2023–24 National First Division
Football league season
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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 | 240 |
| Goals | 531 (2.21 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nxumalo (18 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
Team changes
The 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
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 | Polokwane | Old Peter Mokaba Stadium | 15,000 |
| Maritzburg United | Petermaritzburg | Harry Gwala Stadium | 12,000 |
| Marumo Gallants | Polokwane | Peter Mokaba Stadium | 45,500 |
| Milford | Princess Magogo Stadium | KwaMashu | 12,000 |
| 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
- 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 Premiership; (Q) Qualified for phase indicated; (R) Relegated
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted to Premiership; (Q) Qualified for phase indicated; (R) Relegated
Statistics
Top scorers
- As of 2 Feb 2025[14]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Prince Nxumalo |
JDR Stars | 18 |
| 2 |  Bethuel Muzeu |
Black Leopards | 17 |
| 3 | Decide Chauke |
Casric Stars | 14 |
Play-offs
Table
| 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 Premiership |
| 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