Bay Stars F.C.

Lore & Background

Bay Stars was created to restore professional football to Port Elizabeth after Bay United was sold and moved to Polokwane, leaving the city without a club. The club was owned by local businessmen Yusuf Adams and Tony Lovegrove in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. Tony Lovegrove served as managing director, while the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University ran the club's academy team. The senior team played its SAFA Second Division matches at Gelvandale Stadium, and the academy team played its SAFA Regional League matches at the Missionvale Campus of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Reader's Guide

Bay Stars represents a brief but notable attempt to maintain a semi-professional football presence in Port Elizabeth after the departure of Bay United. The club spent both years of its existence in the third tier, finishing third in the Eastern Cape stream of the Vodacom League in 2011–12 and second in the same stream of the SAFA Second Division in 2012–13. Its academy team also placed second in the Nelson Mandela Bay stream of the SAFA Regional League in 2012–13. The club's significance lies in its role as a transitional entity: after the 2012–13 season, its SAFA Second Division franchise was sold to the municipality's deputy mayor, Chippa Ngcolomba, who renamed it Morning Stars, and its SAFA Regional League franchise was sold to become Motherwell Academy. Bay Stars thus filled a gap in local football for two seasons before its franchises were absorbed into new clubs.

Did You Know?

• Bay Stars was formed in 2011 after purchasing the SAFA Second Division franchise of Bay Academy.
• The club was owned by local businessmen Yusuf Adams and Tony Lovegrove in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
• The senior team played its home matches at Gelvandale Stadium.
• After the 2012–13 season, the club's SAFA Second Division franchise was sold to deputy mayor Chippa Ngcolomba and became Morning Stars.