Villager Football Club


Villager Football Club was established on 2 June 1876 and so claims to be the second oldest rugby club in Cape Town, South Africa. Villager FC were scheduled to play against Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club in the first official match at Newlands Stadium after it opened on 31 May 1890. Many notable South African rugby players began their careers at the club, including Paddy Carolin, vice-captain on the 1906 Springbok tour to Europe, and former 800m track world record holder Marcello Fiasconaro.

Name

The club's name derives from the number of villages that spread west from Cape Town towards Simonstown during the colonial period, which later became suburbs of the city. Rugby's rules of football were only adopted by Villagers in 1879, who played according to Winchester's rules until then.

Notable members

Villagers have produced the second most Springboks of all South African rugby clubs, second only to Stellenbosch. The first Villager to represent was H.H Castens. Other prominent Villager Springboks include HO de Villiers, Morné du Plessis, and Joel Stransky. Villager Nick Mallet not only played in 2 tests but also coached the national sides of South Africa and. In addition Villager FC produced 175 Western Province players.
Other prominent players include:
Since 1925 Villager FC have won either the Grand Challenge Cup or Western Province Super League A title 13 times.
The following refers to competitions that the club won between 1925 and 2001:
In 2017 the club was promoted to the Super League A. Struggling in the A league the club got demoted in 2015 and after a rebuilding process has been promoted once again to Super League A in 2017.