The Manchester United Supporters’ Club (South Africa) was born in July 1990 when a group of local supporters approached Gary Bailey to stand as Chairman in the new venture.

There had been a supporters club before this, but bad administration had left a lot of people disappointed. The new Committee was determined this would not happen again.

Satellite branches were set up in Durban and Cape Town and the three centres worked well together to raise the Club’s profile while membership grew.

In 2000, as plans were under way to celebrate the Club’s 10th year – Sir Alex Ferguson had accepted an invitation and agreed to attend a gala dinner in Johannesburg – the Marketing people at Old Trafford “sold the rights to the brand” to Treble Sports in Cape Town. With those rights went the right to operate a supporters club and the existing club lost it’s official status. Celebrations were cancelled.

Despite assurances to Barry Moorhouse, Membership Secretary at Old Trafford, the new administrators were not too keen on allowing any involvement from the ‘old’ regime and made every effort to freeze them out. However, when IMUSA got word of what was happening here they took up the issue on our behalf.  Michael Crick, a highly respected journalist and author, became very involved and put our case to officials at Old Trafford.

Peter Draper, United’s Marketing Director, invited representatives of the original club to a meeting in Cape Town.  Those present from Old Trafford were Draper himself and Karl Evans, Selwyn Lewis and Edwin Lindsay-Bowman from the Treble Sport group, and a small group representing the Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Cape Town branches of the original supporters’ club.

After long discussions, Lewis and Lindsay-Bowman were instructed to allow the branches to operate much as before, providing a link between members and Old Trafford, but ticketing and memberships should be handled by the new club.

While the original branches continued to serve their communities, the Official Manchester United Supporters Club of South Africa set about increasing the membership base, which they did very successfully through advertising and sponsored benefits.  Unfortunately, projected earnings were not realised and they decided to close their doors half-way through the 2nd season, leaving thousands of members disappointed.
The original club once more came into it’s own and we have struggled since then to re-build the trust of members who felt betrayed, first by Old Trafford and then by the new owners of the ‘brand’.

Membership is offered on two levels: a full One United membership, which includes SA standing, or a local membership only. New applications/renewals will be available late June/early July 2007, and the form can be downloaded from this website.

We hold four season tickets at Old Trafford and these are available to all members on a first-come-first-served basis. Should none of these be available then we can make formal application for tickets on behalf of One United members only.

The branch trip to Old Trafford has become very popular, with some members making it their annual holiday. It’s always the last home game of the season, regardless of the opposition, and over the past ten years, some have been fortunate to witness the presentation of the Premiership trophy. The group spends a week in Manchester, visiting the stadium, attending the match, and (usually, but only with the Manager’s permission) a highly memorable visit to Carrington to watch United train. The branch trip is open to One United members only with bookings available from around September each year.

The Club’s website has grown in popularity and the fan’s forum has a steady base of contributors who post regularly. It’s the place to get updated news and information about Manchester United and for anyone without internet access the InfoLine at 011 615-0047 provides daily news and scores on match-days.

At present, branches operate in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg. Contact details and information regarding meetings for the branches can be obtained from This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   Johburg Reds meet on the 1st Wednesday of each month throughout the season. Venue details will be posted on this website at the appropriate time.

During the 2006/07 season, Gary Bailey was elevated to Club President with Barry Shmeizer being appointed the new Chairman. Ethel Sleith, Club Secretary, is usually available to answer questions on ticketing or membership.

Manchester United is the greatest football club on the planet, with a remarkable history, and a long line of extraordinary players who have lit up the game. Always be proud to associate yourself with this.