About Santos FC
The People's Team
Santos Football Club was established in Heideveld, on the Cape Flats, in 1982, originally playing under the name Lightbody's Santos FC after its early sponsor. The club became known for its insistence on non-racial inclusivity during the apartheid era, earning it the nickname "The People's Team".
Santos competed in the Federation Professional League (FPL), the country's only genuinely non-racial football body at the time, from 1982 to 1990, winning the FPL championship in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990, along with FPL Cup honours in 1985, 1988 and 1990.
The club earned promotion to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the 1997–98 season. In 2001–02, under the mentorship of Gordon Igesund, Santos won the PSL Premiership title, making them the first, and to date the only, club that was not a founder member of the PSL to win the league. The following season brought the ABSA Cup in 2003.
Santos were relegated from the PSL at the end of the 2011–12 season, and later from the National First Division (NFD) at the end of 2016–17. Today, the club's first team, the Senior Team, competes in the ABC Motsepe League, the second tier of South African football (SAFA Second Division).
Still The People's Team
More than four decades on from its founding, Santos FC still fields sides across its Academy, Ladies Team and Senior Team from the same Lansdowne home that has hosted the club since 1982.
Crest & Colours
The Santos FC crest carries the club name and founding year, 1982, within a black ring on a gold background, with the club's emblem in black and red at its centre.
As pictured in the club's own team photos, the current playing kit is a gold jersey with black shorts and socks, echoing the crest's colours.
Trophy Cabinet
- PSL Champions2001–02
- ABSA Cup Winners2003
- FPL League Champions1983, 84, 86, 87, 88, 90
- FPL Cup Winners1985, 88, 90
- Challenge Cup Winners1988
- Bob Save Super Bowl Winners2001
- BP Top 8 Winners2002
Milestones & Legends
- Most GoalsJean-Marc Ethier: 70
- Most AppearancesEdries Burton: 409 starts
Notable Former Coaches
- Gordon Igesund2001–02
- Clive Barker2000–01, 2005
The club's history records nine former coaches in total. These two are the most notable on record; the remaining names are not yet confirmed for publication here.