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End-of-Season Awardsby Jonathan Spiteri17/06/2010 Since 2008, our group’s main activity (outside the stadium) is that of awarding a particular Birkirkara FC player who, in the group’s majority opinion, stood out from the rest of his team mates. This, of course, does not diminish the appreciation towards every other single player that forms part of this title winning squad, but just a means of getting closer to our players one by one, with the hope that the affection felt by this single player is transmitted to the rest of the team. The ‘Player of the Round’ awards have the same aim, and were introduced in order to meet different players more frequently. 
The unexpectedly triumphant season our team had, prompted us to add a couple of awards to the usual ‘B.U.97 Player of The Season’ award. This team is a perfect blend of experienced players and young upcoming talents hungry for success. We felt it would be appropriate to reward one of each, thus showing our gratitude to both those who have been at the club for years, and others that have just made it to the first team recently. The three players were presented a commemorative mini-statue each. This is how the awards were distributed: B.U.97 Young Emerging Player of the Season: Even though the number of youngsters in the squad was a considerable one, there could only have been one outcome for this award, that is, Rowen Muscat. His appearances for the club had been few and far between, but the injury to George Mallia gave him a great opportunity and he really did the most of it. Even against the toughest of opponents, he always seemed to be a well seasoned midfielder, and one would be forgiven for asking him for his ID Card when told he is still only 19 years old. His major strength is his humility and his willingness to learn from his more experienced team mates. He never loses composure in the middle of the park, and his work rate allows the likes of Paul Fenech and Shaun Bajada to give that extra push upfront. He is also very good with the ball at his feet, and has given us a taste of his talent in more than one occasion, dribbling past a number of opposing midfielders and then serving one of his companions with a neat touch. If he remains focused, he has got all it takes to become an icon for this club, and also a main man for the national squad. Keep it up Rowen! 
B.U.97 Award for the Carreer and Contribution Towards Birkirkara FC: Inter have Javier Zanetti, Juventus have Alex Del Piero and we have Michael Galea. This award could have not gone to anyone else. Michael is the most capped player in the Club at present, and his loyalty has always been something all Birkirkara supporters should be proud of. In the meantime, he has scored a large number of goals, many of which have brought variuos trophies to our cabinet in Valley Road. Timid and of few words in front of microphones and cameras, our captain is an inspiration for his team mates, both on and off the pitch. The hunger in his eyes is still insatiable, as if new season is the first one for him. He steals the limelight with what he does in the pitch, and never with what he does or says off it. A role model for all the young players. We are all confident that Michael has still a lot to give to our team, and no matter what, he will always live in the memories of the Karkarizi. 
B.U.97 Player of the Season Award: Undoubtedly, the main awards still remains the ‘Player of the Season’ one. This season this award could have gone to a handful of players, but in the end there had to be only one winner, and the group chose Trevor Cilia. Trevor had an overall transformation, as he was given the chance to express himself in his preferred position, that of a right winger. He constantly delivered excellent performances, winning a hatful of man-of-the-match awards, delivering assists to his strikers and also scoring a good number of vital goals (especially the match winner against Valletta in third round). The fact that even the MFA and the media acknowledged his contribution says it all, winning top awards in more than one occasion. Our award though does not reflect just his performances on the pitch, but also his great love and sense of belonging to Birkirkara FC, together with the respect and appreciation he has shown towards all supporters, especially our group. A nice lad to have also a good time with, Trevor has always expressed how honoured he feels when donning the Yellow & Red shirt, and his words are mirrored with his ‘never-say-die’ attitude. We all want 11 Trevor Cilia’s on the field!! 
This activity was once again a great success, with also a good number of participants. The players present were visibly glad with our group’s enthusiasm, and will surely refer to their fellow companions. With the Euro Challenge Cup coming up as early as next week, followed closely by the team’s commitment in the first preliminary round if the UEFA Champions League, the team is already under way with its preparations. On the other hand we as a group, while still savouring success in the BOV Premier League, are gearing up to give our full support in these next commitments and throughout the rest of the coming season, which promises to be a continuation of the last. COME ON STRIPES...KEEP MAKING US PROUD!!! 
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