The announcement by the Premier Soccer League to shorten the 2009/2010 domestic soccer season was supported by Nedbank, the sponsors of the Nedbank Cup, South Africa’s premier cup competition yesterday.

The extended preparation time afforded the team ahead of the 2009 Confederations Cup undoubtedly paid dividends and resulted in a much improved and very encouraging performance from the South African national team.

By shortening the domestic season the PSL are giving the squad the greatest possible chance of success ahead of the biggest sporting event in the country’s history.

The decision to shorten the season and to exclude players from the national team for the better part of next year could not have been made without the agreement of the sponsors. Despite the fact that next seasons Nedbank Cup would be played over a much shorter period the bank agreed without hesitation.

‘The success of the Confederations Cup has injected a renewed sense of optimism in the country and, as a proudly South African bank, Nedbank jumped at the chance to demonstrate our commitment to South African soccer. By partnering with the PSL in this initiative we are making a meaningful contribution to the achievement of the country’s soccer goals for next year and giving soccer fans something to look forward to,’ says Greg Garden, Divisional Executive, Nedbank Group Marketing.

Commenting on the exclusion of players from the national team and a dramatically shortened 2010 Nedbank Cup, the sponsors remained optimistic that they would still achieve their goals.