided to organise themselves better by forming an official club under which their passion for sports could be further expressed.
Enthusiasm was high and one of the boys even managed to obtain a quantity of T-shirts which the teams could use as kits for their matches. Already printed on the T-shirts was the trade name of a British paint, a product that the company, G&S Falzon Ltd, imported regularly at the time.
That name was… LUXOL.
Within a year of being formed, Luxol Sports Club was competing in the second Division of the MBA (Malta Basketball Association) and had also joined the SSA (Sliema Sports Association) which, at the time, organised various competitive sporting events, including senior and youth football, for a number of teams that hailed from the Sliema, St. Julian’s area.
The club grew and quickly established itself as an organised unit with a forward-looking mentality that still prevails to this day.
In 1982, Luxol relocated their premises to the St.Andrew’s area and, a year later, joined the Malta Football Association competing under the St. Andrew’ s FC name.
In 2006 the club achieved an important landmark in their history with the inauguration of the Luxol Stadium.
To commemorate their 40th anniversary, the directors of Luxol Sports Club are holding a get-together evening and Disco at their premises in Pembroke, tomorrow between 8pm and midnight. Admission is free.
All past players, coaches, members and friends are invited to attend. Contacted yesterday, club chairman and founder member Paul Falzon expressed his satisfaction at arriving at this important landmark in the club’s history, hinting that the Luxol journey will continue with the same energy and commitment of the first 40 years. “Our mission is to instil the club spirit in all those who share the Luxol experience, and to maintain our policy of investing in the club’s infrastructure for the benefit of our members and for the benefit of Maltese sport in general.”
Falzon thanked all those who have contributed to the club’s success during the past 40 years especially fellow founder members, Joseph Falzon, John Tabone, Alfred Pace and Josen Darmanin Demajo, whose commitment, loyalty and service to the club has been consistent to this very day”
“A special word of thanks and praise must also go to my lifelong friend and fellow club director, Norman Darmanin Demajo, with whom I have worked very closely during all this time, and I am looking forward to continuing with this partnership for many years to come.
“We have shared the same experiences and grown together in more ways than one, and I can guarantee that our energy and commitment to Luxol remains exactly the same as it was 40 years ago. We are now both fully dedicated to the club because we both understand and live by the philosophy that ‘sport is not an option, it’s a way of life!”