Hamediehs RFC will be celebrating their 120th year of existence in 2016. The club was established in 1896 in District Six, and the name of the club was derived from a Turkish Manawar Ship, ‘The Hamediehs Star’ which visited Cape Town in 1895.

Hamediehs RFC will be celebrating their 120th year of existence in 2016. The club was established in 1896 in District Six, and the name of the club was derived from a Turkish Manawar Ship, ‘The Hamediehs Star’ which visited Cape Town in 1895.

Today the club is based in Athlone with its home ground based at Vygieskraal Stadium. Past players include legends like Mogamat Tape Rinquest, Pangie Davids and Achmat Gool who served the club up to the 1st World War in 1931.

Due to the war the club became dormant and eventually was resurrected after World War 2 by members Joey Jakoet, Ismail Behardien, Toka Fransis, Veta Rinquest and Mogamat Theinissen. Winning the ’Bali Cup’ in 1956 and the ’Kagee Moosa Throphy’ in 1965 under the banner of WPRFU remain huge successes for the club.

After unification in 1992, the club struggled to find its feet in the then Bali Cup and steadily improved their calibre of players like Anwar Majiet.

With the leagues structure coming into effect in about 1997, the club was drawn into the then Super League B competition and had to face top clubs like Tygerberg RFC, Kraaifontein RFC and Brackenfell RFC.

As the years progressed the club experienced a steady decline in player resources resulting in the club being relegated out of the Super League competitions and has played its rugby in the City League competition for the last few years.

The year 2015 was a good year for the club winning promotion back to the Super Leagues and will be playing in Super League C competition in 2016.

The objectives of the club for the 2016 season are to continue building on the foundation of having a strong community rugby club. Developing the junior club is a very important objective as the club is located adjacent to an informal settlement where club members regularly initiate upliftment projects with the aim of exposing all young people to the joys of the game of rugby as an alternate to a life of drugs and crime.

The club currently has more than 100 registered players and will be fielding an Under-20 team in the league competition for the first time in many years. The junior teams within the club will compete with nine teams in age group rugby from Under-7 level right up to Under-19 level.

The club has a very youthful executive committee that brought some change to the club with new ideas and new ways of doing things guided by some experienced administrators.

They include Faried Berdien (President), Aleem Salie (Chairman), Tasneem Esack Smart (Vice Chairperson), Zugdi vd Schyff (Secretary), Rufqah Allie (Assistant Secretary), Shakier Ariefdien (Treasurer), Abdu-Rakiep Berdien (Assistant Treasurer) and Qaanied Allie as well as Nasief Smart as the Trustees.