140 Years Of Football

Ben Hartshorne, South Africa

Ben Hartshorne is an executive committee member of Savages Football Club based in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Savages FC is the oldest surviving football club in Africa and a member of the Club of Pioneers, a worldwide network of the oldest continuing football clubs from each country in the world, originally founded in 2013 by Sheffield FC, the world’s first football club.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life? 

My name is Ben Hartshorne, the current custodian and executive committee member of Savages Football Club based in Pietermaritzburg (PMB), South Africa. Savages FC is the oldest surviving football club in Africa. I have played football from an early age for many teams in PMB but have been a member of Savages for over 40 years.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos? 

The people are Savages members and players, or spectators from some of our opposing teams at our grounds situated at Collegians Club in PMB.  I tried to show the cross section of players and people who enjoy playing football or supporting others at our family club. We are a family club who have supported the communities of Pietermaritzburg and the surrounding areas for over 140 years.

Are there any good stories connected with the people you photographed?

We have a young female player who embodies everything good in our club. She has endless energy, is a team player and just loves playing football with the boys and girls in her team. Her smile is breath-taking, but she is strong and physical on the field.

One photo shows the true success story of our small club. People of all colours, religions and creeds are gathered on our clubhouse deck to cheer on their team on the field. People from all backgrounds rich and poor are gathered for an afternoon of enjoyment with family and friends in a safe and happy environment. Moms and dads, grannies and grandads, all ages and genders comfortably frequent our clubhouse and deck on any weekend and long may it continue.

Why is football so important for South Africa and its people?

Football is the biggest sport in South Africa, and it represents the hopes and dreams of millions of players, coaches, spectators, and communities in our troubled land. Football is an integral part of life in all our dusty townships and is popular because you only need a patch of ground, a football (or rolled up cloths or plastic bags), some makeshift goals and two even sides to play a game. A gravelled or asphalt roadway will do and games are often interrupted to allow the traffic to pass. It is often the escape from the normal drudgery of life and an opportunity to have some fun in a very tough environment. The scores are seldom important and a “shebobo”, which is a nutmeg or pass through an opponent's legs, is as celebrated as much as any goal in a game.

Can you tell us about the history of Savages FC? 

Savages FC is Africa’s oldest surviving football club, having been founded in 1882. The club was started by members of the English and Welsh soldiers sent out to fight in the Zulu and Boer wars. Savages has survived two World Wars, many local wars, pandemics, apartheid and has faced many other obstacles, but has an unbroken 140 period of service to the community in Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas. Bravely, Savages has changed with the times and proudly welcomed people of colour to join long before the change of government 28 years ago (in 1994). 

We are proud of the current membership of our club as it truly represents the demographics of our country. We have no barriers to membership and only ask that members to respect everyone else and uphold the ethos and traditions of our club. We are a proud sub-section of Collegians Club (our “mother club” with subsections for rugby, cricket, and many other sports) and are looking forward to a full enrolment of over 250 juniors and at least 100 senior members this season.

We are celebrating our 140th birthday this year which is an amazing achievement. Both cricket sub-sections Zingari and Standard were also founded in 1882, while Collegians Rugby is over 110 years old. It is crazy to think that Collegians hosts some of the oldest clubs in South Africa and we cannot get recognition from the government, SAFA, or even our own municipality!

Our clubhouse memorabilia includes a replica football depicting our formation in 1882 and a rugby ball in memory of Savages winning the Murray Cup back in 1890. Savages played football and rugby in those days. I believe that the Murray Cup is the longest surviving rugby cup competition in the world and our club were the first winners. 

What role does Savages FC play in the community?

Savages FC plays a very important role in the community and teaches not only sports skills but life skills to all our members. We always have a cross-section of members who represent all the rainbow colours of our country and the rich and poor in society but choose our club as they feel accepted and have a feeling of belonging. We raise all our own funds by subscriptions, sponsorships, and fundraising. We also assist anyone who cannot afford our fees as long as they assist our club in return. We have a healthy “charity” wing and have assisted many other clubs, pre-schools, and crèches in PMB and beyond.

What are the opportunities for female footballers in South Africa and at Savages FC?

Savages has always accepted female footballers along with the many boys who wish to join our club. We do our best to nurture any talent and to educate each player to achieve their potential in football and hopefully in a healthy lifestyle. There are opportunities to represent your club and county at local and national level.

What does football mean to you?

Football is an easy way to learn new skills, to create a healthy body and mind, to enjoy the fun and camaraderie of belonging to a team, of learning to win humbly and lose graciously. You can meet people from every walk of life, and I have often wondered about the make-up of teams consisting of doctors, lawyers, teachers, labourers, and street sweepers who put their status aside to make up a team and to assist each other to play the game to the best of their ability. The tears of joy when winning are shared as are those in the bitterness of defeat. After the heat of battle and the joy of winning or disappointment of losing there is nothing better than seeing opponents shaking hands and then enjoying a drink and many laughs after a game.

What is the future for football in South Africa?

While there are people, there will always be football. It is ingrained in the DNA of the people of Africa. We will always need better facilities and ever more funding for equipment, maintenance, and transport but footballers will always find a patch of ground and a makeshift ball to have a game. Our national team Bafana will improve as the structures providing their players improve. Grassroots level football is the new buzzword, so as more money and attention is paid to nurturing all our God given talent and giving every deserving footballer a chance to improve, so will our game.