Namibia - List of Champions

Reportedly, MTV Usakos boasted the best football team of Southwest Africa between 1911 and 1914, but did poorly at the Gauturnfest 1913 in Swakopmund (source: [Ade 09]). There was no league competition at the time, only a cup tournament (the Südwest-Pokal) and friendly matches. In spring 1914, the Verband deutsch-südwestafrikanischer Ballspielvereine was founded, but due to the start of World War I it did not play any further role in the development of football in the area.

Until the seventies there was no supreme football body for the territory, nor a league structure; only cup competitions were organised by a variety of regional and ethnical ('black'/'white') federations.

In Windhoek, the Katutara Football Association (KAFA) was founded in the seventies and joined the South West African Bantu Football Association (SWABFA), which later led to the foundation of the Central National Football Association (CNFA). Also in the seventies, the 'black' and 'white' federations in Windhoek were reconciled and their clubs jointly played under the Central District Football Association, affiliated to the South West African Football Association (SWAFA). The 'white' South West League was a feeder league of the NFL structure in South Africa.
Meanwhile, the Walvis Bay area had two federations, the Kuisebmond Football Association (KFA, 'black') and the Western Football Association (WFA, 'white'); they were replaced by the Coastal District Football Association (CDFA) after two 'black' clubs (Namib Woestyn from Walvis Bay and United Stars from Swakopmund) had started playing with the 'white' ones. The top sides from the Walvis Bay area in the sixties had been Pepsi Cola, Eleven Arrows, Blue Waters, Flying Eagles, Namib Woestyn and Blue Boys; in earlier decades clubs like Juveniles, United, Power Lines and Navy Blue had existed. The first multi-racial league match in Walvis Bay took place in 1976 between Blue Waters FC and Sparta SC.

Before independence

NB: the 1977 season was the first which saw a final between the 'black' (African Stars)
    and 'white' (Ramblers) champions to determine the overall champions (whether only
    of the Windhoek area or for the entire territory is not clear); champions reported
    below before 1980 most likely refer to regional leagues only.
    
Windhoek area

NB: the league may have included clubs from the Walvis Bay area towards the end of the seventies.

1966    SK Windhoek                  [*]  
1967    Ramblers (Windhoek)
1975    Ramblers (Windhoek) 
1976    African Stars (Windhoek)     [black]
        Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)   [white] 
1977    African Stars (Windhoek)             2-0 Ramblers (Windhoek)
1979    Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)
1980    African Stars (Windhoek)

[*] league with 8 clubs; SKW won all their matches; after the season, they entered the promotion
    playoffs into the South African NFL but lost 0-9 to eventually promoted Corinthians.

NB: Black Africa reportedly 'regularly won the league' in the 1970s and 1980s (this
    presumably refers to the 'black' league), while Ramblers reportedly 'won many
    titles' (presumably in the 'white' league)

Walvis Bay area

1961    Atlantis SC (Walvis Bay)
1963    Atlantis SC (Walvis Bay)
1969    Swakopmund FC                [first ever title]  

In the mid-80s, disagreements between the clubs led to 8 teams (4 from Windhoek, 2 from
Walivs Bay and 1 each from Grootfontein and Tsumeb) founding the NNSL, possibly the first
nationwide league.

Namibia National Soccer League

1985    Tigers (Windhoek)
1986    Chelsea (Grootfontein)
1987    Black Africa (Windhoek)
1988    Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)
1989    Black Africa (Windhoek)
1990    Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)

Number of Titles (NNSL, 6)

 2 Black Africa (Windhoek)

 1 Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)
   Chelsea (Grootfontein)
   Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)
   Tigers (Windhoek)

Since independence

1991    Eleven Arrows (Walvis Bay)
1992    Ramblers (Windhoek)
1993    Chief Santos (Tsumeb)
1994    African Stars (Windhoek)
1995    Black Africa (Windhoek)
1996    Tunacor Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)
1997      not held
1998    Black Africa (Windhoek)
1999    Black Africa (Windhoek)
2000    Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)
2001/02 Liverpool (Okahandja) 
2002/03 Chief Santos (Tsumeb)
2003/04 Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)
2004/05 Civics (Windhoek)
2005/06 Civics (Windhoek)
2006/07 Civics (Windhoek)
2007/08 Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)
2008/09 African Stars (Windhoek)
2009/10 African Stars (Windhoek)
2010/11 Black Africa (Windhoek)
2011/12 Black Africa (Windhoek)
2012/13 Black Africa (Windhoek)
2013/14 Black Africa (Windhoek)
2014/15 African Stars (Windhoek)
2015/16 Tigers (Windhoek)
2016/17   not held
2017/18 African Stars (Windhoek)
2018/19 Black Africa (Windhoek)
2019/20   not held
2020/21   not held                   [transitional league abandoned]
2021/22   not held  
2022/23 African Stars (Windhoek)
2023/24 African Stars (Windhoek)

Number of Titles (since 1991) (28)

 8 Black Africa (Windhoek)

 7 African Stars (Windhoek)

 3 Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)
   Civics (Windhoek)

 2 Chief Santos (Tsumeb)

 1 Eleven Arrows (Walvis Bay) 
   Liverpool (Okahandja) 
   Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)
   Ramblers (Windhoek)
   Tigers (Windhoek)


Number of Titles (including NNSL (since 1985), 34)

10 Black Africa (Windhoek)

 7 African Stars (Windhoek)

 4 Blue Waters (Kuisebmund/Walvis Bay)

 3 Civics (Windhoek)

 2 Chief Santos (Tsumeb)
   Orlando Pirates (Windhoek)
   Tigers (Windhoek)

 1 Chelsea (Grootfontein)
   Eleven Arrows (Walvis Bay) 
   Liverpool (Okahandja) 
   Ramblers (Windhoek)

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Hans Schöggl
Last updated: 7 Aug 2024