Overview
A study of The Beautiful Game
Students at the University of Fort Hare were exposed to football from the institution’s earliest days.
Like many other codes at Fort Hare, the sport grew from inter-hostel games to formally-structured competitions with teams later participating in various leagues across the Eastern Cape.
Today, football at the university is immensely popular among male and female students.
Thanks to Fort Hare being affiliated to University Sports South Africa (USSA), both the men’s and women’s sides can qualify for the elite Varsity Football tournament.
The men featured in 2017 and 2023.
They also made appearances in the regional and provincial playoffs of the prestigious Nedbank Cup – South Africa’s answer to England’s FA Cup.
The women’s outfit – affectionately known as the Baby Wolves – made their first Varsity Cup appearance in 2023.
The same year proved to be a watershed moment for the ladies’ game at Fort Hare as they earnt a place in the Hollywoodbets Super League courtesy of an unbeaten run to the second-tier Sasol League title.
A fine performance in their debut season in 2024 means they will continue to play at the highest level of club football in SA.
Exposure in the top flight has seen Fort Hare’s footballers catch the attention of the national selectors.
Towards the back-end of the 2024 season, both Kesha Hendricks and Nokuphumla Mpatsiyana were called up to represent SA at the Cosafa Women’s Championships.
Coaches
Men’s Head Coach
Mongile Nyosana
Mongile Nyosana lives, eats and breathes football at Fort Hare.
He started out as the kit manager for the team in their debut Varsity Football outing in 2017 and worked his way up to head coach by the time they appeared for a second time six years later.
Woman’s Head Coach
Sipho Cottage
Sipho Cottage was previously head coach of Mthatha-based ABC Motsepe League side Mighty Eagles and joined Fort Hare as goalkeeping coach at the start of the 2024 Hollywoodbets Super League season.
He later became head coach and helped them remain in the elite competition.
Looking to contact us?
For more information or to sign up for Fort Hare’s football programme, email the coaches here.
E-mail: coach@ufh.ac.za
Subject: Football Coaches
