Hotspurs Football Club

The club was established in 1957 by Mr. Frank “Doc” Moses and Mr. Hilton Magnus with two junior teams in the u/14 and u/16 divisions. Club meetings were held at the Magnus family residence in Phyllis Street Schauderville. The primary reason for the establishment of the club was to provide the youth of Schauderville with an alternative to gangsterism and substance abuse that infiltrated the area at that time. Initially, practice sessions were held on an open space, close to where the Dyke is currently situated. This led to the development of the Moore Dyke, named after Mr. Moore Dyke who inspired the club to assist in cultivating a playing field. After 3 years of toil by members of the club and neighbouring schools, a decent playing surface was completed. A clubhouse was constructed from left over material of the old Toynbee club that was situated in Forest Hill.

The club made steady progress in its formative years and when stalwarts like the late Mr. Bobby Gysman and Mr. Calvin Lentoor joined, the club experienced a dramatic turnaround in fortunes. Within 3 years, the club’s membership grew considerably and by 1960, it had 5 registered junior teams and 3 senior teams. At the time Doc Moses was well supported by Mr. George Hannie and both these icons played a prominent role in the growth and development of the club.

1974 was a significant year in Hotspur’s history as the club annexed all the knock-out competitions from the u/12 division to the first division. That proved to be the beginning of a remarkable run of success for the club as it continually won silverware thereafter. By 1980 the club had 10 of its senior members and 5 juniors selected for Eastern Province under the auspices of the Eastern Province Soccer Board (now NAFA).

Sadly, the club suffered a setback in 1988, when its founder member Doc Moses passed away. Doc had close ties with English premier league outfit Tottenham Hotspur and he adopted their name, colours and emblem when Hotspurs was established. He left behind a legacy that lives on today. After the Doc Moses era, the club continued to thrive under the guidance of Messrs Roman and Bouah who were responsible for the juniors, and Mr. Claassen who took charge of the senior players. The late Dr. Jaftha also proved to be of great assistance to the club and today his son, affectionately known as “Doccos” remains an enormous pillar of support to Hotspurs.

Apart from the football, Hotspurs, as a club was always concerned about the well-being of the community that it was part of. Its executive committee and the late Mr. Fortuin of Nerena place of safety regularly arranged friendly matches between the two organizations. These matches were always well received by the community and it was an occasion that everyone looked forward to.  In later years the Moore Dyke grounds were handed over to the PE Municipality, who further developed it to its current condition.

Other prominent members who contributed to the clubs ongoing formation and growth in stature were Messrs. Freddie Kriel, George Hannie, Calvin Lentoor, Fortuin (late), Hitzeroth and Noah.  Among the numerous achievements of Hotspurs are a record 13 Mala Moodaley titles, a record 6 Easter Tournaments and several League titles. They produced many legendary footballers including the likes of Stephen Draai, Laurence Bergins, Gregory Goezar, James Hitzeroth, James Smith, Pat Noah, Gaynon Ownhouse, Aldridge Hop Hing and many more.

However, the real success and hidden value of HOTSPURS FC lies in its unheralded contribution to the suburb of Schauderville and its community. Schauderville was, and remains burdened with elements of gangsterism, substance abuse, illiteracy, unemployment and many other ills of society. Due to the vision of Doc Moses and his successors, the establishment of Hotspurs FC enabled many of the youth – who were destined for failure and life of misery- to develop into upstanding members of the community. Many of the youth became better scholars and students at school due to the dedication of George Hannie and Doc Moses. These gentlemen would visit the soccer field armed with a cane each, where they would inspect the report cards of each of the players. “Woe betides” the players who did not produce satisfactory results. These extra-ordinary men would even go to the extent of visiting the player’s homes to ensure that they were obedient to their parents. Although this dedication did not eradicate the problems of the community, it did make a huge contribution to improving the lives of thousands of the Schuaderville youth. Hotspurs FC remains legendary!!