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Stellenbosch Football Club

A season in numbers – 50 facts & stats from the 2023/24 campaign

Football 2023 Carling Knockout Final Stellenbosch Fc V Ts Galaxy Moses Mabhida Stadium

The 2023/24 season was a historic one for Stellenbosch FC as the club was crowned Carling Knockout and DStv Diski Challenge champions. Here are 50 facts and stats from a record-breaking campaign.

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  1. Stellenbosch FC won its first topflight trophy after being crowned the first-ever champions of the newly branded Carling Knockout competition.
  2. The club’s reserve team was crowned DStv Diski Challenge champions for the second time.
  3. Stellenbosch FC recorded their best-ever finish to a top-flight domestic campaign after ending the season in third position in the DStv Premiership standings. Jayden Adams helped South Africa achieve a third-place finish at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in January.
  4. Stellenbosch FC recorded a domestic double over four teams, namely Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, Royal AM, and TS Galaxy.
  5. Iqraam Rayners became the first player to score five goals in a single match for Stellenbosch FC, and only the second in DStv Premiership history after James Chamanga, when he scored all five goals in the club’s 5-0 win over Polokwane City.
  6. Jayden Adams recorded six assists in the DStv Premiership, the joint-most in the competition alongside Higor Vidal of TS Galaxy and Darwin Gonzalez of Cape Town City.
  7. Seven Stellenbosch FC players and staff were nominated across 10 categories at the 2023/24 PSL awards ceremony.
  8. Stellenbosch FC scored eight goals in four matches en route to winning the 2023/24 Carling Knockout trophy.
  9. The club won nine home matches at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch this season.
  10. Iqraam Rayners scored 10 goals at the Danie Craven Stadium in the DStv Premiership – the most home goals by any player for a single club in the competition.
  11. Eleven players who have previously played for Stellenbosch FC’s reserve team featured for the first team during the 2023/24 season, while two more were unused substitutes at different stages of the season.
  12. Twelve players made their debut for Stellenbosch FC during the 2023/24 season, including four players who had previously played for the club’s reserve team.
  13. Thirteen different players scored for Stellenbosch FC throughout the campaign across all competitions.
  14. Stellenbosch FC recorded a club-record 14 wins in the DStv Premiership during the 2023/24 season.
  15. Iqraam Rayners scored 15 goals during the 2023/24 DStv Premiership season – the most ever by a Stellenbosch FC player in a single campaign. SFC Ladies’ Lethuthando Mthembu helped South Africa U-15 team win the U-15 African Schools Championship.
  16. Stellenbosch FC’s U-16 team was crowned 2023 FC Kapstadt champions.
  17. Rayners scored a club-high 17 goals across all competitions, the most ever by a Stellenbosch FC player in a topflight season.
  18. With footballers from Gambia and Ivory Coast representing Stellenbosch FC this season, players from a total of 18 different foreign countries have now turned out for the club. Stellies’ U-18s were also crowned Engen Knockout Challenge and Engen Champ of Champs champions.
  19. Devin Titus climbed to second position on the club’s all-time goalscoring charts after taking his tally to 19 career goals across all competitions. The club also recorded 19 clean sheets across all competitions.
  20. Langelihle Phili, Tyler Cicero, and Tylon Smith were called up to represent South Africa at U-20 level.
  21. Three players aged 21 or younger featured for the first team throughout the season.
  22. At 22 years of age, Jayden Adams became the youngest player to reach 100 appearances for Stellenbosch FC and just the fifth player to reach the milestone overall.
  23. Eleven players aged 23 or younger featured for Stellenbosch FC throughout the season.
  24. The club completed the majority of the season with a 24-man squad, the smallest of any team in the division.
  25. Between September 2023 and May 2024, Stellenbosch FC embarked on a club-record run of 25 matches without defeat across all competitions.
  26. Iqraam Rayners received 26% of the votes to win the inaugural SFC Rama Fans Player of the Season award.
  27. At the age of 27 years, 4 months & 13 days, Deano van Rooyen became the first player to feature in 150 matches for Stellenbosch FC across all competitions.
  28. Iqraam Rayners played a hand in 28 goals for club and country (17 goals & 8 assists for Stellenbosch FC and 2 goals and 1 assist for Bafana Bafana).
  29. Rayners has also taken his overall tally of goals in the DStv Premiership to 29 in just 60 matches across his two spells with the club.
  30. Only three players aged 30 or over featured for Stellenbosch FC throughout the season, all of whom are goalkeepers.
  31. Nhlanhla Mgaga made 31 substitute appearances during the 2023/24 season, the most by any Stellenbosch FC player.
  32. With 62 goals scored and 30 conceded, Stellenbosch FC ended the season with a +32-goal difference across all competitions.
  33. At the age of 33, Sage Stephens achieved a top-flight club record of 15 clean sheets across all competitions.
  34. A total of 34 different players featured in a matchday squad for Stellenbosch FC throughout the season.
  35. Antonio van Wyk achieved a club-high top speed of 35.9 km/h during Stellenbosch FC’s league encounter against Kaizer Chiefs in April.
  36. At 36 years of age, captain Lee Langeveldt was the oldest player to feature for Stellenbosch FC throughout the season.
  37. Stellenbosch FC scored 37 goals during the second half of matches across all competitions this season.
  38. Iqraam Rayners scored 38.5% of Stellenbosch FC’s goals during the 2023/24 DStv Premiership campaign – the largest individual contribution to a team’s cause by any player in the division.
  39. Rayners and Devin Titus featured in 39 of Stellenbosch FC’s 41 matches throughout the season, the most of any players from the club.
  40. Stellenbosch FC surpassed the 40-point mark in the DStv Premiership for the third consecutive season and went on to breach the 50-point mark for the first time.
  41. Stellenbosch FC played 41 competitive matches across all competitions during the 2023/24 season, the most ever in the club’s history. Rayners was the only player to feature in every matchday squad.
  42. Antonio van Wyk scored the club’s first goal of the season in the 42nd minute of a 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates at Danie Craven Stadium.
  43. Stellenbosch FC averaged a goal every 43 minutes across the MTN8, Carling Knockout, and Nedbank Cup competitions this season.
  44. The club scored 44% of its DStv Premiership goals in the first half of matches.
  45. Ismael Toure, Stellenbosch FC’s No. 45, scored the all-important goal in the club’s Carling Knockout final victory over TS Galaxy.
  46. Stellenbosch FC scored more DStv Premiership second-half goals between the 46th and 90th minute (22) than any other team in the competition,
  47. Substitutes have scored a total of 47 goals for Stellenbosch FC since the club’s formation in 2016.
  48. Langelihle Phili, Stellenbosch FC’s No. 48, won the U-18 Engen Knockout Challenge and Champ of Champs and DStv Diski Challenge and made his senior debut in the same season.
  49. The club is one win away from recording 50 victories in the DStv Premiership since earning promotion in 2019. Andre de Jong scored Stellies’ first-ever Carling Knockout goal in the 49th minute of a 2-1 win over Chippa United.
  50. Stellenbosch FC recorded a club-record 50 points in the DStv Premiership, breaking the previous record of 47 set in the 2021/22 campaign.

BONUS. Stellenbosch FC scored a club-record 62 goals across all competitions.
BONUS. Stellenbosch FC recorded a league-record 69 points in the DStv Diski Challenge.

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