Stellenbosch tactician Steve Barker has stated that their main focus for the 2024/25 season will be the Betway Premiership.
Getting into the league is always exciting... it's the ultimate prize. While cups are nice, the ultimate prize for a player, coach, and club is a league title, so we'd like to give it our best shot, Barker said at the Premiership launch in Sandton last week.
"We want to compete on all levels and make sure we take each game at a time, each competition at a time... but the league has to be the focus because it is a solid foundation for you to play in Africa as well as the foundation for you to grow as a football club, so it has to be the focus."
Besides booking their spot in the MTN8 final, where they'll face Orlando Pirates on October 5, Stellenbosch are also in the CAF Confederation Cup's second preliminary round, where they'll play Congolese side Vita Club.
The first leg will be played at Cape Town Stadium on Friday, and the second leg will be played seven days later. Stellies will also participate in the Carling Knockout and Nedbank Cup as the season progresses.
The club just sold winger Antonio van Wyk to Austrian side SV Ried, and they are also on the verge of selling Ivorian forward Anicet Oura, who can also play as a winger, to an unnamed Qatari club. Barker confirmed they were looking for a new player or two to fill the void left by Van Wyk and Oura.
"We still need to fill one or two positions after losing Antonio and Oura... we are looking for a winger. If we can get that done soon, we will be happy. Otherwise, we are happy with the squad we have," Barker said.
