New Orleans

THE BIRTH OF NEW ORLEANS FOOTBALL CLUB

I left Bethlehem in 1949 to go to Durban for a holiday. I had passed Standard 6 the previous year and was waiting to go to college later. I met many friends and decided to ask my dad if I could stay and enrol as a student at Umbilo Road High School. I had met Basil Petersen who was a keen soccer player and a student at the school. He got me to become a member of Scotts House. The first team I played for in the Coloured Association was Comets under the management of Stanley Davis. Royston Matches, Tommy Crowie, Bernie Crowie and Basil Petersen and I discussed forming our own team. I proposed we call ourselves NGI LADS. (Never Give In) NGI was a team from Bethlehem. While this was going on we met more players from Victoria Street; Dicky Delange, Golly Baker and Slappy and they were approached by Ernest Paul, who had a Social Club in Lome Street. He offered to sponsor us on condition we call ourselves New Orleans Football Club We were later joined by Daryll Fynn, Philip Fynn, Philip Apollos, Eric Bull, Delall and the rest of those players in the Original New Orleans photo under Ernest Paul. The Maroon and Gold team did so well at Stamford Hill in their first B League that they were promoted to the A league. Misunderstanding with Ernest Paul's management of the Club led to his resignation and Nelson Oakes was asked to take over. When the under 21 Coloured Team for the Willie Ernest Inter Race Competition was chosen, the majority were from New Orleans. The Coloured Team under the Captaincy of John Stanley and Vice-Captaincy of Cyril Hulley beat the Indian Team as well as the African Team. The game was played at Curries Fountain. JOHN STANLEY