Tanzania - List of Champions

A league in Dar es Salaam was first organised in 1921; it had six participants in 1929. In the 1930s, it included street teams such as Arab Sports (Kariakoo) and New Strong Team (Kisutu), made up mainly of Arabs and Africans respectively. The Sudanese community had its own team, which joined the first division by 1941. The players of the Sudanese Team also included non-Sudanese. Other contemporary teams included Khalsas, an exclusively Sikh team, and the Ilala Staff, a team with Ilala residents.

In 1942, the first division of the league was dominated by teams from public institutions such as the Government School, Post Office, Railways SC, King's African Rifles SC, Police SC and Medical Department, but after World War II had broken out, many European players stopped taking part in the league, and their clubs (such as Gymkhana Club, Police, King's African Rifles and Railways) eventually withdrew. They were replaced, from the 1940s on, by African street teams such as Young Africans (Yanga; known as New Youngs in the mid-30s when they were first admitted to the second division of the Dar es Salaam league) and Sunderland (founded as Queens, later known as Eagles and Old Boys before becoming Simba in 1971), as well as the Goan's Club manned by Goans, and the Agha Khan Club by Ismaili Khojas. The Sudanese team broke up in the mid-1940s. From this period onwards, Yanga and Sunderland gradually became the most popular and strongest clubs in Dar es Salaam. Yanga, founded in 1938, entered the first division of the league soon afterwards and won four major cups in 1942. Sunderland joined the first division soon after Yanga, and won four important cups in 1946.

In 1955 the Dar es Salaam league had 38 registered clubs.

Dar es Salaam League
1944-  Sunderland (Dar es Salaam)
1945     not known  
1946 - Sunderland (Dar es Salaam)
1947-63  not known
1964 - Cosmopolitans (Dar es Salaam)  
national (mainland) league
1965 - Sunderland (Dar es Salaam)
1966 - Sunderland (Dar es Salaam)
1967 - Cosmopolitans (Dar es Salaam)
1968 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
1969 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
1970 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
1971 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
1972 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
1973 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)          
1974 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
1975 - Mseto Sports (Morogoro)  
1976 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
1977 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
1978 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
1979 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
1980 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
1981 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Mainland League Island League
1982 - Pan African (Dar es Salaam)            Pan African     Ujamaa
1983 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Young Africans  Small Simba
1984 - KMKM (Zanzibar)                        Simba           KMKM
1985 - Maji Maji (Songea)                     Young Africans  Small Simba
1986 - Maji Maji (Songea)                     Tukuyu Stars    KMKM
1987 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Young Africans  Miembeni
1988 - African Sports (Tanga)                 Coastal Union   Small Simba
1989 - Malindi                                Young Africans  Malindi
1990 - Pamba (Shinyanga)                      Simba           Malindi
1991 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Young Africans  Small Simba
1992 - Malindi                                Young Africans  Malindi
1993 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)                  Young Africans  Shengini
1994 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)                  Simba           Shengini
1995 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)                  Simba           Small Simba
1996 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Young Africans  Mlandege
1997 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Young Africans    unknown
1998 - Maji Maji (Songea)                     Young Africans  Mlandege
1999 - Prisons (Mbeya)                        Mtibwa          Mlandege
2000 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)         Mtibwa          Kipanga
2001 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)                  Simba           Mlandege
2002 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)                  Young Africans  Mlandege
2003 -   not awarded (*)                      Simba           Jamhuri (Pemba)
Tanzania Mainland (Tanzania Bara)
2004 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2005 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2006 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2007 - Simba (Dar es Salaam) [mini-league]
2008 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2009 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2010 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2011 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2012 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2013 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2014 - Azam FC (Dar es Salaam)
2015 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2016 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2017 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2018 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2019 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2020 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2021 - Simba (Dar es Salaam)
2022 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam)
2023 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam) 
2024 - Young Africans (Dar es Salaam) 
2025 -

(*) Union League abandoned due to court action by Young Africans; Simba as
    Mainland champions were inscribed to the CAF Champions League.

NB: championship was determined between the top teams of the Mainland (Tanganyika)
      and Island (Zanzibar) leagues between 1982 and 2003.
    As Zanzibar obtained independent membership of CAF in 2004, the Union League
      was cancelled; it had not been contested since.
    Sunderland changed name to Simba in 1971.

Championships 

25 Young Africans                       

22 Simba  [includes Sunderland, as well as 2003 and 2004 Mainland titles;
           also includes 2007 mini-league] 
        
 3 Maji Maji

 2 Malindi

 1 African Sports
   Azam FC
   Cosmopolitans
   KMKM
   Mseto Sports (Morogoro)
   Pamba
   Pan African
   Prisons

NB: KMKM stands for Kikosi Maalum cha Kuzuia Magendo.

About this document

Sources included: [BBQ 07], http://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/68221/1/ASM_24_195.pdf

Thanks to Salim Esmailjee and Sam Lalani for corrections

Prepared and maintained by Julio Bovi Diogo for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Julio Bovi Diogo
Last updated: 25 Sep 2024