The British colonists in southern Africa established sports clubs throughout the region. Port Elizabeth was founded after the arrival of the first British settlers in 1820, and they created the oldest cricket club in South Africa there in 1843. In Rhodesia, the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo dates from 1894. established on May 20, 1920. The Sporting Clube de Lourenço Marques was established in 1920 and still exists in 2026.
Water polo and swimming were the first aquatic sports disciplines to create clubs in South Africa. Diving and 'artistic swimming" were also popular activities, but the men who set up the clubs focused primarily on water polo.
Sport was the glue that maintained empire. It kept communities together and provided opportunities for leisure and entertainment.