All you need to know ahead of the Betway Premiership season

This is supersport.com’s guide to the upcoming Betway Premiership season.

KICK-OFF

The new Premiership League season does not begin before mid-September, the latest ever start since the new-look Premier Soccer League began in 1996 with the season changed from inside the calendar year to the August-May model followed by most footballing nations.

 A new sponsor has dictated the delay, allowing Betway time to get its campaign off the ground after the deal was signed last month.

It means half of the clubs in the top flight – those not participating in the MTN8 – have extended preparation time, the impact of which will be interesting to observe come the business end of the campaign.

The first league game are slated for Saturday, 14 September.

TRANSFER WINDOW

Usually the transfer window closes on the last working day of August but this year it will close on 20 September

The PSL had planned this extension already before the delayed start to the league was announced, and clubs will be grateful for the added three week opportunity to fine tune their squad and make additions where necessary.

There is always a late scramble to sign players in the last week before the deadline.

FIXTURES

The final fixture list is still to be issued one month before the kick off of the league but preliminary fixtures have champions Mamelodi Sundowns starting the defence of their crown at home to SuperSport United in a Tshwane derby but this will not happen because Sundowns begin their African Champions League campaign that weekend.

Orlando Pirates, Sekhukhune United and Stellenbosch could also all be involved in continental club competition games that weekend which means only four leagues game will be played on the opening weekend.

RECORD BREAKERS

Sundowns have already set all manner of records with their dominant run in the domestic game and are looking to make it eight titles in a row, plus a record extending 18th title overall, already way ahead of Kaizer Chiefs, who have won the championship 12 times.

AmaKhosi have gone nine seasons now without a trophy since their league success in 2015, handing new coach Nasreddine Nabi more pressure to achieve in what is commonly held to be the hottest seat in South African sport.

NEW BOYS

Magesi will be playing in the top flight for the first time and although they look to have an inexperienced squad, they do have a wily coach in Clinton Larsen, who knows the rigours of the Premiership all too well.

The club add to the Limpopo representation in the league.

Last season Polokwane City won promotion and did not add much to their roster, leading to the assumption they would struggle. But they surprised all and sundry by finishing eighth.

MAJOR MOVES 

Champions Sundowns have a new Brazilian import in Arthur Sales and are about to take Iqraam Rayners from Stellenbosch while Pirates have signed Angolan international Gilberto, who was a bag of tricks at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast at the start of the year.

Chiefs picked up Gaston Sirino after Sundowns released him at the end of his contract.

COACHING TURN-OVER

Never before in the history of the domestic game has a coach come and gone before the start of the season, without taking charge of a single game, so it is extraordinary that the weekend departure of Peter Hyballa from Sekhukhune United makes it three before a ball has been kicked in anger.

Hyballa’s departure was confirmed after Sekhukhune lost their MTN8 quarterfinal at home to Cape Town City on Saturday, but he was not involved in the match.

Before him Dylan Kerr quit after just three weeks at Marumo Gallants while Vusi Vilakazi was sacked at Richards Bay last week.

Previously the record for the fastest dismissal in a season was set in 2008 when Free State Stars sent home new Ghanaian coach David Duncan before the league had even started.

But not only was he in charge of their pre-season training, but he also oversaw one match in the MTN8 before being removed before the first league game of the season.

MID-SEASON BREAK

The Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast meant there was a six week break in the middle of last season but it is not happening in the new campaign. In fact there will be no break at all.

There will be league matches up until 18 December, then again on 29-30 December and from Friday, 3 January onwards.

Christmas is going to be brief for the players and coaches.

The league season ends on Saturday, 24 May with the promotion-relegation playoffs kicking off only three days later.