"Heading for the big time": South Africans and the North American Soccer League, 1968–84

This article considers the migration of South African soccer players to the North American Soccer League (NASL) between 1968 and 1984. The NASL provided South African players the opportunity to pit their skills against players from around the world. Importantly, South Africans of all racial groups could play with and against each other in North America as opposed to the strictly segregated clubs, leagues, associations, and stadiums they emerged from. Players who returned to South Africa established their own clubs modeled on their NASL experiences, challenged the soccer status quo, and undermined the logic of apartheid. A small but significant handful of South Africans played in North America between 1968 and 1984, men who not only left an indelible mark on soccer on the continent but in South Africa too.