In this first edition of our brand-new feature What's In A Name, Pretoria Callies FC chairman Moses Malada unpacks the origin of the club's nickname "The Romans."
Bantule was the old shanty town in Pretoria North where a lot of Atteridgeville folks came from, along with Lady Selbourne, a stone's throw away.
Amongst the slums' home was the St. Peter Catholic Church and the mission school. In the 1930s the priests, seeing the school's boys' love for football, started a team for them.
The team was christened The Romans. It went on to become a big team and later moved with the people to Atteridgeville following the 1952 forced removals.
Once in Atteridgeville, the team adopted a new name, Pretoria Callies.
Today, the club carries its pride in Catholic heritage and beginnings in its logo, The Romans.
"The team originally started in a church, a Roman church by a priest," Malada tells KickOff.
"So that's where the colours of the team and the name started and ever since it was never changed.
"It's one of the oldest teams in South Africa."
Callies currently sits at the bottom of the Motsepe Foundation Championship log table with only eight points gathered in 12 matches.