# Benoni United F.C.

Benoni United Football Club (known as The Rabbits) is a South African Football club based in Daveyton, Benoni east of Johannesburg in the City of Ekurhuleni formerly known as the East Rand. The club is nicknamed "The Rabbits" which comes from the City of Benoni being known as the city of Rabbits being home to one of the world's oldest rabbit sanctuaries the Bunny Park.
Now in its fourth iteration and rebirth the club plays its home games at Sinaba Stadium.
The club was initially founded in 1915 by a group of amateur players. Due to apartheid laws became a whites only club with the launch of the NFL in 1959. The club would merge with Brakpan United and Springs United to form East Rand United in 1963 but the merger did not last long and when the club decided to return to the whites only NFL a breakaway group led by Mickey Bookholoane began talks to form a new Benoni United which would be nicknamed the Rabbits to differentiate it from the original Benoni United.
The club reached its peak between 1976 and 1977 where it finished 2nd in the league and lost in the final of the BP Top 8 Cup against Orlando Pirates. It would continue to be a mid table club until its relegation in 1985 after which operations ceased. The Club was brought back to life in 2005 as Benoni Premier United but after only 2 seasons in the Premiership was sold to Thanda Royal Zulu. The club has once again been revived under new ownership and is seeking to once again regain its top flight status.

## History
### Original Benoni United

In 1915 Benoni United was founded as a collection of amateur players. The National Football League (NFL) the first professional association football league in South Africa, is established in 1959 amid protest from SAFA which governed amateur football in the country. Clubs are formally registered. Benoni United uses this year as its formal founding date. The NFL only admits white players and as a result the black players to that point are expelled. Willie Havenga (Benoni United) scores the first ever Professional goal in South Africa Rocco Smith (Benoni United) wins the first ever player of the Year Award.
In 1963 Benoni United merges with Brakpan United and Springs United to form East Rand United the merger is short lived and Benoni United exits the merger when ERU is relegated in 1966 and resurfaces in the NFL first Division as Benoni United.

### Second Iteration

In 1969 the black former players of Benoni United form a breakaway and begin to put in motion plans to create a new Benoni United (The Rabbits) which would seek to join as a member of the NPSL which would launch in 1971, however due to administrative issues Benoni United failed to become one of the founding members of the NPSL. Later in the same year after the launch of the NPSL, Mickey Bookholoane was informed that Nigel United Buccaneers which campaigned in the NPSL was experiencing financial difficulties and arranged to meet with the owner Matt Mphahane to acquire the status of the club. To succeed Mickey invited local Doctors and businessmen to join forces and fund the club, the group elected Dr Harrison Motlana as the founding Chairman and Mickey as the Secretary The deal was sanctioned by the NPSL and Benoni United prepared to rejoin the Professional Ranks, the club used 1972 date as the club founding date for the second iteration of Benoni United. In the 1980s the team was sponsored by Kwitkot and sold the naming rights and became known as Kwikot Benoni.

### Third Iteration*

Premier United owner Dumisani Ndlovu purchases the status of Hellenic F.C moving the club from Cape Town to Benoni. The Club is renamed Benoni Premier United and regains Top Flight Status the next season. While it is seen as a new club BPU uses the club emblem, slogan as well as the founding date of Benoni United and is considered a continuation of Benoni United. The Club finishes 15th in the 18 team PSL in its first campaign, the club's premiership status is then sold in the middle of the second season and renamed Thanda Royal Zulu which also later sells its PSL status to Amazulu.

### Fourth Iteration (Current)

In 2011 the name rights and intellectual property of Benoni United, The Rabbits, Up The Rabbits were acquired by a private company. In 2023 the Shepherds Sporting Group announced plans to relaunch Benoni United in 2024. The club has been revived and is currently in the SAFA Regional League Ekurhuleni. There are plans in place to return the club to the top flight in the coming seasons.

## NFL Records

| YEAR | LEAGUE POSITION | CASTLE CUP |
| 1959 | 6th | Semi-Final |
| 1960 | 4th | Semi-Final |
| 1961 | 4th | Quarter Final |
| 1962 | 12th | Quarter Final |
| 1963 | Merged to create ERU | |
| 1964 | 17th Relegated as ERU | |

## NPSL records

| Yeay | league Position | Football Association Cup | Top 8 |
| 1973 | 12th | Last 16 | DNQ |
| 1974 | 10th | Quarter Final | DNQ |
| 1975 | 6th | Quarter Final | DNQ |
| 1976 | 9th | Semi Final | Semi Final |
| 1977 | 2nd | Quarter Final | 2nd |
| 1978 | 7th | Quarter Final | Semi Final |
| 1979 | 15th | Last 16 | Quarter Final |
| 1980 | 13th | Last 16 | DNQ |
| 1981 | 10th | Quarter Final | DNQ |
| 1982 | 13th | Last 32 | DNQ |
| 1983 | 12th | Last 16 | DNQ |
| 1984 | 16th | Last 16 | DNQ |
| 1985 | 17th Relegated | Last 32 | DNQ |
| 1986 | First Division | | |
| 1987 | Relegated from FD | | |
| 1988 | Ceases Operations | | |

## Records (PSL era)

| Year | League Position |
| 2005–06 | 4th (promoted from NFD) |
| 2006–07 | 14th |
| 2007–08 | Status sold to Thanda Royal Zulu |

### Crest and colours

The Club uses sky blue, blue, gold, dark gold, and black colors as its home colours and has a rabbit with a ball depicted inside a circle, it uses Orange and black as away colours this was introduced during the sponsorship from Kwikot.

### Kit manufacturers and sponsors

| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
| 1959-1963 | | |
| 1972-1983 | Adidas | Benoni United |
| 1984-1987 | Adidas | Kwikot |
| 2005 | Diadora | Mvelaphanda |
| 2006 | Adidas | Vodacom |
| 2025 | RXBXT | ANZAR |

#### Historical squad photos
## Notable people
### Coaches and managers

Jingles Pereira popularly known as "Baba ka Sibongile" Played and Coached the Team from 1983–85

### Players

* Roger De Sa played for Kwikot Benoni 1984-1985 after being recruited by Jingles Pereira
* Kenneth Mogojoa "The Horse" scored 88 goals in a single season, club top scorer.
* Sam "Happy Cow" Nkomo
* Andries Maseko - Club broke the transfer record to sign Maseko.
* Tsepo Masilela - 2004 - 2008
* Bernard Parker - 2004 -2008
* July Mahlangu - 2003 -2008