The 2023–24 National First Division (called the Motsepe Foundation Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the season from September 2023 to June 2024 of South Africa's second tier of professional soccer, the National First Division. Magesi gained automatic promotion to the 2024-25 Premiership with two games in hand after defeating Milford by 3 goals to 1 on 5 May 2024.[1]
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Magesi |
| Promoted | Magesi |
| Relegated | Platinum City Rovers La Masia |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 531 (2.21 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nxumalo (16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Casric Stars 6-1 Orbit College (02 December 2023) |
| Biggest away win | La Masia 0-4 Hungry Lions (06 October 2023) Platinum City Rovers 0-4 Pretoria Callies (09 March 2024) |
| Highest scoring | Casric Stars 6-1 Orbit College (2 December 2023) Milford 4-3 Casric Stars (01 May 2024) |
| Longest unbeaten run | University of Pretoria (13 matches) |
← 2022–23 2024–25 → | |
Teams
editTeam changes
editThe following teams changes have taken place since the 2022–23 season.
Promoted to 2023–24 South African Premier Division
Relegated from 2022–23 South African Premier Division
Promoted from 2022–23 SAFA Second Division
Relegated from 2022–23 National First Division
Purchases
- Relegated Black Leopards purchased the status of All Stars and will continue to play in the National First Division.[8]
- Uthongathi's license was purchased by Milford F.C..[9]
Renamed
- Venda Football Academy were renamed Venda F.C.[10]
Stadiums and locations
edit
Location of teams in the 2023–24 National First Division.
16 teams are competing in the season.[11]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baroka | Polokwane | Old Peter Mokaba Stadium | 15,000 |
| Black Leopards | Polokwane | Pietersburg Stadium | 15,000 |
| Casric Stars | KwaMhlanga [12] | Solomon Mahlangu Stadium | |
| Hungry Lions | Kimberley | Griqua Park | 11,000 |
| JDR Stars | Pretoria (Soshanguve) | Giant Stadium | 18,000 |
| Magesi | Moletši | TT Cholo Sports Ground | 15,000 |
| Maritzburg United | Petermaritzburg | Harry Gwala Stadium | 12,000 |
| Marumo Gallants | Polokwane | Peter Mokaba Stadium | 45,500 |
| Milford | Richards Bay | ||
| MM Platinum (La Masia) | Johannesburg | Bidvest Stadium | 5,000 |
| Orbit College | Rustenburg | Olympia Park | 32,000 |
| Platinum City | Potchefstroom | Olën Park | 22,000 |
| Pretoria Callies | Pretoria | Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium | 28,900 |
| University of Pretoria | Pretoria | Tuks Stadium | 8,000 |
| Upington City | Upington | ||
| Venda F.C. | Thohoyandou | Thohoyandou Stadium | 20,000 |
Table
edit- As of 19 May 2024[13]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magesi (C, P) | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 45 | 28 | +17 | 57 | Promotion to 2024-25 Premiership |
| 2 | University of Pretoria (Q) | 30 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 49 | Promotion Play-offs |
| 3 | Baroka (Q) | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 37 | 28 | +9 | 47 | |
| 4 | Maritzburg United | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 38 | 26 | +12 | 46 | |
| 5 | JDR Stars | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 46 | |
| 6 | Upington City | 30 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 38 | 32 | +6 | 44 | |
| 7 | Casric Stars | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 43 | |
| 8 | Hungry Lions | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 36 | 32 | +4 | 42 | |
| 9 | Orbit College | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 30 | 40 | −10 | 39 | |
| 10 | Black Leopards | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 31 | 38 | −7 | 37 | |
| 11 | Marumo Gallants | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 36 | |
| 12 | Venda | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 35 | |
| 13 | Milford | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 33 | 36 | −3 | 34 | |
| 14 | Pretoria Callies | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 34 | |
| 15 | La Masia (R) | 30 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 31 | Relegation to 2024-25 SAFA Second Division |
| 16 | Platinum City Rovers (R) | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 22 | 41 | −19 | 25 |
Source: National First Division
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted to PSL; (Q) Qualified for phase indicated; (R) Relegated
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted to PSL; (Q) Qualified for phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Statistics
editTop scores
edit- As of 05 May 2024[14]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Prince Nxumalo
|
JDR Stars | 16 |
| 2 |  Bethuel Muzeu
|
Black Leopards | 15 |
| 3 | Decide Chauke
|
Casric Stars | 12 |
| 4 | Raymond Daniels
|
Hungry Lions | 11 |
| Joslin Kamatuka
|
Maritzburg United |
Play-offs
editTable
edit| Pos | Lge | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRE | Richards Bay (P) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 8 | Promoted to the 2024-25 South African Premier Division |
| 2 | NFD | University of Pretoria | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| 3 | NFD | Baroka | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 2 |
Updated to match(es) played on 19 June 2024. Source: https://www.psl.co.za/tournament/promotion-playoffs
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored;
(P) Promoted
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored;
(P) Promoted
Results
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "SuperSport - www.supersport.com - official website".
- ^ "Polokwane City promoted to PSL by narrowest of margins". BusinessLIVE. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "PSL playoffs latest: Cape Town Spurs back in the big time, Maritzburg United relegated". www.goal.com. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Vardien, Tashreeq. "Maritzburg's top-flight journey ends after 15 years as CT Spurs gain PSL promotion". Sport. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Raophala, Mauwane (21 May 2023). "Raymond Mdaka's first words after Marumo Gallants' relegation". FARPost. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Munyai, Ofhani (9 June 2023). "Two new Motsepe Foundation Championship clubs confirmed". FARPost. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Big setback for Limpopo football as Black Leopards, TTM relegated to amateur ranks". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Makhaya, Ernest (10 May 2023). "Black Leopards buy Motsepe Foundation Championship status!". The South African. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Munyai, Ofhani (1 July 2023). "Another PSL club sold, this time in KZN". FARPost. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Munyai, Ofhani (28 June 2023). "PSL club changes its name". FARPost. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Summary - 1st Division - South Africa - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Premier Soccer League - www.psl.co.za - official website". www.psl.co.za. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Premier Soccer League - www.psl.co.za - official website". www.psl.co.za. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "nfd top scorers". thenfd.co.za.