With a national team called ‘The Boys’ and two of the top club teams known as Chiefs and Pirates, football in South Africa is a colourful game.

THERE'S no quicker way to break the ice with football fans than to demonstrate some knowledge of the local scene. To help, here's a crash course on football, SA style.

National squad
On 9 July 1992 the first post-apartheid national team took to the international stage, with a breathtaking 1-0 victory over Cameroon.

The heady days were short-lived, however, with work needed to regain the competitive edge local footballers had lost in the years of isolation during the apartheid regime.

Bafana Bafana, as the squad came to be known, failed to qualify for the African Nations Cup two years later.

In the 1996 African Nations Cup, however, Bafana Bafana – The Boys – did the nation proud, beating Tunisia 2-0 in a locally hosted final.

A year later “The Boys” made history once again. This time they managed to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France – a first for the country.

Also in 1997, Bafana Bafana again went through to the finals of the African Nations Cup, losing 2-0 to Egypt.

Never quite reaching the heights of the 1996 African Cup of Nations win, Bafana Bafana had a mixed bag of results over the next few years, winning the Afro-Asian Trophy in 1999, and finishing third in the 2000 African Nations Cup.

The squad once again managed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup – this time in Korea and Japan. It was here that flashes of brilliance could be seen, most notably in an awe-inspiring match against Spain, which Bafana ultimately lost 2-3.

With the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in sight, the squad now has an international-class coach in the form of Carlos Alberto Parreira. It was Parreira who steered Brazil's 1994 World Cup team to victory.

The Jozi connections
Joburg has strong football ties. It’s home to the South African Football Association and the 2010 Local Organising Committee. FIFA’s offices are also in Joburg.

The city is also hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ opening ceremony and the final match at the FNB Stadium, known locally as Soccer City.

Two of the country’s top teams are based in Joburg – Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Chiefs, affectionately known as Amakhosi, are one of the country’s most successful teams, with a fan-base spread over the whole of South Africa and beyond.

The squad has topped the Premier Soccer League twice since its launch in 1997, and also won the 2002 Nelson Mandela Cup.

The club was founded in 1970 by Kaizer Motaung, who became internationally known playing in the American league.

Pirates, or The Buccaneers as they are more commonly known, also has a fan-base beyond the country's borders.

Also two-time winners of the PSL since its launch, the club – formed in 1937 –has a long and varied history reflective of the South African story itself.

They are the only South African team to have won Africa's premier club competition, the Champions League. This they achieved in 1995.

The city is also where future stars are nurtured, and every weekend sees a slew of young hopefuls trying out at the various clubs. “We cannot accommodate everyone,” says Pirates’ development coach Augusto Palacios.

Besides the academies run by the five PSL clubs, there are a host of other options for youngsters, including the Amathole Football Academy, the Mogoduba City Club established by former Pirates coach Kosta Papic, and the Star Academy.

Football leagues
Like any top league around the world, the stakes are high and the debates are fierce when it comes to the PSL.

The country’s premier league, established in 1997, features a total of 16 of the country’s top clubs.

Below this is the First Division, made up of two groups – the Inland Stream and the Coastal Stream – each made up of eight clubs. The winners of each group meet each other at the end of every season, with a place in the PSL up for grabs.

At the moment FC AK is the only team from Joburg in the First Division.

Below these divisions is the Vodacom League, made up of some 140 teams.

Local squads Yebo Yes, Alexandra United, Galatasaray, Meadowlands, Pimville Young Tigers and Soweto Panthers battle it out weekly for the chance to take on the leaders in the other provinces and gain a shot at entry into the First Division.