Dominic Scicluna Represents Malta Clasicos: Detroit Waza Flo’s International Connection

Birkirkara AFC Malta Clasicos champions and road-to-Utrecht 2026 lineup

Birkirkara AFC / Malta Clasicos — road to the ISFA World Cup in Utrecht. Graphic shared by Malta Clasicos.

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS — Dominic “Waza” Scicluna played with Malta Clasicos at the 2026 ISFA 3v3 Street Football World Cup in Utrecht, continuing a football journey that connects Malta, Detroit and communities around the world.

The tournament brought together 28 nations through street football. For Scicluna and the Waza–Malta collective, it was another opportunity to compete, build relationships and carry international experience back into local programs.

From Malta to Utrecht

Birkirkara AFC won the Malta Clasicos championship in Malta, earning its place at the World Cup. The road-to-Utrecht lineup featured James Brincat Almeida, Jake Borg, Nigel Zammit Schembri, Chris Farrugia and Dominic Scicluna.

Alongside Etienne Grech Sillato, known as “Grizz,” the communities behind Malta Clasicos, Street Knights Malta, Birkirkara AFC and Detroit Waza Flo continue to connect everyday participation with league football and international competition.

Active in Malta: from the waterfront to schools and competition

The collective’s work is already underway in Malta: a 3v3 street football program at bognor on the waterfront in Buġibba, St Paul’s Bay, school outreach in Malta, ongoing Street Knights programming, and participation with Birkirkara AFC in the futsal league. Alongside Malta Clasicos’ ISFA World Cup competitions, these activities connect everyday community play and schools with league football and the international stage. Together with Detroit Waza Flo, they give the collective’s global sports diplomacy work a practical foundation in the communities it serves.

Our mission is to honor our Maltese and Detroit roots, strengthen the programs serving communities today, and build lasting foundations for future generations. Through football, education and international collaboration, we unite people, share experience and create opportunities for young people to play, develop and belong.

For Detroit Waza Flo, the connection between Malta and Detroit is both a family story and a community story. It stretches from immigrant soccer clubs and neighborhood fields to youth programs, professional teams and international competition. Today, that history continues through our collective with Malta Clasicos, Street Knights Malta and Birkirkara AFC.

Bringing the experience home

The collaboration extends beyond tournament play. Street football on the waterfront in Buġibba, school outreach in Malta and Waza’s community programs in Detroit give these international relationships a practical purpose: more opportunities for young people to play, learn and belong.

Utrecht is part of that continuing story, rooted in the Scicluna family’s Maltese and Detroit connections and carried forward through coaching, community football and shared experience.

Community collaboration: International Day of Peace

From Detroit Motown to Mosta, Malta, football brings communities together for peace. For the United Nations International Day of Peace, participants gathered to play at Mosta Dome, connecting Malta’s community celebration with Detroit Waza Flo, Soccer Waza and Pulaski School’s Tournament for Peace. Through the Sister Cities International connection and a shared commitment to the UN observance, local play becomes an opportunity for friendship, learning and cooperation across borders.

This collaboration recognizes Pulaski Principal Tyra Smith-Bell, teachers, staff, families and Soccer Waza coaches, including Del Carr; Cherie Barnett’s role representing Sister Cities International; and the Malta collective of Birkirkara AFC, Street Knights Malta and Malta Clasicos, alongside Waza Flo. Together, their work connects street football and neighborhood participation with schools, professional football, the ISFA World Cup and the wider goals of international organizations.

Read the full Detroit Waza Flo press release: the Pulaski School Tournament for Peace, community collaborators and year-round school program.

Community collaboration in Malta

Birkirkara AFC shared this moment of community play at Mosta Dome: a local expression of the same respect, inclusion and connection carried forward through the Detroit–Malta collaboration.

A woman and child playing football at Mosta Dome, Malta.

UN International Day of Peace -- Play at Mosta Dome.

Mosta — Member of Sister Cities International.

Connect with the collective

Dominic Scicluna: dominic@wazafc.com
Etienne Grech Sillato (“Grizz”): egsillato@gmail.com
Nigel Zammit Schembri: nigelzammit92@gmail.com
James Brincat Almeida: maltastreetfootball@gmail.com

Follow Detroit Waza Flo, Waza Flo Club, Malta Clasicos and Malta street football.

Our history: Malta, Detroit and the Scicluna legacy

The roots of that connection run deep in Corktown. Maltese families established themselves in Detroit from the early twentieth century, with later generations continuing to build the community. The Maltese American Benevolent Society became a gathering place for preserving heritage, welcoming families and maintaining connections across the Atlantic.

Football was part of that community life. The Society’s archive preserves the Maltese American Soccer Club’s 1948–49 championship team and a Maltese team photographed before a match at Patton Park in 1956. The Maltese Falcons and the Scicluna family’s own team photographs belong to this wider story of people bringing their love of the game into Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Detroit Maltese Falcons team photograph, 196?; named family members are Tino, Eddy, Joe, Paul, Manuel and Ron Scicluna.

Detroit Maltese Falcons, 196? Named in the family photograph: Tino, Eddy, Joe, Paul, Manuel and Ron Scicluna. Photo supplied by the family.

Paul R. Scicluna helped carry that tradition into the institutions that supported soccer’s growth across Michigan. He founded the Michigan Wolves-Hawks Soccer Club, partnered with former Detroit Express players to establish Total Soccer, and helped Dan Duggan establish the Michigan Bucks. His work also extended into professional indoor soccer with the Detroit Rockers and collegiate coaching as Eastern Michigan University’s first women’s soccer head coach.

The family’s contributions continued across generations and different forms of the game. Valentino Scicluna founded Nationals Soccer Club. Philip Scicluna organized a major beach soccer tournament in Santa Cruz, California. Dominic and Mario Scicluna carried their experience into Soccer Waza, Waza FC and Detroit Waza Flo, connecting youth development with professional competition and international relationships.

Paul, Dominic and Mario were each inducted into the Michigan Soccer Association Hall of Fame. Paul was also inducted into Eastern Michigan University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

The family’s relationship with Malta remained active. Dominic played for Ħamrun Spartans, while Mario represented the Maltese national wrestling team and attended the University of Malta. These experiences brought sporting and educational connections back into the family’s work in Michigan.

Waza FC’s youth club dates to 1999, and Detroit Waza became a charter member of PASL-Pro in 2008. The professional team reached consecutive league finals in 2011–12 and 2012–13 and won the 2012–13 U.S. Open Arena Soccer Championship. Alongside competition, Waza’s work has grown through school programs, camps, coaching, freestyle performances and international ambassador activities.

That experience spans street football, futsal, arena soccer, beach soccer, footvolley and the outdoor game. Each offers another way for people to participate, express themselves and develop.

Explore the Maltese American Benevolent Society’s community photo archive.