The 2011–12 National First Division, is the season from September 2011 until May 2012, of South Africa's second tier of professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. By the end of the season, the overall NFD champion will get promoted to the first level, known as Premier Soccer League (PSL). For the first time since the 2003–04 National First Division season, all teams have been placed in one unified league table. Previously the competition had been split into two 'streams'.

Summary

At the conclusion of the season

Tuks FC University of Pretoria Football Club, also known as Tuks FC, is a South African association football club based in the Hatfield suburb of Pretoria that represents the University of Pretoria. They currently play in the National First Division. Hi ...

secured their promotion to the PSL after topping the table. Second-placed Chippa United and third-placed

Thanda Royal Zulu Thanda Royal Zulu was a South African football club based in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. History The club started after a Swedish consortium that included Sven-Goran Eriksson bought the franchise from Benoni Premier United at the end of the 2006 ...

were joined by Santos of the PSL in a three team promotion and relegation playoff. At the conclusion of the playoffs Chippa United had secured their promotion to the PSL, in the process relegating Santos to the National First Division. This would be Chippa United's second successive promotion as they had only just earned promotion to the National First Division. What made Chippa United's promotion all the more special is that the club was only established in 2010.

Atlie FC Atlie FC is a South African football (soccer) club based in Benoni, Gauteng. The club currently plays in the National First Division. Atlie came into existence in 2011 after the club's owners bought out Durban based side Nathi Lions and moved t ...

and

Carara Kicks Carara Kicks was a South African football (soccer) club based in Welkom, Free State that played in the National First Division. The club is owned by Motebang Mokoena, the son of Free State Stars owner Mike Mokoena and serves as a feeder team t ...

were relegated at the end of the season.

League table

PSL playoff tournament

The teams that finished second and third during the ''2011-12 National First Division'' season were joined by the team that finished 15th in the

2011–12 Premier Soccer League South Africa's 2011–12 Premier Soccer League season (known as the ABSA Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the sixteenth since its establishment. Orlando Pirates were the defending champions, having won their third PSL title, and in the pr ...

season in a 3-team promotion and relegation playoff called the PSL Playoff Tournament.

Participants

Format

The 3 teams participated in a mini-league in which they played one another twice (home and away) with log points being awarded for winning a match (3 points) and drawing a match (1 point). At the conclusion of the mini-league phase the team that was in first place would either earn or maintain their place in the

PSL PSL may refer to: Sport *Pakistan Super League, a Twenty20 cricket league in Pakistan *Philippine Super Liga, professional volleyball league in the Philippines *Pilipinas Super League, a professional basketball league in the Philippines * Philipp ...

for the 2012–13 season. If the team that finished 15th in the PSL was unable to win the mini-league, they were relegated to the National First Division for the 2012-13 season.

Playoff table

At the conclusion of the PSL Playoff Tournament Chippa United had topped the mini-league after defeating Santos 4-3 in the final game, earning their place in the PSL for the 2012-13 season. As they were unable to win the mini-league, ''Santos'' failed to maintain their place in the PSL and were relegated to the National First Division for the 2012-13 season.

Results

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Player eligibility dispute

Carara Kicks fielded a player who had not been properly registered by the club and appeared in league games. As a result, Carara Kicks had 18 points removed from their total and were relegated.

References

External links

PSL.co.za
{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 National First Division National First Division seasons

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2011–12 in South African soccer leagues