Sliema Wanderers Sliema Wanderers FC owe their name and part of their identity to the British Royal Navy. The club was officially founded in 1909, though the team's first match was played as early as 3 October 1908 against St George's, in an Under-21 boys' league. Sliema, one of the main harbours for the British fleet in the Mediterranean, was home to many English supporters, who mostly followed Bolton Wanderers or Wolverhampton Wanderers - it was from this English word Wanderers that the Maltese club took its name. The team's kit also changed over time - after a friendly match against rivals Floriana in which both sides wore similarly coloured shirts, Sliema opted for blue, reflecting the sea surrounding the town, and light blue, symbolising Our Lady of the Sea, the patron of Sliema's first parish.
The club ranked among Malta's elite from the very start, finishing runners-up to Floriana in the inaugural league season of 1909/10. Sliema Wanderers won their first Maltese championship a decade later, in the 1919/20 season, going undefeated throughout the campaign. From that point on, the club built one of the richest histories in Maltese football, winning a total of twenty-six league titles, most recently in 2004/05, along with a record number of victories in the national FA Trophy, dating back to their first triumph in 1935. For decades Sliema held the status of Malta's most decorated club, though in recent years long-time rivals Floriana overtook them in the championship standings, claiming their twenty-seventh title in the 2025/26 season.
Known as The Blues or tax-Xelin, Sliema Wanderers now play their home matches at the compact Tigne Sports Complex in the club's home town. Despite losing their position at the top of the all-time standings, Sliema Wanderers remain one of the most recognisable and respected clubs in the history of Maltese football, and one that still embodies the British roots of the sport on the island.
