ABSTRACT
In the second half of the nineteenth century, following the pattern of British colonial control, sport became increasingly institutionalized among the African petty bourgeoisie and the ‘coloured’ community. In the Cape Province, cricket and rugby were by far the most popular sports. Sporting organizations for Africans were organized much later in Johannesburg than in the rest of the country. As workers flooded to Johannesburg and the surrounding Witwatersrand after the turn of the century, informal sports events began to take place. Soccer particularly appealed to working-class Africans. A fairly unorganized soccer league called the Witwatersrand District Native Football Association was set up in 1917 by the recruiting corporations of the gold mines. But it was disbanded in 1920 because there were too few grounds to play on and not enough organizational support. 1
