Sponsorship is the lifeblood of all sporting codes. Without it, professional sport as we know it would cease to exist.
With that money comes many perks and privileges, and, in the case of Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) top flight, it also comes with a personalised trophy.
Mamelodi Sundowns lifted the new Betway Premiership trophy over the weekend after winning a record eighth consecutive league title. The new shiny gold trophy, designed by Nelson Makamo, replaced the silver and blue DStv trophy.
Before that, the ABSA Premiership trophy featured a cup with big handles on the side, reminiscent of the UEFA Champions League trophy. When the Premiership started in 1996, the Castle Premiership also featured a cup until 2007.
The South African top flight is one of the few leagues that changes their top prize to accommodate their sponsors. Most other major leagues around the world have one trophy design for their league winners.
Teams such as Liverpool in the English Premier League have a wall with silhouettes of their trophies with the number of times they have won a certain trophy underneath it. People know what each one is without having to ask what is that trophy with the 20 below it …
With every sponsorship and trophy change this debate about having a standardised trophy for the PSL’s top flight comes to the fore. Over the weekend the debate started up again with many social media users coming out in favour of a standardised trophy.
Many people seem to think that one trophy will add some tradition and gravitas to a league that has seen some of the prestige disappear because of various factors, which includes the shocking amount of teams putting their top-flight status up for sale over the last decade.
The Royal AM saga also dragged on for way too long, while we still have no clarity about a match between Golden Arrows and SuperSport United that was halted mid-way through because of loadshedding three months ago.
Sponsors are the lifeblood of sport, but sometimes tradition needs to take preference and the league trophy should be something that should be sacred and belongs to the country.
Nelson Makamo did a decent job designing the new trophy. But maybe it’s time the PSL gets him to work one trophy that footballers will be longing to win for generations to come.
@JohnGoliath82
