Manning Rangers is a now defunct

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

club based in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. The side is best remembered as the Champions of the Inaugural season of South Africa's Premier Soccer League.

History

The club was founded in 1928 by GR Naidoo who, as well as administering the club, played as its goalkeeper and was later a referee. In the mid-1960s, the club entered the professional ranks under the auspices of the

South African Soccer League The South African Soccer League (SASL) was an association football league based in South Africa. It was formed in 1961 and folded in 1967. It was established by the South African Soccer Federation which represented the black African, Coloured and ...

. In 1985, the club moved its base from Curries Fountain to Chatsworth. The club entered the 1st Division of the NSL (National Soccer League) in 1991. In 2006, the club declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

. The Fidentia Group purchased the club in 2007 and renamed it the Fidentia Rangers. The new owners moved the club from

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 ...

. The club was near the rent office in Chatsworth

1996/1997 season

In 1996/97 the inaugural season of the Premier Soccer League, the unfancied ''Maulers'' then under the leadership of chairman Kaycee Reddy, stunned everybody with a

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

season and managed an impressive 23–5–6 record finishing top of the table with 74 points and becoming champions ahead bigger clubs such as the

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) are a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premier Soccer League. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Lords" or "Ch ...

Mamelodi Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premier Soccer League, the first tier of South African football ...

and

Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates Football Club (often known as "The Buccaneers") is a South African professional football club based in the Houghton suburb of the city of Johannesburg and plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as DStv ...

. Kaycee Reddy as owner and chairman of the club, built the team from scratch to league winners in a single season, a feat which will never be repeated. The club remained in the Premier Soccer League for several seasons. In 1998/99 the team represented South Africa in the

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club competition organized by the Confederation of African Football and con ...

losing out to eventual winners

ASEC Abidjan The Association Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas, literally Mimosas Commerce Employees' Sporting Association, is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ''ASEC Mimosas Abidjan'' and ''ASEC Abidjan'', especi ...

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre ...

Legacy

The club has since resurfaced in Chatsworth under the name Rangers FC on a semi-professional basis. The team is currently one league below the National 1st Division.

Notable players

* Mark Davies Most appearances for the club. * Simon Makhubela Most goals for the club. *

Keryn Jordan Keryn David Jordan (1 November 1975 – 21 October 2013) was a South African footballer who primarily played as a striker during a fifteen-year career. Club career Early career He started his career in his native South Africa at Pretoria ...

Most goals in a season for the club with 22. * Innocent Chikoya Most games in a single season with 43 *

Gilbert Mushangazhike Gilbert Mushangazhike (born 11 August 1975 in Harare) is a Zimbabwean footballer. The association football striker recently played in Swaziland by Manzini Sundowns, in China by Jiangsu Sainty, for Germany-based Kickers Emden and in South Afr ...

Zimbabwean international striker. *

Bruce Grobbelaar Bruce David Grobbelaar (born 6 October 1957) is a Zimbabwean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, most prominently for English team Liverpool between 1981 and 1994, and for the Zimbabwean national team. He is remembered fo ...

Zimbabwean international goalkeeper, coach 2004–05. * George Koumantarakis South African internationalist and 1995 Title winner. *

Neil Tovey Neil Robert Tovey OIS (born 2 July 1962) is a South African football coach and former player and also brother of former footballer Mark Tovey. He was born in Pretoria. He holds the record for most appearances in the National Soccer League. Ear ...

African Cup of Nations winning Bafana Bafana captain. * Paulito Mozambican international. * Anthony Tokpah Liberian international goalkeeper. * Selvanathan Reddy Manning Rangers F.C Striker.

Major honours

*PSL Champions 1996/97 *Osman Spice Works Cup 1985 *FPL Knockout Winners 1979, 89 *Coca-Cola Shield 1977 {{original Premier Soccer League clubs * Association football clubs established in 1928 Former Premier Soccer League clubs Soccer clubs in Durban Defunct soccer clubs in South Africa 1928 establishments in South Africa 2006 disestablishments in South Africa