Durban — Almost a century ago, indentured labourers who set up home in KwaZulu-Natal got the ball rolling when they started playing football as a recreational pastime in Mount Edgecombe.
Now, almost 100 years later, the community of Mount Edgecombe are remembering their forebears and the legacy of football over the years.
To mark the milestone, the Mount Edgecombe Springboks FC held a dinner and dance fund-raiser on Saturday at the Shree Mariamman Temple Hall. The event was a gathering of stalwarts from the community as well as present and former football players, administrators and supporters.
Patchee Naicker, the chairperson of the Mount Edgecombe Springboks FC, said the indentured workers who worked in sugar mills and sugar-cane fields played football as a form of recreation.
The first recorded Indian people who graced the land were an Indian family who were employed as domestic servants by William Henry Smeardon, who was regarded as the founder of Mount Edgecombe.
Smeardon built the first sugar mill in 1852 after visiting Moreward Estate in 1861. The first set of labourers were recruited in 1865 by Smeardon, who worked on the sugar cane.
The Mount Edgecombe sugar mill changed hands over a period, from Smeardon to Julios Lannglois, then to the Natal Central Sugar Company and, eventually, to Natal Estates Ltd, which was owned by Sir Marshal Campbell in 1895.
Campbell had a way of motivating his labourers by providing various incentives, one of which was providing sports.
In 1920, the Natal Estates Sports Club was formed. Teams were formed by mill managers and they participated in the Natal Estates league.
“Teams represented various estates that fell in the jurisdiction of Natal estates. They included the GI Blues, Temple Colts, Campbell City and Skylards, to name a few. Competition was fierce and robust. All fixtures were played at the Shoela Campbell ground. Grounds were packed.
Later, teams such as Everton and the Young Springboks joined the league.
“This league was arranged only for sugar mill workers and their families. Many great stars such as Zorro, Bennedix, Mac Muniandi, Rogers Mariemuthoo and Mike Munsamy graced the stage of football in Mount Edgecombe,” said Naicker.
He said the maestros of Mount Edgecombe entertained the crowd with breathtaking and stunning football.
In 1971, the Mount Edgecombe Football Association was born, opening avenues for teams from other areas.
Naicker said notable achievements included the 1975 Clover Cup finals, which was won by Young Springboks FC.
“That put Mount Edgecombe soccer on the map. The Mount Edgecombe inter-district team won the inter-district competition in 1988.”
The transition took place with the merging of clubs.
In 1993, the Mount Edgecombe Sporting Club was formed through the merger of Oceans, Rovers Powerless, Greenhill Rangers and all the teams from the surrounding estates.
“This club won many accolades, including many league and domestic cups in juniors and seniors. This club also captured regional titles, including the coveted Castle and Clover Bowl Cups.
“In 2014, total unity in Mount Edgecombe was achieved when Young Springboks FC and Mount Edgecombe Sporting merged to form Mount Edgecombe Springboks FC to carry the league of the forebears.
“We celebrate and salute our heroes and heroines and remember the blood, sweat and tears of our indentured labourers that paved a better path for the future generations,” said Naicker.
He said they now had teams from under 9 to under 17 and seniors.
“Trained coaches are developing players at Greenbury grounds. The process is under way to adopt Greenbury sportsground to install gym facilities.
“The under 9 and 11 are double champions in SA Football Association Phoenix. More professional coaches are targeted to improve and develop player skills,” he said.
Mariemuthoo, 72, came from a family obsessed with football. His brothers played for the Young Springboks Football Club (YSFC) and his father, Moonsamy Govindsamy, who worked in the sugar mill, was a renowned footballer.
Mariemuthoo, who played left wing in the heyday of his football career, described himself as being similar in style to Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi.
He captained the Young Springboks in 1975 when they won the Clover Cup after beating Spearman Lads from Sydenham. He also played in professional clubs such as the Verulam Suburbs and Aces United.
“Football has changed now, especially in the Indian communities.
“During my time, when we got home from school we would be playing football, even on weekends, and that was how we became great football players,” said Mariemuthoo.
Victor Adimoolam, the former secretary of the Young Springboks FC, said the community loved football, adding that the game was a religion back in the day.
“Players played for the love of the sport and not for the money, but the community of Mount Edgecombe. The team was known as the sugar cane cutters. The players excelled in every tournament.
“Despite coming from poor homes, players were committed and spent their weekends at the grounds playing football,” said Adimoolam.
Nelson Govindsamy, 68, who was a player and manager of Everton FC, said he started playing football from behind his mill barracks home at a young age.
“My dad was a boiler attendant in the sugar mill and my mother cut cane in the sugar-cane fields. My brothers and I played football. It’s great to see that this tradition of football continues now. The clubs now fall under the Phoenix and District Football Association,” said Govindsamy.
Sunday Tribune