| abstract
| - The squad was originally "owned" by the Staatsregeringministrie vir Sport en Atletiese van Transvaal and managed by Bartnel Botha, who held the post of Minister for Sport & Athletics in Transvaal during the existance of the nation. On February 11, 2011, after the collapse of Transvaal [in CNRP], Bartnel Botha acquired the club and it has since then been under private ownership. Since May 5, 2010 (during Season 8), Botha has also held the post of Commissioner of Liga Mundo. Mid-way through Season 12, Manager Botha signed a player contract on December 2, 2011 and became the team's starting goalkeeper. He played in four games before ending his brief comeback and hanging up his cleats early in Season 13, returning to his off-field positions. On May 4, 2009 after their match against SiPS, the club moved temporarily to Khomasdal Stadium (capacity 10,300) - the home field for Windhoek Welwitschia - for the duration of the Karma War as Loftus Versfeld was deemed un-usable at the time. Two matches were played there before the club announced their return to Loftus Versfeld three weeks later on May 25, 2009. During the TOP-C&G War, the club once again moved to Khomasdal Stadium after the Witwatersrand region came under nuclear attack on February 4, 2010. The club returnd to Loftus Versfled on April 2, 2010 prior to the start of Season 8. The club sponsor in their first season was Soundic Radio; the sponsor was dropped at the start of Liga Mundo 14. The Springboks, or Die Bokke as they are nicknamed in Afrikaans, played in the Primera Liga (first division) for their first 16 seasons until they were demoted to the Segunda Liga (second division) on May 17, 2013 heading into Season 17. The Springboks' best league finish was when they won their first league championship in Season 5 after defeating Estrella Roja in the final match of the season on June 8, 2009. Their worst finish was when the club finished in 9th and last place in Season 16. At the end of Season 2, the club faced relegation to the Segunda Liga until Hanslope Hornets, the club finishing above them, folded and the Springboks managed to retain their spot in the Primera Liga. Joop Boekweg was the last remaining player from the initial 18-man expansion roster until he retired at the end of Season 15. Stien van Buyten joined the team just prior to the inaugural season as a junior prospect and he broke the 20-season mark (along with Arthur Basso of VolNation Volunteers) heading into Season 20. After Basso's retirement at the conclusion of Season 20, Van Buyten was the very last remaining active player from Season 1 in Liga Mundo as well as olding the record for most seasons played and for being the oldest outfield player - at age 39 - to ever take to the field in a Liga Mundo match. Stien van Buyten would retire at the end of Season 21. Original Springbok Ricardo van Deinsen announced his retirement at the conclusion of Season 5. At the time of his final match, he was second on the club in most matches played (84) and lead the club in most points (45) and most goals (34). Van Deinsen is also (to date) the only Springbok player to have played in all four positions on the field - including two victories in net as the emergency substitute goalkeeper. He would later come out of retirement to sign with NVK Kaapstad Hornets of Nordreich Liga. As the team headed into Season 12, the Springboks began to find themselves eclipsed on the field by their cousins Windhoek Welwitschia and Kaapstad Hornets as those two teams found league and cup success in their respective leagues while Die Bokke soldiered on through another mid-table campaign. Windhoek Welwitschia became regarded as the strongest team in Transvaal after winning their second league championship as well as reaching the cup finals twice in Vedder League Season 13. In the Nordreich Liga, Kaapstad Hornets dethroned six seasons of Dorpat Lions dominance in the Nordreich Cup when they defeated Zemo City Avengers for the championship. Meanwhile fans of Die Bokke Nasie sit and wait for their team to make it past the semi-finals in the cups. Joop Boekweg gained legendary status after playing his 100th match on August 21, 2009, the first Springbok to reach the century mark and the 7th player in Liga Mundo history to do so. Dick Witchge gained legendary status on January 5, 2010 with his 100th (and ultimately final) match. Henk Schot gained his legendary status two weeks later on January 19, 2010 in his 100th match. Stien van Buyten, the club's first-ever junior prospect signing, reached legendary status on June 17, 2010. Matthias Rieger reached legendary status on September 30, 2010. Thurston Alderton reached legendary status on November 4, 2010 as only the second goalkeeper in Liga Mundo to reach 100 career games-played. Charles Brennan became the first forward to reach legendary status when he played 100th match on on November 25, 2010. Balthazar Botha reached legendary status on December 9, 2010. Mark Verwayen and captain Leon Hooiber both achieved their legendary status when they played their 100th game in the opening match of Copa Cato III on January 10, 2011. Detlef Botha played his 100th legendary match on March 3, 2011. Emmanuel Hörtnagl played his 100th match on August 18, 2011. Cetshwayo Ngwane became the club's youngest legend when the 23-year-old fullback played his 100th match on June 11, 2012. Arlindo Kaká played in his 100th Liga Mundo match on June 28, 2012; his 100th legendary match with the Springboks came on July 5, 2012. On December 1, 2011 with the departure of Henk Schot, fullback Joop Boekweg became the last remaining player from the original expansion roster. "The Grand Old Man" of Transvaal football, Joop Boekweg continued to play with the club until the conclusion of Season 15 - having played in a total of 253 matches (35 of them cup games) when he hung up his cleats on December 30, 2012 after 15 seasons. During Season 15 on December 20, 2012, Mark Verwayen played in his 200th career match. Six matches into Season 16 and facing relegation to the Segunda Liga, Manager Bartnel Botha resigned as club manager after the Springboks' 2-1 loss against VolNation Volunteers on February 14, 2013. Team captain Detlef Botha - who had just played in his 200th career match for the club - was named his replacement effective the following day. Bartnel Botha remained involved as club owner and Liga Mundo Commissioner. Midfielder Emmanuel Hörtnagl scored the Springboks' 500th regular season goal on March 28, 2013 during a 4-2 loss to the VolNation Volunteers. Jakob Kruger played in his 100th legendary match on April 11, 2013. On April 25, 2013, with two games remaining in Season 16 the Transvaal Springboks finally notched their first win of the season, after enduring a painful 13-game winless streak, by downing Syracuse Salty Dogs 4-1 at Syracuse Memorial Stadium. The victory was the 100th regular-season win in club history - however, a nil-nil draw the same day in Marseille involving Arcadia FC effectively sealed the coffin on the Springboks’ tenure in the Primera Liga as the team was officilly consigned to relegation for the following season; Arcadia FC's 15 points in the table at that point managed to put Primera Liga survival out of reach for Transvaal. On May 17, 2013, the Springboks began life in the Segunda Liga when the Season 17 schedule was released. Balthazar Botha played in his 200th career match on June 13, 2013 in a 3-3 draw versus RMI Armed Forces FC. The Springboks returned to the Primera Liga in Season 18. Due to the effects of the Disorder War raging across the globe, on November 11, 2013, the Transvaal Springboks agreed with a request from their allied comrades in the Northern Reich to open up Loftus Versfeld to groundsharing the two Dorpat teams for the duration of the conflict. Both Dynamo Dorpat of Liga Mundo and Dorpat Lions of the Nordreich Liga relocated to Pretoria until hostilities ended and it was feasible and safe to move the club back to their home grounds. On January 30, 2014, Dynamo Dorpat played their final home match of the season at Loftus Versfeld, returning to Dorpat for the start of Season 19. Season 18 saw the Springboks reach the following milestones in the club's overall history going back to April 2007: 500th competitive match on October 17, 2013 at VolNation Volunteers; 1000th goal scored on November 4, 2013 by Jakob Kruger at Keville United FC; 100th draw on November 7, 2013 vs. Nordheim Badgers FC; 200th loss on January 9, 2014 at Nordheim Badgers FC; 600th point in standings on January 23, 2014 vs. Skagafjörður Nords AFC. Detlef Botha played his final match in Liga Mundo on January 30, 2014 in the Springboks's last home game and penultimate match of Season 18, a 3-3 draw versus VolNation Volunteers in which he scored his 107th goal of his career. He officially retired as an active player on February 8, 2014. At the time of his retirement, he was 4th in career matches (237) and led the club in career totals for goals (107), assists (77), points (184), X11 team selections (80), yellow cards (90), and red cards (20). In the later two categories, he was the all-time leader in Liga Mundo. Season 19 saw the team return to their second stint in the Segunda Liga after finishing 10th and last place in the Primera Liga the previous season. Arlindo Kaká scored the club’s 600th regular season goal on March 13, 2014 in the 33rd minute of their 3-3 draw at Skagafjörður Nords AFC. Prior to the Copa Cato XII quarter-final that season, the club was taunted by their opponents Templar United. After comments made how “Templar were looking forward to reminding the Boks where they belong: beneath the Templar Boot”, Manager Detlef Botha started wearing black wellington gumboots in response. Inspired by their manager’s actions, the Springboks managed to defeat Templar United and then dispatched the defending Copa Cato champions Dynamo Dorpat to reach the first-ever cup final in the club’s history. Fans started referring to the team as the Gumboot Nation in response to Die Bokke’s surprising and inexplicable cup run. The Springboks finally met their match and their magical run came to an end as Guajolotes dispatched the upstarts 4-1 and 2-0 in the Copa Cato XII Finals; the only bright spot being the club's first-ever (and only) goal scored in a cup final, by veteran midfielder Emmanuel Hörtnagl in the 27th minute of the first leg. Other highlights of the season saw 19-season veteran Stien van Buyten play in his 300th match during Season 19, helping to lead the team to a close 4-3 victory over Debate Land Orators on May 22, 2014- his playmaking ability during the contest resulting in him scoring the first goal of the match. Then in the following week's match, reserve forward Yamamoto Sugoi broke Balthazar Botha’s five-year Liga Mundo record for the fastest 4 goals scored by one player in one game, by shaving off 3 minutes from the record. Sugoi scored his four goals against the Skagafjörður Nords AFC in Transvaal's 6-1 win on May 29, 2014 which secured the Springboks' first-ever Liga Mundo Team of the Month award. Stien van Buyten became the first Springbok player to reach 300 career matches on May 22, 2014. In the final game of Season 19, a 2-all draw versus The Fighting Sherms, Christopher de Beers played his 100th legendary match while Arlindo Kaká played in his 200th match with the Springboks. Season 20 saw the club win its first cup championship when they defeated Clachnacuddin 2-0 in the UCFA Champions Cup III Final on October 20, 2014. Marais van der Merwe and Jakob Kruger scored the two Springbok goals in the match. On November 20, 2014, Stien van Buyten became - at age 39 - the oldest outfield player ever to appear in a Liga Mundo match when he started for the Springboks in their Season 21 opener versus Plymouth City FC. He was also the last remaining active player in Liga Mundo from Season 1 as well as holding the record for most seasons in Liga Mundo with 21 campaigns to his name. After appearing in 4 matches during his 21st and final campaign, Stien Van Buyten decided to take an early retirement and hung up his cleats on December 30, 2014 – two weeks short of seven years in Liga Mundo. His last game took place at Loftus Versfeld on Christmas Day of 2014 when he entered the game as a substitute in the Springboks’ win over The Fighting Sherms. Jakob Kruger played in his 200th bicentennial match on June 8, 2015 during Season 22 when the Springboks faced Clachnacuddin in the first leg of the Copa Cato XIV finals. On July 10, 2015, prior to the start of Season 23, Manos Torgo voluntarily relinquished his captaincy to Cetshwayo Ngwane, the goalkeeper viewing the fullback great as a better person suited for the role. In Season 24, on February 11, 2016 versus Bethlehem FC, Jakob Kruger became only the second Springbok to reach the century mark when he scored his 100th and 101st career goals. Pieter van Uys played in his 200th bicentennial match on January 5, 2017, three games from the end of Season 27.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)