For the fourth consecutive year Mtarfa FC will organise the Imtarfa Military Cup – a five-a-side tournament to mark the Mtarfa Cup.

British Servicemen who were stationed in Mtarfa in the beginning of the 20th century started playing football at the parade ground thus giving birth to football in Mtarfa. According to records available in newspapers of the early 1900s, the first match which was played there was a friendly match between the Malta Athletic Club and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, won 4-0 by the latter.

In 1909, no national league was played and clubs used to play several matches against varied opposition, especially against British Army and Navy teams to try and show their strength. There was no doubt that the strongest teams were Floriana and St. George’s. In 1907, St. George’s issued a number of challenges to local and services’ teams. However no side was strong enough to face them. In April 1908, Floriana accepted this challenge. The Greens wanted to play a match for a silver cup which came to be known as the “Imtarfa Cup”. The Imtarfa Parade Ground was chosen since Mtarfa was situated far away from both Floriana and Cospicua. The date was the 14th February 1909. One of the local dailies at that time, “The Malta Chronicle” commented that over 10,000 spectators were present for this match. In fact on the day of the match, the train had to make several extra trips to accommodate the thousands of supporters who went to Imtarfa. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

For the Mtarfa Military Cup 2014, a maximum of ten players per team may be registered. Participation fee is €100 per team. The cash prize for the winning team is €250.