The league recently reached its halfway mark, 120 games out of 240 in the season, and at that point there were only 229 goals scored.
That is the lowest ever at the midway point of a Premiership campaign, a further erosion of the product when other leagues around the world on our television screens offer much more value for the fans in that regard.
Nine games on from that and there have been 248 goals scored in 129 matches at an average of 1.92 goals per game, again the lowest average ever recorded in the Premiership.
Shockingly, 11 of the 16 clubs in the topflight are averaging a single goal per game or less, with only Mamelodi Sundowns (1.60), Orlando Pirates (1.47), Lamontville Golden Arrows (1.31), TS Galaxy (1.29) and AmaZulu (1.18) above that threshold.
Even fourth-placed Kaizer Chiefs have only scored 15 goals in 15 games, and fifth-placed Sekhukhune United 17 in 17 matches.
The worst offenders are Siwelele, with only nine goals scored in 16 games (0.58), followed closely by Chippa United with 10 goals in 17 (0.59).
Compare this football product to the leading leagues in the world and South Africa ranks well behind.
The Bundesliga is averaging 3.18 goals per game this season, while Ligue 1 in France (2.80) and the English Premier League (2.79) are second and third. The Spanish LaLiga has 2.63 goals per game, and Italian Serie A 2.42.
The lifeblood of football is scoring goals, it is what makes the sport attractive to fans, and if you take that away, they will in time switch off.
It does not help in the South African context when the clubs are frequently sold and disappear into nothing, eroding sentiment and loyalty at the same time.
Of the 18 teams that played in the very first Premiership season in 1996/97, only four still exist as professional clubs – Sundowns, Chiefs, Pirates and AmaZulu.
Gone are established brands like Moroka Swallows, SuperSport United, Bloemfontein Celtic, Wits University and Jomo Cosmos, most consigned to the dumpster of history, or campaigning in the amateur environment.
Last season, which featured 28 games per side after the demise of Royal AM, there were 2.01 goals per match. Not the worst ever, but not far off. Only the 2021/22 campaign (1.99 goals per game) saw less entertainment for fans.
Mamelodi Sundowns set a 30-game (or 28-game in this case) record for most goals in a campaign with 65, which accounted for 15% of the league’s entire total. They managed a healthy 2.32 goals per game on their own, which also shows how far they have fallen off this term.
Just 2.03 goals per game were scored in the 2023/24 campaign, and aside from 2021/22 and the last campaign, the only other seasons in which the total slipped under 500 goals are 2009/10 (499 at 2.08 per game) and 2017/18 (490 at 2.04).
In the 2022/23 campaign the teams squeezed over that number with 503 goals scored (2.10).
The most goals scored in a 30-game Betway Premiership season came post the 2010 World Cup when 602 goals were scored at 2.51 per game.
The overall best season for scoring was the 1999/00 campaign when there were 823 goals scored in 306 games (it was a 34-game season) at an average of 2.69.
GOALS PER GAME IN THE PSL SINCE 1996/97
34-GAME SEASON
1996/97: 692 at 2.26 per game
1997/98: 736 at 2.41 per game
1998/99: 782 at 2.56 per game
1999/00: 823 at 2.69 per game
2000/01: 725 at 2.37 per game
2001/02: 754 at 2.46 per game
30-GAME SEASON
2002/03: 581 at 2.42 per game
2003/04: 566 at 2.36 per game
2004/05: 574 at 2.39 per game
2005/06: 549 at 2.29 per game
2006/07: 524 at 2.18 per game
2007/08: 532 at 2.22 per game
2008/09: 569 at 2.37 per game
2009/10: 499 at 2.08 per game
2010/11: 602 at 2.51 per game
2011/12: 582 at 2.43 per game
2012/13: 546 at 2.28 per game
2013/14: 528 at 2.20 per game
2014/15: 555 at 2.31 per game
2015/16: 562 at 2.34 per game
2016/17: 538 at 2.24 per game
2017/18: 490 at 2.04 per game
2018/19: 543 at 2.26 per game
2019/20: 508 at 2.12 per game
2020/21: 507 at 2.11 per game
2021/22: 479 at 1.99 per game
2022/23: 503 at 2.10 per game
2023/24: 488 at 2.03 per game
28-GAME SEASON
2024/25: 423 at 2.01 per game
