Free State Stars Football club is a South African professional football club based in

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...

, Free State that plays in the

National First Division The National First Division (NFD), officially known as the Motsepe Foundation Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest league of South African club football after the South African Premier Division. Both the NFD and South Afric ...

. Formerly known as Makwane Computer Stars and Qwa Qwa Stars, their most significant honour is winning the 1994 Coca-Cola Cup and 2018

Nedbank Cup The Nedbank Cup is the current name of South Africa's premier club soccer knockout tournament. While many formats have been used over the years, the tournament has always been based on the idea of giving lower league and amateur teams a chance t ...

. The club sold their

status to

Casric F.C. Casric Stars F.C. are a South African football club based KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga. They currently play in the National First Division, after purchasing the status belonging to Free State Stars before the start of the 2022–23 National First Divi ...

at the start of the 2022–23 season. Following the sale of

Bloemfontein Celtic Bloemfontein Celtic Football Club (simply known as Celtic) is a South African amateur football club based in Bloemfontein that competes in the ABC Motsepe League, the third tier of the South African football league system. Bloemfontein Celtic h ...

the previous year, this left the Free State without any representatives in professional football.

History

Founded in 1977 in a small village of Makwane in an area then known as

QwaQwa QwaQwa was a bantustan ("homeland") in the central eastern part of South Africa. It encompassed a very small region of in the east of the former South African province of Orange Free State, bordering Lesotho. Its capital was Phuthaditjhaba. It ...

, the club gained promotion to the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the U ...

in 1986. The team won the

league cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

(then known as The Coca-Cola Cup) in 1994 with Bunene Ngaduane leading the scoring charts. To avoid fixture congestion the club's franchise was sold to the

Premier Soccer League Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

in 2002. The following year, Mike Mokoena revived the club as he bought and renamed the franchise of

side Maholosiane. FS Stars regained their Premiership status in 2005 after winning the Mvela Golden League. After a disappointing season in the top-flight, with the first team finishing bottom of the table, the club was relegated. The 2007–08 season however proved to be a huge success with Stars dominating the First Division and securing promotion to the Premier League once again. They also won the inaugural

Baymed Cup The Baymed Cup was a knockout cup competition for South Africa's 2nd-level football (soccer) clubs sponsored by Baymed Medical Scheme. The competition was played from August to October of each year and includes the 16 teams that make up the Mv ...

in December 2006 beating

FC AK FC AK is a South African football club from the West Rand The West Rand is the name of the urban western part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. This area became settled by Europeans after a ...

in the final.

Shirt sponsor & kit manufacturer

*Shirt sponsor: *Kit manufacturer: Lotto

Honours

: ::Winners – 2018 * Coca-Cola Cup: ::Winners – 1994 *

: ::Winners – 2006 * Mvela Golden League: ::Champions – 2004–05, 2006–07 *Second Division: ::Champions – 1985

Club records

*Most appearances: Edward Salomane 299 *Most goals: Bunene Ngaduane 79 *Most capped player: Kennedy Mweene *Most appearances in a season: Themba Sithole 45 (1992) *Most goals in a season: Bunene Ngaduane 19 (1993) *Record win: 8–1 v

Ikapa Sporting Ikapa Sporting is a football (soccer) club based in Cape Town, South Africa. History The club was formed in 2007 after purchasing the status of Fidentia Rangers. The home venue of the club was Erica Park until May 2010, followed by a season wher ...

(29 March 2008, Nedbank Cup) *Record loss: 1–7 v Arcadia (31 October 1986, NSL), 1–7 v

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 ...

(19 April 1998, PSL)

Premier Soccer League record

* 2018–19 – 16th (''relegated'') * 2017–18 – 6th * 2016–17 – 14th * 2015–16 – 12th * 2014–15 – 9th * 2013–14 – 14th *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

– 7th * 2011–12 – 6th *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

– 9th * 2009–10 – 13th * 2008–09 – 4th * 2007–08 – 5th * 2005–06 – 16th (''relegated'') * 2001–02 – 11th (''bought out'') * 2000–01 – 6th * 1999–2000 – 15th * 1998–99 – 6th * 1997–98 – 9th * 1996–97 – 13th

Club officials

*Chairman: Mike Mokoena Deceased 17 June 2020 *General manager: Rantsi Mokoena *Football manager: Kootso Mokoena

First team squad

''Updated 16 May 2020''

Notable former coaches

* Milo Bjelica (1992) * Clive Hachilensa (2005–07) * Kinnah Phiri (1 July 2007 – 8 May 2008) * David Duncan (1 July 2008 – 18 Aug 2008) * Owen Da Gama (19 Aug 2008 – 7 Oct 2008) * Themba Sithole (14 Oct 2008 – 17 Nov 2008) * Steve Komphela (18 Nov 2008 – 30 June 2009) * Themba Sithole ''(interim)'' (1 July 2009 – 14 Sept 2009) *

Valinhos Valinhos () is a municipality (''município'') in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is the birthplace of Adoniran Barbosa. Valinhos is famous for its purple fig, the theme of its annual Fig Fest. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Campi ...

(15 Sept 2009 – 3 Oct 2009) * Themba Sithole (4 Oct 2009 – 15 Nov 2009) *

Gordon Igesund Gordon Igesund (born 22 July 1956) is a former South African football player and coach who was most recently the manager of Highlands Park in the Premier Soccer League. Early life Igesund was born in Durban to George Norman Igesund (born ...

(16 Nov 2009 – 23 March 2010) * Sunday Chidzambwa (5 May 2010 – 19 Sept 2010) * Steve Komphela (20 Oct 2010 – 1 Dec 2013) * Themba Sithole ''(interim)'' (1 Dec 2013 – 14 March 2014) * Kinnah Phiri (15 March 2014 – 30 June 2014) * Tom Saintfiet (2 July 2014 – 6 Nov 2014) * Kinnah Phiri (7 Nov 2014 – Aug 2015) *

Ernst Middendorp Ernst Middendorp (born 28 October 1958) is a German association football coach who coaches South African Premier Soccer League club Maritzburg United. Education Middendorp was born in Freren. In 1984, he enrolled in the University of Bielefel ...

(Sept 2015 – Dec 2015) *

Giovanni Solinas Giovanni Solinas, also known as Gianni Solinas, is an Italian football manager. He has managed teams in Algeria, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. He is the current manager of Saudi Arabian club Al-Najma. Managerial career Solinas obtained his coa ...

(Dec 2015 – 23 May 2016) * Denis Lavagne (22 June 2016 – 22 September 2016)

References

External links

*
Premier Soccer LeaguePSL Club InfoSouth African Football AssociationConfederation of African Football
{{National First Division Soccer clubs in South Africa Association football clubs established in 1977 Premier Soccer League clubs Soccer clubs in the Free State (province) National First Division clubs 1977 establishments in South Africa Sport in the Free State (province)