Battswood AFC is a South African

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

that currently competes in the Super League First Division.

History

The teachers and students of the Battswood Training College formed the Battswood Football Club in 1929. Initially called the "Battswood Collegians", the club joined the newly established Cape District Football Association as one of its founder member clubs. In 1959, the club gained eleven trophies, and in 1964 the club won the prestigious Maggot Trophy competition, the highest knockout competition in the Western Province. In 1965, the club lost in the self-same competition in the semi-finals, against the eventual winners, after three replays. In 1966 and 1968, the club lost in the final – in each match, the team was beaten by Woodside. Due to political policy, the Cape District Football Union was suspended from the Western Province Football Board from 1978 until 1980.

Professional ranks

In 1989, the club turned professional, joining the South African

Federation Professional League The Federation Professional League (FPL) was a South African football (soccer) league founded in 1969. It was established to allow coloureds and Indian South Africans to participate in a competitive league. It was established in the wake of the S ...

(FPL). In the first season, the club won the League, Knock-Out Cup (Osman’s Spice Trophy) and the NRB Cup, plus several individual awards. In 1990, the club again won the NRB Cup, and ended up as runners-up in the League, losing in the semi-finals of the Knock-Out Cup to the eventual winners, Santos. In 1991, with huge political changes starting to take place in the country and with sports becoming unified, a major decision by the

meant that Battswood had to compete in the NSL 1st Division (Coastal League). The club just missed promotion, losing out to

Cape Town Spurs A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. The ...

References

External links

Club Website
Association football clubs established in 1929 SAFA Second Division clubs Soccer clubs in Cape Town Soccer clubs in the Western Cape 1929 establishments in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-footyclub-stub