| Countries | South Africa |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Folded | 1995 |
| Levels on pyramid | Level 2 |
| Promotion to | NSL Castle League |
| Most championships | African Wanderers (2 titles) Cape Town Spurs (2 titles) |
The OK League (also referred to as the Second Division), was an South African association football league. It was the second tier on the South African football league system, and teams who won the division, were promoted to the NSL Castle League.
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More sources are needed, in order to clarify the exact lifespan of the OK League. In order to avoid confusion, it should be noted that the "OK League", in that sense only was the sponsor name of the "NSL 2.Division". According to the organiser and owner of the topflight NSL Castle League (founded in 1985 and developed into Premier Soccer League in 1996), the first non-racial Second Level of South African football, was only established in March 1987 as the OK League. A league founded as the one and only competing division in South Africa, for promotion/relegation to and from the topflight NSL Castle League.[1]
Already in 1978, there was a merger of the topflight NFL and NPSL, to form the first non-racial division for the First Level of South African football. The new common topflight league, was named NPSL Castle League in 1978-84, and renamed to NSL Castle League in 1985-95. In the early years from 1978-1986, relegation/promotion to and from the topflight non-racial football league, according to official records actually did happen, but apparently it still happened from a Second Level league structure, divided into whites/blacks/coloureds.[2]
In the earliest 3 seasons of the first non-racial Second Level division, the OK League in 1987 + 1988 + 1989, it was organised as one division with 17 teams. As it had become too expensive to operate a single league, the following season in 1990 introduced two separate divisions, known as the ‘O’ and ‘K’ Streams - each comprising 20 clubs. Soon the league was further developed into four geographical streams (Northern, Southern, Eastern Cape/Natal and Western Cape), each comprising 19 clubs.[1]
When the new topflight Premier Soccer League was established in 1996, the organizers at the same time for the Second Level, replaced the former OK League with the new National First Division. Apart from a new name and a better sponsor deal, the most significant change -both at the First and Second Level- was to change the fixture schedule from yearly seasons, into the more commonly used International standard of September-May seasons.
| Season | Winner (promoted to NSL) | Also promoted to NSL |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | QwaQwa Stars | Klerksdorp City |
| 1986 | Leeds United | Blackpool |
| 1987 | Cape Town Spurs | Umtata Bush Bucks, Natal United |
| 1988 | Mighty Blackpool | Vaal Reef Stars |
| 1989 | Umtata Bush Bucks | Halls Dynamos, Pretoria City |
| 1990 | African Wanderers | Highlands Park FC, and the 6 highest ranked FPL teams: Real Taj, Tongaat Crusaders United, Bosmont Chelsea Santos, Manning Rangers, Dangerous Darkies. |
| 1991 | Cape Town Spurs | Ratanang Mahlosians |
| 1992 | Vaal Professionals | D'Alberton Callies |
| 1993 | Real Rovers | Royal Tigers |
| 1994 | African Wanderers | Jomo Cosmos and Rabali Blackpool |
| Year | Winners | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Camps Bay | Western Cape |
| Pretoria City (Promoted) | Northern Transvaal | |
| Crystal Brains (Promoted) | Kwazulu-Natal | |
| Stocks Birds | Northwest Region | |
| 1996/1997 | Santos (Promoted)[3] | Western Cape |
| Black Leopards | Northern region | |
| African Wanderers (Promoted)[4] | Natal/Eastern/Cape | |
| Tembisa Classic | Southern region |
Source:[5]
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