Durban and District Native Football Association

The Natal Football Association was formed in 1882, but it was a whites only organization.
Football Clubs for black South Africans tended to have their origins in mission schools run by Europeans or Americans. 
The photograph shows Natal Cannon. 

In 1916 the Durban and District Native Football Association (DDNFA) was founded. It was South Africa's first black football organization. In 1932, as black South Africans were cultivating a more assertive and dignified identity, the name was changed to Durban and  District African Football Association. Strangely this move also saw English becoming the official language of the Association at the expense of Zulu.

The Association member clubs compete for a trophy named in honour of it's donor, the philanthropic sugar baron  Sir Marshall Campbell.

Representatives of the Dark Continent

In 1903 The South African Football Association re affiliated with the Football Association in a gesture of reconciliation following the recent war between the Colonies and the United Kingdom*.  The following year the Argentinian association became affiliates. Ambitiously the Argentinians sought to establish a triangular tournament , to be played in Buenos Aires, with South Africa and Fulham as the guest teams.
This plan never reached fruition, but South Africa did send a team to Argentina in 1906. The Argentina FA footed the bill and the tourists embarked on a 27 day voyage from Cape Town to Southampton and then on to Buenos Aires as no direct sailings were available.
The tour gives us some insight into the relative strengths of footballing nations at the time.
According to their captain Henry Heeley the height of ambition for any South African footballer would be to be invited to play in England, however South African teams had suffered such beatings at the hands of Corinthians that they were reluctant to face English opposition (there was relief that Fulham were not sailing to Argentina). South Africa were, however,  far superior to their South American opponents. Contemporary Argentinian press reports speak in glowing terms of the methods employed by the tourists- short passing, unselfish combination and above all clean play. The press  emphasized the gentlemanly manners and conduct of the 'Representatives of the Dark Continent'.
The players were exclusively white, strictly amateur, and typically civil servants, government employees, bankers and civil engineers. Seven of the 15 players were born in South Africa and 8 originated from England and Scotland.

??.06.06	San Martin	0	6	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
22.06.06	Universitarios	0	14	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
24.06.06	Alumni	1	0	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
29.06.06	Belgrano AC	0	6	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
01.07.06	Liga Rosario XI	0	9	South Africa	Rosario
08.07.06	British XI	1	4	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
09.07.06	Argentinos	0	1	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
12.07.06	CA Estudiantes	2	3	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
15.07.06	Argentina League XI	1	4	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
18.07.06	Uruguay League XI	1	6	South Africa	Montevideo
22.07.06	Alumni	0	2	South Africa	Sociedad Sportiva Argentina, B.A.
??.07.06	Quilmes	0	6	South Africa	Quilmes
31.07.06	Paulistas	0	6	South Africa	São Paulo

The only 'home win', Alumni's victory in the first meeting, watched by a crowd in excess of 12,000, including the President, was hailed as a national triumph.

Harold James  Henman, an English born member of the party who had also played for South Africa against Corinthians in 1903, stayed on in Argentina, and as "Héctor" Henman played for Alumni  and the national team.



* The original affiliation in 1897 saw the  SAFA basing a representative in London.

Gandhi

 When Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi became involved in Civil Rights and anti racism in South Africa he recognized the populist force of football. In 1913 he organized football  in Natal for the Indian community. In this photograph Gandhi is circled. 

The Football Association Tour of South Africa- 1910

Some 11 years after it had made its first foray overseas The Football Association undertook an ambitious tour of South Africa. The 18-man squad left Southampton on May 7th  for the 17-day voyage to South Africa. 
Corinthian FC had previously visited South Africa in 1897,1903 and 1907,  playing 'tests' against  a national XI, and the 'Springboks' had been as far as Argentina and Brazil in 1906.
The game was well established in South Africa, and 1910 was also the year in which they became members of FIFA.

Manager: Charles Hughes
Amateur Players:
Arthur Berry (Everton)*
James Raine (Glossop)"
Ivan Sharpe (Glossop)"
Vivian Woodward (Chelsea)*"
Professional Players:
Bob Benson (Sheffield United)*
Joe Bulcock (Crystal Palace)
Dick Duckworth (Manchester United)
Harold Fleming (Swindon Town)*
Vince Hayes (Manchester United)
Billy Hibbert (Bury)*
George Holley (Sunderland)*
Joe Leeming (Brighton and Hove Albion)
Joe Lievesley (Sheffield United)
George Richards (Derby County)*
Billy Silto (Swindon Town)
Albert Sturgess (Sheffield United)*
George Wall (Manchester United)*
Billy Wedlock (Bristol City)*
Gordon Wright (Hull City)*

(Ivan Sharpe replaced Gordon Wright 03.06.10)
* England full internationals
"English amateur internationals 

Vivian Woodward

Vivian Woodward enjoyed a particularly fruitful tour, getting 32 goalsin the 23 matches. An 18-man squad left Southampton on May 7 for the 17-day voyage to South Africa where they embarked on a 23-match tour, spanning nine weeks. Nine of the squad had previously played in full internationals (though one-Wright- withdrew after two games because of injury), whilst another two went on to win full caps.The tour coincided with the formation of the Union of South Africa.

26.05.10	Colonial born of Cape Town	1	7	English FA XI	Cape Town
28.05.10	Western Province	0	13	English FA XI	Cape Town
01.06.10	Griqualand West	0	2	English FA XI	Kimberley
04.06.10	Griqualand West	1	7	English FA XI	Kimberley
08.06.10	Bloemfontein	0	4	English FA XI	Bloemfontein
11.06.10	Johannesburg District	1	6	English FA XI	Johannesburg
Some sources describe the home team as The Reef
13.06.10	West Rand	1	3	English FA XI	Krugersdorp
15.06.10	Pretoria District	1	4	English FA XI	Pretoria
18.06.10	Transvaal	0	1	English FA XI	Johannesburg
Some sources give Johannesburg District as opponents
20.06.10	Klip River District	3	13	English FA XI	Ladysmith
22.06.10	Pietermaritzburg	0	6	English FA XI	Pietermaritzburg
25.06.10	Natal	2	6	English FA XI	Durban
29.06.10	South Africa	0	3	English FA XI	Durban
02.07.10	Frontier	0	7	English FA XI	East London
04.07.10	Frontier	0	6	English FA XI	King William's Town
06.07.10	Port Elizabeth District	0	8	English FA XI	Port Elizabeth
09.07.10	Eastern Province	0	10	English FA XI	Port Elizabeth
12.07.10	Grahamstown District	0	9	English FA XI	Grahamstown
16.07.10	Rand League	1	2	English FA XI	Johannesburg
Some sources give Orange River Colony as opponents and Bloemfontein the venue
20.07.10	East Rand	0	5	English FA XI	Vogelfontein
23.07.10	South Africa	2	6	English FA XI	Johannesburg
27.07.10	Western Province	0	9	English FA XI	Cape Town
30.07.10	South Africa	3	6	English FA XI	Cape Town

Billy Hibbert

South Africa	0	3	English FA XI
29.06.10 Durban (5,000)
			Hibbert (3)
Hawkins			Joe Lievesley
J Ford			Bob Benson
Sricker			Joe Bulcock
Cairns			George Richards
Lincoln			Billy Wedlock
Lamont			Albert Sturgess
Gorton			James  Raine
Saby			Vivian Woodward (c)
Baird			Billy Hibbert
Martin			George Holley
Lowe			George Wall

Harold  Fleming

South Africa	2	6	English FA XI
23.07.10 Johannesburg (13,000)
Messer, Hartigan			Fleming (2), Wall, Woodward (2), Holley
Baird			Joe Lievesley
Lincoln			Bob Benson
Messer			Joe Bulcock
G Hartigan			Dick Duckworth
Rimmer			Billy Wedlock
J Ford			Albert Sturgess
Martin			James  Raine
Mitchell (c)			Harold  Fleming
Vivian			Vivian Woodward
Hawkins			George Holley
Salzwedel			George Wall

George Holley

South Africa	3	6	English FA XI
30.07.10 Cape Town (5,000)
Leeming (og), Lincoln, Hartigan			Fleming, Berry, Holley (2), Woodward (2)
J Ford			Joe Lievesley
Robertson			Bob Benson
Baird			Joe Leeming
Martin			George Richards
Messer			Billy Wedlock
Vivian			Billy Silto
G Hartigan			Arthur Berry
Salzwedel			Harold  Fleming
Commaille			Vivian Woodward (c)
Lincoln			George Holley
Upton			George Wall