Every coach begins a season looking to take home a piece of silverware… While some continue to fall short of success, others are lucky enough to celebrate with their teams as champions.
Here are the most decorated coaches in the PSL…
These numbers stretch as far back to when the league was officially launched as the Absa Premiership in 1996.
Clive Barker – Bob Save Super Bowl
It’s hard to believe that the 1996 AFCON winning coach has only one piece of domestic silverware in his cabinet. In 2001, Barker won the Bob Save Super Bowl title with Santos.
Clinton Larsen – Telkom Knockout
Now back at Bloemfontein Celtic, Larsen’s only success came with the Siwelele where he led his side to the 2012 Telkom Knockout final. He eventually won the tournament by defeating Mamelodi Sundowns.
Roger De Sa – Nedbank Cup
The current Ajax Cape Town tactician may have led Orlando Pirates to many cup finals, but his solitary success came at the hands of AmaZulu, when his Bidvest Wits side defeated the Durban outfit in the Nedbank Cup final.
Allan Freese – MTN8 & Telkom Knockout
The Platinum Stars coach has tasted success with the Dikwena against Pirates on two occasions. His only two pieces of silverware arrived in the same season (2013) where they won the MTN8 and the TKO.
Ernst Middendorp - Absa Cup & SAA Supa 8
The German tactician has tutored a number of PSL clubs, but he only enjoyed major success when at Kaizer Chiefs. With the Soweto Giants, Middendorp won the 2006 Absa Cup and the 2008 SAA Supa 8.
Stuart Baxter – Absa Premiership Title, Nedbank Cup, MTN8
The English coach has done particularly well since his arrival at Naturena in 2012. His first season with Amakhosi saw him win the league title and the Nedbank Cup. Two years later, he won the MTN8 trophy.
Pitso Mosimane - SAA Supa 8 Cup, Absa Cup & the Absa Premiership Title
Mosimane had to wait nine years between his second trophy and his latest piece of silverware. In 2004, the coach won the SAA Supa 8 Cup with SuperSport United as well as the 2005 Absa Cup. Last year, Jiggles famously won the league title when he overtook defending league champions Chiefs in an exciting finish to the season.
Gavin Hunt - Absa Cup, 3x Absa Premiership Titles, Nedbank Cup
The Bidvest Wits coach is the second most successful coach in South Africa, having won the 2004 Absa Cup with Moroka Swallows. He then took his success to SuperSport United where he won three titles between 2008 and 2010. Hunt’s most recent success came in 2012 with the Matsatsantsa in the Nedbank Cup.
Gordon Igesund – 4x Absa Premiership Titles, BP Top 8 Cup, Telkom Knockout Cup
The veteran coach has won the league title with nearly every squad he has coached. His very first success came with Manning Rangers in 1997, and since then he has gone on to lift the league title with Pirates, Santos and Sundowns. He also won the BP Top 8 with Pirates in 2000, while his most recent success came with his new club SuperSport United in the Telkom Knockout.
Who is your favourite coach on this list?
