Sporting Heraldry

South Africa is a sports-mad country, with hundreds of clubs and teams, covering a wide range of sports.

Green and gold have been the national sporting colours since 1906. At first, they applied to rugby, but they were later extended to other sports (and, in World War II, they were adopted by the defence force too, as if the war were a sports fixture).

A fair number of clubs and controlling bodies are armigerous. The following is a sport-by-sport selection of arms.

Athletics

The only athletics club which has registered arms appears to be Cape Town's Celtic Harriers, whose arms (BoH 1979) are Argent, a harp Vert; on a chief Vert a four-barred gate Argent.
 

Bowls
Several bowling clubs have registered arms and badges. Among them was the Cape Country Bowling Association, whose arms were Or, an aloe plant with three flower spikes proper; on a chief arched Gules a bowling jack Argent between two bowling woods Or (BoH 1967).

Cricket

The arms of the National Sports Council (originally National Sports Congress) (BoH 1994) are probably most closely associated with the national cricket team: Vert, a protea slipped and leaved Or and seeded Argent; a chief nowy per chevron grady Or. The team, formerly called "Springboks", has become known as the "Proteas" instead.

Cycling
The arms of the Western Province Cycle-Car Association (BoH 1993) incorporate a highly stylised stick figure, and two symbols of the Western Cape, namely the provincial flower and a stylised representation of Table Mountain: Argent, a representation of a cyclist on a cycle-car Sable ensigned of a disa flower Gules; a chief enhanced in each flank a full and a half peak to base the half peaks against the respective edges of the shield Azure.

Jukskei

An original South African sport, played with ox-yoke skeys and said to have originated during the great trek of Afrikaners out of the British-ruled Cape Colony in the 1830s. The arms of the controlling body, Jukskei SA (BoH 1998) are Vert, two jukskeis in saltire ensigned of a protea flower slipped and leaved Or seeded Argent.

Rowing
The arms of the Vaal Rowing Club (BoH 1966) are Quarterly Gules and Argent, two oars in saltire handles to base Azure.

Rugby

Organised rugby makes use of team badges, but few coats of arms. The SA Rugby Football Union uses pseudo-arms, as did its predecessor, the SA Rugby Board. A team which has proper arms is the SA Police Rugby Club of Upington (BoH 1993): Azure, a camel statant and in base a rugby ball fesswise Or. One of the few examples of camels in South African heraldry, the arms presumably allude to early 20th-century camel-mounted police patrols of the Kalahari Desert from Upington.

Sailing
Many sailing and yachting clubs have registered burgees or pennants. You'll find a selection on the Flags of the World website.

Soccer
Soccer is probably the most popular sport in South Africa, so much so that several English and Dutch clubs have established South African teams. Many clubs have quasi-armorial badges, and a few have registered coats of arms, including the well-known Orlando Pirates (BoH 1973): Sable, a skull and crossbones within an orle Argent. Evidently, there is also a version of the arms which has the name on the shield.

References/Sources/Links

South African Heraldry Website © Arthur Radburn