South African Premier Division History

The South African Football Premier Division (also known as ABSA premiership) is the highest level of football division in South Africa, which has been held since 1996 with its current structure and name. the name ABSA premiership refers to the sponsor of this league, ABSA. This league is currently the third richest league in Africa with an estimated value of $ 166 million.

Due to the fact that this league is held at the highest level of South African football, it is called PSL, which stands for the Premier Soccer League. It has created quality players and highly competitive teams both on the continent and on the world stage.

From the first season of

South African Premier Division's history

until now, 31 teams has been competing in the league, but currently there are 16 teams present in the league, including Captain City,

, Polokwine City,

and Platinum Stars.

In the following to have a brief review on everything you have to know about the South African Premier Division's history, we will have a look on South African Premier Division foundation history,

South African Premier Division stats

, South African Premier Division table history, South African Premier Division logo history, and finally,

South African Premier Division winners history

by presenting South African Premier Division champions' list.

South African Premier Division History!

Let's start with the South African Premier Division foundation history.

South African Premier Division Foundation History

In the late 19th century, football was first introduced to South Africa by British troops. Because football has its roots in England, it was especially popular among British soldiers who arrived in South Africa.

From the very beginning of football in South Africa until apartheid, the organized form of the game was influenced by racism. The formation of the all-white Football Association of South Africa (FASA) in 1892 and the South African Colored Football Association (SACFA) in 1936 were the result of this culture.

South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan established the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1956. It turned out that South African law prohibited mixed race teams from competing in sports, so they could only send one all-black team or one all-white team to the 1957 African Cup of Nations. That's why South Africa dropped out of the competition that year.

With the beginning of 1991 and the abolition of the apartheid system, a non-racial association was formed in South Africa, which was also accepted by FIFA. Since the unification of the country, the most advanced professional football structure in South Africa, the Premier Soccer League, has been established.

South African Premier Division was founded in 1996 following an agreement between the National Soccer League (South Africa) and what remained of the National Professional Soccer League (South Africa).

Manning Rangers were the first team to win the title of PSL Champion in 1997, which was astonishing to many other fancy participating teams.

The Mamelodi Sundowns won three championships title in a row from 1998 to 2000.

In 2000/2001 season, Ria Stars and Free State Stars were excluded due to the policy of reducing the number of league teams. Thus the total number of teams was changed from 18 to 16.

PSL has helped raise the level of South African football through strong sponsorship deals with reputable brands such as Nedbank, Telecom and Absa, and suppliers such as Kessel, Coca-Cola and Vodacom.Improved revenue as well as better media coverage have made South African football more popular.

You might also like: 

South African Premier Division Logo History

South African Premier Division's logo history

has an interesting story!

It is clear that the PSL logo is derived from the Barclays Premier League. Since its foundation in 1992, lion logo was chosen as Barclays Premier League's logo, and when PSL was established in 1996 they used the lion head as well.

However, this European symbol could not reflect the nature of South African football.

The new design kept the lion, but used the colors of the South African flag to Africanize it, and also emphasized the acronym PSL..

The new South African Premier Division logo which was unveiled in 2003, depicted an aggressive lion's head with a flowing mane of the South African flag.

PSL's unique, dynamic and innovative logo design has been very successful in the South African football industry.

PSL implemented a successful strategy by designing and introducing the brand. Most importantly it brings with it the clear implications that the corporate reputation of the PSL will no longer look after itself, but will be guarded as a corporate resource and become one of the PSL’s most valuable assets.

PSL sponsors, whose main goal is the strategic success of PSL, accompanied each stage of the logo design and were satisfied with the development of the brand and the new identity.

South African Premier Division Table History

For many, the question may arise as to which team has the best ranking in the South African Premier League or which team has the best goal difference or score. To have a brief review of

South African Premier Division table history

, let's present a detailed table history of the South African Premier League.

• Season: 24, Played: 744, Wins: 384, Draws: 200, Losses: 160, Goals: 1101/ 630, Goal Difference: +471, Points: 1352

• Season: 24, Played: 744, Wins: 361, Draws: 239, Losses: 160, Goals: 1022/611, Goal Difference: +411, Points: 1322

• Season: 24, Played: 744, Wins: 345, Draws: 244, Losses: 155, Goals: 1026/655, Goal Difference: +371, Points: 1279

• Season: 24, Played: 744, Wins: 297, Draws: 236, Losses: 211, Goals: 977/769, Goal Difference: +208, Points: 1102

• Season: 23, Played: 714, Wins: 271, Draws: 226, Losses: 217, Goals: 816/714, Goal Difference: +102, Points: 1039

• Season: 19, Played: 594, Wins: 215, Draws: 165, Losses: 214, Goals: 839/734, Goal Difference: +105, Points: 810

• Season: 23, Played: 714, Wins: 271, Draws: 226, Losses: 217, Goal: 816/748, Goal Difference: -34, Points: 839

• Season: 18, Played: 582, Wins: 213, Draws: 155, Losses: 214, Goals: 631/ 712, Goal Difference: -81, Points: 794

• Season: 20, Played: 594, Wins: 182, Draws: 200, Losses: 212, Goals: 642/687, Goal Difference: -42, Points: 746

• Season: 18, Played: 548, Matches Wins: 170, Draws: 162, Losses: 216, Goals for: 597, Goals Against: 665, Goal Difference: -68, Points: 672

• Season: 15, Played: 470, Wins: 151, Draws: 153, Losses: 160, Goals: 539/579, Goal Difference: -40, Points: 624

• Season: 17, Played: 530, Wins: 144, Draws: 155, Losses: 231, Goals: 535/705, Goal Difference: -170, Points: 587

• Season: 15, Played: 450, Wins: 149, Draws: 139, Losses: 162, Goals: 501/504, Goal Difference: -3, Points: 586

• Season: 15, Played: 474, Wins: 137, Draws: 166, Losses: 171, Goals: 463/507, Goal Difference: -44, Points: 577

• Season: 13, Played: 390, Wins: 105, Draws: 127, Losses: 158, Goals: 386/499, Goal Difference: -113, Points: 442

• Season: 9, Played: 294, Wins: 114, Draws: 73, Losses: 107, Goals: 416/408, Goal Difference: +8, Points: 415

• Season: 9, Played: 294, Wins: 97, Draws: 78, Losses: 119, Goals: 361/430, Goal Difference: -69, Points: 369

• Season: 10, Played: 304, Wins: 86, Draws: 78, Losses: 140, Goals: 352/468, Goal Difference: -116, Points: 336

• Season: 8, Played: 264, Wins: 79, Draws: 75, Losses: 110, Goals: 308/346, Goal Difference: -38, Points: 312

• Season: 6, Played: 180, Wins: 51, Draws: 63, Losses: 66, Goals: 211/249, Goal Difference: -38, Points: 216

• Season: 6, Played: 180, Wins: 46, Draws: 60, Losses: 74, Goals: 174/210, Goal Difference: -36, Points: 198

• Season: 5, Played: 150, Wins: 40, Draws: 45, Losses: 65, Goals: 145/192, Goal Difference: -47, Points: 165

• Season: 5, Played: 154, Wins: 36, Draws: 49, Losses: 69, Goals: 147/219, Goal Difference: -72, Points: 157

• Season: 3, Played: 102, Wins: 38, Draws: 30, Losses: 34, Goals: 143/130, Goal Difference: -13, Points: 144

• Season: 3, Played: 90, Wins: 40, Draws: 23, Losses:27, Goals: 120/97, Goal Difference: +23, Points: 143

• Season: 4, Played: 120, Wins: 31, Draws: 39, Losses: 50, Goals: 112/131, Goal Difference: -19, Points: 131

• Season: 4, Played: 132, Wins: 28, Draws: 30, Losses: 74, Goal: 133/234, Goal Difference: -101, Points: 114

• Season: 3, Played: 102, Wins: 24, Draws: 30, Losses: 48, Goals: 103156, Goal Difference: -53, Points: 102

• Season: 3, Played: 102, Wins: 23, Draws: 26, Losses: 53, Goals: 112/167, Goal Difference: -55, Points: 95

• Season: 2, Played: 68, Wins: 24, Draws: 22, Losses: 22, Goals: 85/87, Goal Difference: -2, Points: 94

• Season: 3, Played: 90, Wins: 18, Draws: 37, Losses: 35, Goals: 85/119, Goal Difference: -34, Points: 91

Mamelodi Sundowns

</ul>

Kaizer Chiefs

</ul>

Orlando Pirates

</ul>

SuperSport United

</ul>

Bidvest Wits

</ul>

Moroka Swallows

</ul>

Bloemfontein Celtic

</ul>

Ajax Cape Town

</ul>

Free State Stars

</ul>

Lamontville Golden Arrows

</ul>

Santos

</ul>

AmaZulu

</ul>

Platinum Stars

</ul>

Jomo Cosmos

</ul>

Maritzburg United

</ul>

Manning Rangers

</ul>

Bush Bucks

</ul>

Black Leopards

</ul>

Hellenic

</ul>

Polokwane City

</ul>

Chippa United

</ul>

Mpumalanga Black Aces

</ul>

Dynamos

</ul>

Cape Town Spurs

</ul>

Cape Town City

</ul>

University of Pretoria F.C.\TUKS

</ul>

African Wanderers

</ul>

Tembisa Classic

</ul>

Vaal Professionals

</ul>

Ria Stars

</ul>

Baroka FC

</ul>

You might also like: 

In the top half of the table we see that Sundowns has maintained its position at the top of the table in PSL history.

After that, we see the

, Pirates and

teams in the second, third and fourth places, respectively.

These four teams are the only PSL teams to have played in the league in all seasons since 1996.

Some of the teams above have fallen in recent years, such as Santos and Moroka Swallows. However, they are still in the top ten.

The AmaZulu team, for example, has been around since the foundation of PSL, but has fallen short in recent years. The team has also undergone changes in name and ownership.

South African Premier Division winners' history 

As we want to give a detailed account of the

South African Premier Division history

, we will review the champions of each season. As we have already explained, this league consists of 16 teams and each season starts in August each year and ends in May.

In each league season, each team plays twice with the other teams, once at home and once at the opponent's stadium, for a total of 30 games per team. Teams receive 3 points for each win and one point for each draw and do not receive any points for the loss.

The South African Premier League champions and runners-up advance to the CAF Champions League, and the third team and Nedbank Cup champions advance to the CAF Confederation Cup.

A team that is ranked 16th in the ABSA Premier League will automatically be relegated. To determine the 16th team for next season, the team that ranked 15th this season will compete with the first and second tier teams of the National First Division in a play-off.

The ABSA Premiership winner will receive 10R million in addition to the trophy.

South African Premier Division champions list

is as follows:

• Season: 2019/20- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2018/19- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2017/18- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2016/17- Champion: BidVest Wits

• Season: 2015/16- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2014/15- Champion: Kaizer Chiefs

• Season: 2013/14- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2012/13- Champion: Kaizer Chiefs

• Season: 2011/12- Champion: Orlando Pirates

• Season: 2010/11- Champion: Orlando Pirates

• Season: 2009/10- Champion: SuperSport United

• Season: 2008/09- Champion: SuperSport United

• Season: 2006/07- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2005/06- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 2004/05- Champion: Kaizer Chiefs

• Season: 2003/04- Champion: Kaizer Chiefs

• Season: 2002/03- Champion: Orlando Pirates

• Season: 2001/02- Champion: Santos

• Season: 2000/01- Champion: Orlando Pirates

• Season: 1999/00- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 1998/99- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 1997/98- Champion: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Season: 1996/97- Champion: Manning Rangers

Mamelodi Sundowns, the proudest member of the league, has won the title 10 times more than any other team in the league.

In the table above, we see the change of power from one team to another in ABSA.In the first two decades of the South African Premier League champions' history; six teams won the champion title. In the same period, only 5 teams have won the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga. However, it is clear that in the South African division winners' history, some teams have won more titles than others.

Since we intend to cover the whole

South African Premier Division's history

, in the following we will present a list of 15 ABSA participants with the most appearances in the League:

• Club Name: African Wanderers, Total number of seasons participated: 24, Seasons: all

• Club Name: Mamelodi Sundowns, Total number of seasons participated: 24, Seasons: all

• Club Name: Orlando Pirates, Total number of seasons participated: 24, Seasons: all

• Club Name: SuperSport United, Total number of seasons participated: 24, Seasons: all

• Club Name: Bidvest Wits, Total number of seasons participated: 22

• Club Name: Bloemfontein Celtic, Total number of seasons participated: 21

• Club Name: Free State Stars, Total number of seasons participated: 19

• Club Name: Moroka Swallows, Total number of seasons participated: 19

• Club Name: Ajax Cape Town, Total number of seasons participated: 18

• Club Name: Lamontville Golden Arrows, Total number of seasons participated: 18

• Club Name: AmaZulu, Total number of seasons participated: 17

• Club Name: Jomo Cosmos, Total number of seasons participated: 15

• Club Name: Santos, Total number of seasons participated: 15

• Club Name: Platinum Stars, Total number of seasons participated: 14

• Club Name: Maritzburg United, Total number of seasons participated: 13

You might also like: 

South African Premier Division Stats

Soccer fans are also interested in following their favorite team in terms of statistical data. In this session, you will see a short overview of

South African Premier Division stats

in the last season 2019-20 such as form tables, league standings, scoring stats, top goal scorers and statistical previews.

• Total games played in this season:240

• Home wins: 107

• Draws: 71

• Away wins: 62

• Total goals in this season: 508

• Average goal per game: 2.12

• Mamelodi Sundowns FC (17 victories) was the top winner (17 victories)

• Maritzburg United was the team with the most draws (12 draws)

• Polokwane City was defeated 19 times.

• Most goals were achieved by Kaizer Chiefs (48 goals)

• Polokwane City conceded 44 goals in the league.

• Kaizer Chiefs had the most victories in a row (won 9 times in a row)

• Baroka FC had the most sum of goals under 2.5 (19 matches) and under 1.5 (24 matches)

• Chippa United had the most sum of goals under 3.5 (30 matches)

• Bloemfontein Celtic had the most games with sum of goals over 2.5 (23 matches), over 1.5 (16 matches) and over 3.5 (10 matches)

• AmaZulu FC had the most yellow cards (68 cards)

• Chippa United had the most number of red cards (6 red cards)

• Match between Cape Town City and Polokwane City had the most goals (8 goals)

Table home of the top 10 teams

• Team name: Mamelodi Sundowns FC, Games: 15, Wins: 10, Draw: 3, Losses: 2, Goals for: 20, Goals against: 7, POI: 33

• Team name: Orlando Pirates, Games: 15, Wins: 9, Draw: 5, Losses: 1, Goals for: 23, Goals against: 12, POI: 32

• Team name: Cape Town City FC, Games: 15, Wins: 9, Draw: 3, Losses: 3, Goals for: 21, Goals against: 12, POI: 30

• Team name: SuperSport United, Games: 15, Wins: 8, Draw: 6, Losses: 1, Goals for: 29, Goals against: 13, POI: 30

• Team name: Bidvest Wits, Games: 15, Wins: 8, Draw: 4, Losses: 3, Goals for: 21, Goals against: 14, POI: 28

• Team name: Highlands Park, Games: 15, Wins: 8, Draw: 3, Losses: 4, Goals for: 20, Goals against: 15, POI: 27

• Team name: Bloemfontein Celtics, Games: 15, Wins: 7, Draw: 6, Losses: 2, Goals for: 28, Goals against: 15, POI: 27

• Team name: Kaizer Chiefs, Games: 15, Wins: 8, Draw: 3, Losses: 4, Goals for: 23, Goals against: 13, POI: 27

• Team name: Maritzburg United, Games: 15, Wins: 6, Draw: 6, Losses: 3, Goals for: 16, Goals against: 12, POI: 24

• Team name: Lamontville Golden Arrows, Games: 15, Wins: 6, Draw: 5, Losses: 4, Goals for: 16, Goals against: 16, POI: 23

You might also like: 

Table away of the top 10 teams

• Team name: Kaizer Chiefs, Games: 15, Wins: 9, Draw: 3, Losses: 3, Goals for: 25, Goals against: 14, POI: 30

• Team name: Mamelodi Sundowns FC, Games: 15, Wins: 7, Draw: 5, Losses: 3, Goals for: 23, Goals against: 15, POI: 26

• Team name: Bidvest Wits, Games: 15, Wins: 6, Draw: 6, Losses: 3, Goals for: 12, Goals against: 8, POI: 24

• Team name: SuperSport United, Games: 15, Wins: 6, Draw: 2, Losses: 7, Goals for: 14, Goals against: 13, POI: 20

• Team name: Orlando Pirates, Games: 15, Wins: 5, Draw: 5, Losses: 5, Goals for: 17, Goals against: 17, POI: 20

• Team name: Maritzburg United, Games: 15, Wins: 4, Draw: 6, Losses: 5, Goals for: 13, Goals against: 15, POI: 18

• Team name: Chippa United, Games: 15, Wins: 4, Draw: 3, Losses: 8, Goals for: 10, Goals against: 19, POI: 15

• Team name: Baroka FC, Games: 15, Wins: 4, Draw: 3, Losses: 8, Goals for: 8, Goals against: 13, POI: 15

• Team name: Stellenbosch FC, Games: 15, Wins: 3, Draw: 4, Losses: 8, Goals for: 15, Goals against: 21, POI: 13

• Team name: AmaZulu FC, Games: 15, Wins: 3, Draw: 4, Losses: 8, Goals for: 10, Goals against: 15, POI: 13

Top goal scorers in PSL 2019/2020

• Player: Peter Shalulile, Team: Highlands Park

• Player: Bradley Grobler, Team: SuperSport United

• Player: Hellings Frank Mhango, Team: Orlando Pirates

• Player: Bongi Ntuli, Team: AmaZulu

• Player: Kermit Romeo Erasmus, Team: Cape Town City

• Player: Knox Mutizwa, Team: Golden Arrows

• Player: Samir Nurkovic, Team: Kaizer Chiefs

• Player: Themba Zwane, Team: Mamelodi Sundowns

• Player: Mwape Musonda, Team: Black Leopards

• Player: Ndumiso Mabena, Team: Bloemfontein Celtic

This was a fairly complete description of the

South African Premier Division's history

.

Africa is a vast continent with the largest number of countries (54) among other continents. Although South Africa Premier League (ABSA) is only 24 years old, it has managed to rank 6th in the African Leagues rankings.

South Africa is one of the richest countries in Africa and has been well invested in the Premier League. It is financially supported by reputable companies such as Coca-Cola and Vodacom. This is one of the reasons for the rapid development of football in South Africa.

Read More:

Follow 

 for the