Early Beginnings

The Twenties & Thirties

The War Years and Aftermath

Independence and Onwards

Independence and Onwards

The character of the Mombasa Sports Club has changed radically since the early 1960s. Nowadays in 1996 the European membership is very much in the minority, there are many more purely social members and the number of children using the Club has greatly expanded. These changes however happened gradually as it was not until the 1970's that the hangovers from colonial days were truly swept away. The first non-European Chairman of the Club was M. Satchu in 1973 while the first African Chairman was J. K. Kabetu who was Chairman for two years, 1979-80. 

The first Asian committee member was Dr Rasik Patel and he served on the selection committee for two years 1964/5 and helped to open up Club membership to persons of all races. He remembers that the process was rather slow at first, probably because subscriptions were expensive and beyond the reach of most people, but as the social divide diminished and a well-off middle-class not only of Asian but also African professionals and businessmen emerged more and more wanted to join the Sports Club. Even to this day the membership is largely drawn from the commercial and private sector of the town as civil servants and the large parastatal organisations tend to have their own sporting facilities.

Membership in 1996 stands at an all time high, of over 1,400 of which two thirds are family members. In 1964 the membership was roughly 250, so in the intervening years there has been a five-fold increase in membership, which though very encouraging has increased the burden on those involved in the management of the Club. The Club is now run by ten committees headed by a management committee and chairman. All committee members come up for election once a year and there are four trustees. The dedication and energies of these unpaid officials ensure the smooth functioning of the Club. The salaried staff consist of a manager, two secretaries, eight in the accounts section and others totaling 69. The sports sections each have their committees as well and the captains meet once a month to discuss
any general problems and to liaise with each other on fixtures, socials and sponsorship. The management structure has become increasing complex and has moved a long way from the early years when the whole Club was run by one small committee with no formal staff or written minutes. There is now a waiting list for membership, but sports players are given preference and temporary membership is available. 

The improvement and expansion of facilities has had to keep up with the enormous increase in demand. In 1977 the front car park wall was built and the present parking area designed. In 1978 snooker was introduced and in 1981 a second squash court was added. An initially controversial addition of an out-building containing a new kitchen, second ladies' shower room and an office for the accounts section was built in 1986. The tennis section particularly objected to the cutting down of a fine old mango tree that had provided welcome shade and picturesque back drop to their evening games, but their protests were in vain and the extension went ahead. Another incident which provoked controversy, again involving the tennis section, was the sale in 1976 of the tennis court adjoining court No.4 to D.T. Dobie's garage for their new assembly yard. In return for the land, D.T. Dobie paid for a new tennis court, the present court No.5 on the other side of the Club house near the squash courts. In retrospect this sale should never have been allowed to go through as it was detrimental to the Club. The 1 new court was never used for tennis and even now j.1 as a basketball court it is under-utilised. This sale I and the subsequent conversion of another court 1 into a practice wall and viewing area effectively 1 reduced the number of playing courts available to the tennis section to seven. In the late '70s two viewing stands originally fabricated by Fred Passaris of Helmaco for the football pitch were moved and given a permanent home adjoining tennis court No.6 and floodlights for two courts were put in. 

The bowling green, squash courts, tennis courts, cricket pitch and playing fields have all received the regular attention needed to maintain the highest standards and to ensure that the Mombasa Sports Club can continue to offer the best all round range of sporting facilities in the Coast Province. A third squash court with a spectators' gallery and glass backing is being built and promises to be the first of its kind on the Coast. An ambitious scheme for a swimming pool complex is planned for 1996/7 and after 2005, when the land now being used by the police reverts to the Club. there are hopes for a new rugby pitch as at present football and rugby has to share one ground. 

The social side of the Club has continued to be very active. For many years the New Year's Eve party was the best attended in town as it was less formal than the rival Mombasa Club function which generally attracted a more staid and elderly clientele. Recently, however, competition from the increasing number of beach hotels and discotheques has taken its toll. The annual Rugby Ball is a major social event at the Club and a successful "Sportsman's Ball" has been held for the last two years. Children's Christmas parties are still held every year and the Diwali celebrations in November are always very colourful with saree and firework displays. Friday evening open nights draw large crowds and are very popular family occasions when members with their children can come and sit out on the cricket pitch to enjoy chicken tikka and samosas cooked by Dilawars Barbecue. The monthly draw is also held on Fridays and has on occasions been combined with bingo games to pull in extra funds for the club. A film evening is usually held on Sundays and members can use the roof terrace of the lounge for in-house functions.

In 1973 the Club introduced two new prizes, aimed at encouraging and rewarding sporting
excellence amongst members. These were the sportsman and sportswoman of the year awards. The chairman has the responsibility of nominating the candidates who must either have represented the Club in an outstanding performance during the year or have shown all round sporting ability or dedication. For several years after the l' nomination of the brilliant cricket and tennis player Aasif Karim in 1981, there seemed no-one worthy of the title but in the 1990s there was a revival with Julie Stonestreet who did so much for women's hockey being given the award in 1994. K.P. Shah was named sportsman of the year for his winning performance at bowls in 1994 and Vimal Shah was made 1995 sportsman of the year for his contribution to squash. 

1981 saw the end of an era when finally the Men's Bar was persuaded, reluctantly, to admit women. George Wilson remembers clearly what happened. Percy Coulter a former chairman (1963), a stickler for tradition and one of the oldest members still using the Club at that time, had held out with determination against women being allowed into the Men ,S Bar. But finally even he was defeated and he accepted his defeat gracefully! He moved from his usual seat in the comer of the Men's Bar and was next seen holding court surrounded by women at the Lounge Bar. 

Dr Charlie Patel, who has been a member since 1964, says many rules have been done away since he joined and that nowadays the atmosphere of the Club is much more relaxed than it used to be. When he first joined, children were only allowed into the playground area and certainly did not have the freedom of the Club as they do now and there were much stricter dress regulations. There are many more social members than there used to be, which is becoming a slight problem for the Club as the average age of members has increased making it difficult to field strong teams, particularly in some of the field sports. The football section is one area that has suffered in the face of strong competition from other clubs, and the men's hockey team no longer has the caliber of players it used to have. On the other hand, women's hockey has recently made a big come-back and rugby has also gained a new lease on life. The cricket, tennis and squash sections continue to contain players of a high standard, while the bowls and bridge sections contain some outstanding players who have fared well at international levels. 

These days younger players, often children of long term members, are particularly encouraged and many have done exceptionally well from the training they first received at a young age at the Mombasa Sports Club. In this category mention should be made of one or two former ballboys in the tennis section who have benefited from generous sponsorship and ended up good players doing well in national competitions, with career prospects. 

There is no doubt that the Mombasa Sports Club is continuing to hold its own as a cornerstone of Mombasa's sporting and social life. It has managed to remain financially buoyant throughout the one hundred years of its existence, no mean achievement, and has been successful in bringing the pleasure of participating in sport to a larger section of society. From its inception the Club has been in the forefront of introducing new sports to the country and has provided the early training ground for several of the country's most talented players, especially in the fields of cricket and tennis. It is to be hoped that the first one hundred years of Mombasa Sports Club is only a beginning and that the second will produce even more glorious results.

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