# National Football League (South Africa)

The National Football League (NFL) was the first professional association football league in South Africa, established in 1959. At first the NFL received stiff opposition from the SAFA, the amateur governing body which controlled the major football grounds in the county. The SAFA was a member of FIFA at the time.
Initially, only two areas of South Africa were represented - Transvaal and Durban - but gradually the league became more geographically representative. The teams that joined the league in 1959 were-Transvaal (9 teams)-Rangers, Germiston Callies, Arcadia Shepherds, Benoni United, Randfontein, Pretoria City, Brakpan United, Johannesburg City & Southern Park. Natal (3 teams)-Durban City, Durban United & Maritzburg Celtic. The League kicked-off on 4 July 1959 (only one round was played).
A promotion play-off for the Champions of the various State Leagues was introduced in 1962, and the league spread to Cape Town (1962), Bloemfontein (1963) and Port Elizabeth (1964). An NFL Division II was established in 1969, with the Champions promoted to Division I. The league was competitive during the apartheid era, and only white players were allowed to participate. However a few NFL teams traveled to neighboring countries to play friendlies.1961 Durban City beat a multi-racial Salisbury Combined XI 8-2 at the Glamis Stadium. An NFL XI lost to a Rhodesian XI 2-6, at the Raylton Sports ground. Germiston Callies played a non-white team, Black Pirates in Maseru, Lesotho. 25 February 1961.
However, black players did participate in the competition. The first to do so was Vincent Julius, he represented Arcadia Shepherds in 1976 versus Highlands Park. Highlands Park protested Julius' presence but the NFL allowed him to play. The South African Home Office took no action having been convinced by Arcadia Shepherds that the story would be told all around the world and cast the ruling party in a bad light.
When NFL folded after 18 years in 1977, it was superseded by a non-racial league. In practical terms, a merger happened between NFL (for whites) and NPSL (for blacks), to become the new common NPSL.

## Winners

| Year | Winners | Runners-up | Third place |
| 1959 | Durban City (1) | Rangers Johannesburg | Durban United |
| 1960 | Highlands Park (1) | Durban City | Germiston Callies |
| 1961 | Durban City (2) | Highlands Park | Germiston Callies |
| 1962 | Highlands Park (2) | Southern Suburbs | Durban City |
| 1963 | Addington (1) | Highlands Park | Durban City |
| 1964 | Highlands Park (3) | Durban City | Durban United |
| 1965 | Highlands Park (4) | Cape Town City | Durban City |
| 1966 | Highlands Park (5) | Port Elizabeth City | Durban United |
| 1967 | Port Elizabeth City (1) | Highlands Park | Cape Town City |
| 1968 | Highlands Park (6) | Durban United | Powerlines |
| 1969 | Durban Spurs (2*) | Powerlines | Highlands Park |
| 1970 | Durban City (3) | Cape Town City | Maritzburg |
| 1971 | Hellenic (1) | Cape Town City | Durban City |
| 1972 | Durban City (4) | Hellenic | Berea Park |
| 1973 | Cape Town City (1) | Highlands Park | Hellenic |
| 1974 | Arcadia Shepherds (1) | Cape Town City | Maritzburg |
| 1975 | Highlands Park (7) | Hellenic | Maritzburg |
| 1976 | Cape Town City (2) | Highlands Park | Wits University |
| 1977 | Highlands Park (8) | Lusitano | Durban United |
* Note that Addington were known as Durban Spurs when they won their second championship.
Source:
| Team | Titles | Years |
| Highlands Park | 8 | 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1975, 1977 |
| Durban City | 4 | 1959, 1961, 1970, 1972 |
| Durban Spurs | 2 | 1963, 1969 |
| Cape Town City | 2 | 1973, 1976 |
| Port Elizabeth City | 1 | 1967 |
| Hellenic | 1 | 1971 |
| Arcadia Shepherds | 1 | 1974 |

## Individual Honours

| Year | Player of the Year | Footballer of the Year | Foreign Player of the Year | Top Scorer |
| 1959 | Rocco Smith (Benoni United) | N/A | N/A | Les Salton (Durban City) 21 |
| 1960 | Malcolm Rufus (Durban City) | N/A | N/A | Pip Hughes (Highlands Park) 37 |
| 1961 | Les Salton (Durban City) | N/A | N/A | Les Salton (Durban City) 46 |
| 1962 | George Barratt (Durban City) | N/A | N/A | Peter McEwan (Germiston Callies) 36 |
| 1963 | Ken Denysschen (Durban City) | N/A | N/A | Bazil Johnson (Arcadia United) 43 |
| 1964 | Bobby Chalmers (Durban City) | N/A | N/A | Les Salton (Durban United) 42 |
| 1965 | Malcolm Rufus (Highlands Park) | N/A | N/A | Arne Bjørnstad (Boksburg) & Freddie Kalk (Highlands Park) 33 |
| 1966 | Freddie Kalk (Highlands Park) | Robin Lowe (Durban United) | Willie McIntosh (Highlands Park) | Walter da Silva (Highlands Park) 44 |
| 1967 | Bob Davies (Rangers) | Charlie Naude (Germiston Callies) | Bryan Orritt (Southern Suburbs) | Jim Scott (Durban City) 28 |
| 1968 | Henry Hauser (Addington) | Derek Smethurst (Durban City) | Peter Rath (Powerlines) | Stan Forster (Rangers) 32 |
| 1969 | Richard Allen (Cape Town City) | Frank Pereira (Powerlines) | Gary France (Cape Town City) | Walter da Silva (Powerlines) 21 |
| 1970 | Archie Soekoe (Rangers) | Bennie Booysen (Southern Suburbs) | Tony Macedo (Durban City) | Jim Scott (Durban City) 31 |
| 1971 | George Eastham (Hellenic) | Ronnie Mann (Durban City) | Ben Anderson (Cape Town City) | Jim Scott (Durban City-16/Durban United-6) 22 |
| 1972 | Trevor Gething (Berea Park) | Wilf de Bruin (Hellenic) | Johnny Haynes (Durban City) | Wilf de Bruin (Hellenic) 26 |
| 1973 | Ian Bender (Durban Celtic) | Hennie Joubert (Highlands Park) | Peter Withe (Arcadia Shepherds) | Wilf de Bruin (Hellenic) 24 |
| 1974 | Steve Wegerle (Arcadia Shepherds) | Steve Wegerle (Arcadia Shepherds) | Dave Huson (Hellenic) | Ian Bender (Durban Celtic) 17 |
| 1975 | | | | Gary France (Cape Town City) 20 |
| 1976 | | | | Chris Chilton (Highlands Park) 19 |
| 1977 | | Ian Bender (Maritzburg) | | Tony Stathakis (Highlands Park) 28 |

## Leading Aggregate Goalscorers

| Total | Player | Clubs | Seasons |
| 253 | Les Salton | Durban City (109) Durban United (144) | 1959-66 |
| 205 | Bobby Chalmers | Durban City (106) Durban United (50) Maritzburg (49) | 1962-74 |
| 196 | Freddie Kalk | Southern Suburbs (64) Highlands Park (132) | 1960-73 |
| 192 | Wilf De Bruin | Hellenic FC (192) | 1970-1983 |
| 184 | Arne Bjørnstad | Boksburg (143) Southern Suburbs (41) | 1960-70 |
| 157 | Jim Scott | Durban City (129) Durban United (22) Johannesburg Corinthians (5) Maritzburg (1) | 1966-74 |
| 154 | Vernon Wentzel | Durban City (46) Addington (108) | 1962-68 |
| 153 | Percy Owen | Rangers Johannesburg | 1960-68 |
| 142 | Walter da Silva | Hellenic (18) Highlands Park (64) Powerlines (50) Berea Park (10) | 1964-72 |
| 136 | Ronnie Mann | Durban United (87) Durban City (41) Guild Apollo (8) | 1962-77 |
| 132 | Danny Le Roux | Durban City (58) Durban United (71) Addington (3) | 1959-67 |

## List of NFL Clubs (1959–1977)

| Club | Location | Seasons | Name changes, mergers etc. |
| Addington | Durban | 1962-68= | (=Durban Spurs) |
| Arcadia Shepherds | Pretoria | 1959-62; =69-77 | Merged with ISCOR Pretoria (=Arcadia United=) |
| ARCADIA UNITED | Pretoria | 1963-68= | Merger of Arcadia Shepherds and ISCOR Pretoria (=Arcadia Shepherds) |
| BENONI UNITED | East Rand | 1959-63 | Merged with Brakpan United and Springs (Transvaal Lge.) (=East Rand United) |
| Berea Park | Pretoria | 1960-64; 70-76 | Merged with Pretoria City |
| BLOEMFONTEIN CITY | Bloemfontein | 1963-66; 69-71 | |
| Boksburg | East Rand | 1960-67; 74 | |
| BRAKPAN UNITED | East Rand | 1959-63 | Merged with Benoni United and Springs (Transvaal Lge.) (=East Rand United) |
| Cape Town City | Cape Town | 1962-77 | |
| DURBAN CELTIC | Durban | 1972-74= | (=Pinetown Celtic) |
| Durban City F.C. | Durban | 1959-77 | |
| DURBAN RAMBLERS | Durban | 1963 | |
| DURBAN SPURS | Durban | =1969 | (Addington=) Merged with Durban United (=Durban Spurs United) |
| DURBAN SPURS UNITED | Durban | 1970= | Merger of Durban Spurs and Durban United (=Durban United) |
| Durban United | Durban | 1959-69; =71-77 | Merged with Durban Spurs (=Durban Spurs United=) |
| EAST LONDON CELTIC | East London | 1969-70 | Merged with East London City (Cape Eastern Lge.) (=East London United) |
| East London United | East London | 1971-77 | Merger of East London Celtic and East London City (Cape Eastern Lge.) |
| EAST RAND UNITED | East Rand | 1964; 66 | Merger of Benoni United, Brakpan United and Springs O.B. (Transvaal Lge.). Played on in the Transvaal Lge. as East Rand United, before resurfacing as Benoni United in NFL's new Division Two. |
| Germiston Callies | East Rand | 1959-77 | |
| GUILD APOLLO | West Rand | 1976= | Merger of Jewish Guild and Johannesburg Corinthians (=Roodepoort Guild) |
| Hellenic | Cape Town | 1964-77 | |
| Highlands Park | Johannesburg | 1960-70; =73-77 | Merged with Powerlines (=Highlands Power=) |
| HIGHLANDS POWER | Johannesburg | 1971-72= | Merger of Highlands Park and Powerlines (=Highlands Park) |
| ISCOR PRETORIA | Pretoria | 1961-62 | Merged with Arcadia Shepherds (=Arcadia United) |
| Jewish Guild | West Rand | 1971-75 | Merged with Johannesburg Corinthians (=Guild Apollo) |
| JOHANNESBURG CITY | Johannesburg | =1960-61 | (Northern United=) Played on in the Transvaal Lge. until 1964, then merging with Marist Brothers AFC |
| Johannesburg Corinthians | Johannesburg | 1967-69 | Played on in the NFL's new Division Two until merging with Jewish Guild (=Guild Apollo) |
| JOHANNESBURG RAMBLERS | Johannesburg | 1960-62 | Merged with Rangers Johannesburg |
| JOHANNESBURG WANDERERS | Johannesburg | 1962-65 | Played in provincial competitions as Johannesburg Wanderers, before returning to the national scene as Southern Albion in NFL's new Division Two. |
| Lusitano | Johannesburg | 1973-77 | |
| MARIST BROTHERS AFC | Johannesburg | 1960-65 | Merged with Johannesburg City |
| Maritzburg | Pietermaritzburg | 1968-77 | Played in the Natal Lge. as Durban Municipals 1953-67 |
| MARITZBURG CELTIC | Pietermaritzburg | 1959 | |
| NORTHERN UNITED | Johannesburg | 1959= | (=Johannesburg City) |
| OLYMPIA | East Rand | 1965-67 | |
| PINETOWN CELTIC | Durban | =1975 | (Durban Celtic=) |
| Port Elizabeth City | Port Elizabeth | 1964-73 | |
| Powerlines | East Rand | 1968-70 | Merged with Highlands Park (=Highlands Power) |
| PRETORIA CITY | Pretoria | 1959 | Merged with Berea Park (Transvaal Lge.) |
| RANDFONTEIN | West Rand | 1959-61= | (=West Rand United) |
| Rangers Johannesburg | Johannesburg | 1959-77 | Merged with Johannesburg Ramblers |
| ROODEPOORT GUILD | West Rand | =1977 | (Guild Apollo=) |
| SHAMROCKS | Pietermaritzburg | 1975-76 | |
| SOUTHERN PARK | Johannesburg | 1959-60= | (=Southern Suburbs) |
| Southern Suburbs | Johannesburg | =1961-72 | (Southern Park=) |
| WEST RAND UNITED | West Rand | =1962-63 | (Randfontein=) Played on in the Transvaal Lge. as West Rand United, then Florida |
| WESTVIEW APOLLON | Port Elizabeth | 1966-67 | |
| Wits University | Johannesburg | 1976-77 | |

## List of 2nd Level Clubs (1969–1975)

| Club | Location | Seasons (NFL2) | Notes etc. |
| BENONI UNITED | East Rand | 1970 | Former NFL team; withdrew after one season |
| BEREA PARK | Pretoria | 1969 | Former NFL team; returned to the top level as first Champions of NFL's Division Two |
| BLOEMFONTEIN RANGERS | Bloemfontein | 1972-73 | Relegated |
| BOKSBURG | East Rand | 1970-73; 1975 | Former NFL team; returned briefly to the top level |
| DURBAN CELTIC | Durban | =1970-71 | (Escombe=) Promoted |
| ESCOMBE | Durban | 1969= | (=Durban Celtic) |
| FLORIDA ALBION | West Rand | =1970-75 | Merger of Florida (Transvaal Lge.) and Southern Albion, both clubs were renamed former NFL teams (West Rand United and Johannesburg Wanderers, respectively). |
| GERMISTON PRIMROSE CITY | East Rand | 1971-73 | Relegated |
| HARMONY | Free State | 1970-71; 74-75 | |
| HIBS-AUSONIA | Cape Town | 1969 | Withdrew after a single season despite finishing as Runners-up |
| JEWISH GUILD | West Rand | 1969-70 | Promoted |
| JOHANNESBURG CORINTHIANS | Johannesburg | 1970-75 | First team to be relegated to NFL's new Division Two. Merged with Jewish Guild (=Guild Apollo) |
| KIMBERLEY ATHLETIC | Free State | 1969-70 | Relegated |
| KOEDOE PARK | West Rand | 1971-72; 1974 | Relegated twice |
| LUSITANO | Johannesburg | 1971-72 | Promoted |
| MARIST BROTHERS AFC | Johannesburg | 1972 | Former NFL team; finished last in their only season in Division Two |
| OLYMPIA | East Rand | 1973-75 | Former NFL team |
| PARTHENON | East Rand | 1969-75 | |
| PORT ELIZABETH CITY | Port Elizabeth | 1974-75 | Former NFL Champions |
| SHAMROCKS | Pietermaritzburg | 1972-74 | Promoted |
| SK WINDHOEK CITY | Windhoek, South-West Africa | =1974-75 | Merger of SK Windhoek (SWA Lge.) and Windhoek City |
| SOUTHERN ALBION | Johannesburg | 1969= | Had played in the NFL as Johannesburg Wanderers. Merged with Florida (=Florida Albion) |
| SOUTHERN SUBURBS | Johannesburg | 1973-75 | Former NSL Runners-up |
| VAAL UNITED | West Rand | 1970-71; 73-75 | |
| VIKTORIA 89 | East Rand | 1969-75 | Had played in the Transvaal Lge. as Sparta Viktoria |
| WINDHOEK CITY | Windhoek, South-West Africa | 1970-73= | Merged with local club SK Windhoek (=SK Windhoek City) |
| WINDHOEK RAMBLERS | Windhoek, South-West Africa | 1969 | Withdrew after one season |
| WITS UNIVERSITY | Johannesburg | 1969-75 | Last team to win promotion from NFL's Division Two |

## Overseas teams that toured

1961. Leicester City, 1961 F.A.Cup finalists played Durban City on 27 May 1961, at Kingsmead. This was the first time that two professional teams from England and South Africa had played against one another. Leicester City won 2-0. Leicester City drew with Combined Transvaal 1-1, at the Rand Stadium.
1963. Tottenham Hotspur played three games in South Africa. 1st. 5 June 1963. V N.F.L XI @ Stamford Stadium, Durban. Won 5-2. 2nd. 8 June 1963 N.F.L XI @ Hartleyvale, Cape Town. Won 5-1. 3rd. 3 June 1963. V South Africa XI @ Rand Stadium. Won 3-1. The Spurs squad included Danny Blanchflower, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith, Maurice Norman, Len White & Tony Marchi.
1963. Dundee United played three games in July 1963. V Transvaal, won 2-1. V Western Province, Hartleyvale.2 July. Lost 1-2. V Natal. Won 4-2.
1964. Arsenal played five games in May 1964. V Transvaal, Orange Free State won 2-0. 14th. V Natal. Durban Stadium. won 8-2. 17th. V Western Province. Won 5-1. V Eastern Province. Won 6-0. 22nd. V South Africa XI. won 5-0.
1964. Club Atletico Cerro (Uruguay). 14 July 1963. V Durban City. New Kingsmead.C.A.Cerro won 2-0. C.A.Cerro also played Western Province-17 July 1964 & South Africa XI, Rand Stadium. 20 July 1964.
1964. Real Madrid played three games in South Africa. 8 September 1964 V Castle Knights, Rand Stadium, winning 5-2. A N.F.L XI in Durban plus Western Province @ Hartleyvale, which Real Madrid won 4-0. The Real Madrid squad included Ferenc Puskas, Santamaria @ Gento. At this stage Real Madrid had won the European Cup on five consecutive occasions-1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 & 1960.
1964. Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany) played Addington, Highlands Park, Rand Stadium.