From a group of friends to the premier: the story of Zoca Bastion FC

The 2026/27 futsal league season will be missing one of the clubs, who although not among the “elite” of the sport, stamped its name during its thirteen years of existence providing a different colour to the sport and a passion for the game that will be missed.
Zoca Bastion bid farewell to its presence in the futsal league and with it the end of another club whose main ambitions were to participate.
This is the story of the club from one of the very founders himself. Karl Ullger, known for his art tells us the story of Zoca Bastion and its short but significant thirteen year history.

by Karl Ullger

Thirteen years, 99 players, countless memories – and one Bastion that refused to fall
There are football clubs that are built in boardrooms, clubs born from ambition, investment and grand plans for success.

And then there was Zoca Bastion FC.

Born from a group of friends, built on camaraderie and sustained by an almost stubborn determination to compete, Zoca Bastion became one of the more distinctive stories in Gibraltar futsal.
Now, with the club having formally brought its journey to an end in 2026, it is a story worth remembering.
The origins of The Bastion go back to 2013, when two friends, Karl Ullger and Mohamed Botawala, decided to form a team and enter the Gibraltar futsal pyramid. The club initially carried the name Leo Bastion FC, beginning life with little more than a group of friends, a love of football and a desire to see how far they could take it.
The early years were very much about learning.
Leo Bastion spent its first three years affiliated with the then 11-a-side side Leo Santos FC, before eventually taking the decision to go it alone and establish its own independent identity.

And so, Zoca Bastion FC was born.

The name itself carried a story.
Situated above Zoca Flank Bastion, Capurro Insurance had stood behind the club from the very beginning. The decision to incorporate Zoca into the club’s new name was therefore more than simple branding. It was a tribute to Capurro Insurance, whose sponsorship would continue for the entire 13-year existence of The Bastion.
From its birth in 2013 until its final season in 2026, that relationship remained a constant.

The road to the Premier

The climb was anything but straightforward.
Zoca endured difficult seasons and the growing pains that come with a team attempting to establish itself in competitive futsal. But the club’s resilience eventually began to pay dividends.
The breakthrough came in the 2018/19 season, when Zoca secured promotion to the Premier Division. A crucial victory over Koala FC became one of the defining moments of the campaign and finally delivered the reward for years of work.
The group of friends who had started out in the lower reaches of Gibraltar futsal had reached the top.
From the 2019/20 season onwards, Zoca Bastion established itself as a Premier Division club, remaining there until its final campaign in 2025/26.
That alone represented a remarkable achievement.

The men who took the reins

Over thirteen seasons, the club saw a number of different managers and coaches take responsibility for The Bastion.
Stewart Harrison was among the early figures to take the reins, while co-founder Mohamed Botawala also stepped into the manager’s role himself for a season – a fitting continuation of his involvement in a club he had helped create.
Others followed, including Jason Victory, Nicky Grieg and Kian Hansen, each bringing their own personality and footballing philosophy to the side.

Then came Chris Currer.

Currer would ultimately become the longest-serving manager in Zoca’s history, taking charge during the final five to six years of the club’s existence and overseeing The Bastion through a significant period of its Premier Division life.
His tenure became synonymous with the club’s identity: organisation, tactical discipline, resilience and a refusal to surrender.
Under Currer, Zoca developed a reputation for being difficult to break down and capable of competing with the established powers of Gibraltar futsal. His relationship with the players and the club’s leadership also became a defining feature of the later years.
In 2023, Currer described Zoca’s benchmark as striving for the top four, while captain Jamie Currer spoke of the importance of leadership, responsibility and putting the success of the team ahead of individual needs.
It was a fitting philosophy for a club whose identity had always been built around the collective.

The captains

Every club has its leaders, and Zoca was no different.
Over the years, the captain’s armband was worn by a number of players who became important figures in the club’s history.
Among them were Mark Valverde, Sean Ballester, Karl Ullger and Jamie Currer, to name just a few.
Ullger, one of the club’s founders, wore the armband during the inaugural season. Sean Ballester subsequently became one of the recognised leaders of The Bastion, while Jamie Currer eventually took on the responsibility during the club’s later Premier Division years. Zoca’s own records show Ballester as captain during the 2021/22 season and Currer wearing the armband in the later years.
But perhaps the most remarkable statistic is the sheer number of people who became part of the story.
In total, 99 players wore the Zoca Bastion shirt during its 13-year existence.

Ninety-nine different stories.

Ninety-nine different personalities.
Ninety-nine players who, at some point, became part of The Bastion family.
Some stayed for years. Others came and went in a season or two. Some arrived as established players, while others developed into important members of Gibraltar’s futsal community.
But every one of them left something behind.

More than a football club

For co-founder Mohamed Botawala, the club was always about more than results.
“When Karl and I started this, we were simply a group of friends who wanted to play football together. None of us could have imagined that thirteen years later we would have created a club that had competed in the Premier Division, had 99 players wear the shirt and created so many friendships and memories along the way. For me, that is what Zoca Bastion was really about. The results mattered, of course, but the people and the relationships we built will always mean more.”
That philosophy was evident away from the court as well.
Zoca became involved in the wider Gibraltar futsal community and created the Capurro Insurance Cup, a pre-season tournament which brought clubs together while raising money for local charities.
The tournament became an important fixture in the futsal calendar, with the 2022 edition raising £1,320 for Prostate Cancer Gibraltar and Special Olympics Gibraltar.
It was another example of the club’s influence extending beyond the results.

The final years

Even as the end approached, the old fighting spirit remained.
Zoca continued to compete in the Premier Division and produced memorable performances against some of Gibraltar’s strongest sides. The club’s history records victories, dramatic draws, cup runs and the occasional giant-killing performance that became part of the folklore.
The 2022 Capurro Insurance Cup perhaps captured Zoca perfectly. Playing at home, the side reached the final after defeating Saxons 1-0 in the semi-final, only to lose to Lions Gibraltar on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The match was described as a contest in which Zoca’s trademark organisation and defensive qualities were once again on show.
And then came 2026.
After thirteen years, the decision was made to bring The Bastion to an end.
For those who had been there from the beginning, it was inevitably an emotional conclusion.

Thirteen years. Ninety-nine players. One Bastion.

It is tempting to judge a football club by trophies, league positions and silverware.
But that would be to miss the point of Zoca Bastion.
Its greatest achievement was perhaps the journey itself.
A team started by Karl Ullger and Mohamed Botawala as a group of friends became an established Premier Division club.
A club that began as Leo Bastion FC evolved into Zoca Bastion FC, carrying the name of the bastion above which its long-standing sponsor, Capurro Insurance, was based.
Players came and went. Managers changed. Captains passed the armband from one generation to another.

But the identity remained.

Stewart Harrison. Mohamed Botawala. Jason Victory. Nicky Grieg. Kian Hansen. Chris Currer.
Mark Valverde. Sean Ballester. Karl Ullger. Jamie Currer.
And the 99 players who wore the shirt.
Each became a small part of something much bigger than themselves.
For Ullger and Botawala, the two friends who started it all, Zoca Bastion was never simply a futsal club.
It was thirteen years of friendship.

Thirteen years of football.

Thirteen years of people, personalities, arguments, laughter, victories, defeats and memories.
And when the final whistle eventually came in 2026, The Bastion could look back knowing that it had left something behind.

Not just results.

Not just statistics.

But a legacy.

From Leo Bastion to Zoca Bastion.

From a group of friends to the Premier Division.

From two founders to 99 players.

Thirteen years. One Bastion