The 35-year-old goalkeeper was excellent again for Stellies this season despite a difficult campaign that saw the club struggling at the wrong end of the table before Gavin Hunt's appointment in December.

Stephens kept 11 clean sheets in 39 appearances across all competitions, while also becoming the club’s all-time record appearance holder with 176 appearances.

He was also named Sportsman of the Season, a second year in a row.

Langelihle Phili, meanwhile, scooped the Players' Player of the Season award, the Rama Fans' Player of the Season award as well as both the Oshwin Andries Young Player of the Season award and Golden Boot.

Speaking after collecting his trophy, a delighted Sage said in the Citizen: "I wasn't expecting it.

"If you had to look at the season, the whole season; but just to know that my performances paid off a little bit because of the position we were in and where we find ourselves now. It's nice to know that I played a part in that."

Stellenbosch find themselves in ninth place on the Betway Premiership standings with one game of their season to play.

A place in the top eight is still a possibility but Stellies would need to beat Marumo Gallants and hope that Durban City lose to AmaZulu, by at least a five-goal margin across both games.

Stephens also heaped praise on Phili for his excellent season.

"Funny enough, I told him before the awards, I said, 'If you don't get all the awards, I actually won't be very happy,' because I think he deserves it," he said.

"He's had a magnificent season. You can see with the numbers he's done this season, and it was at an important stage in our season when we were struggling a bit.

"He carried the team with his goals. It's nice to know that he got acknowledged like he did tonight, and deservedly so."

The full list of 2025-26 Stellenbosch FC award winners:

Footballer of the Season – Sage Stephens

Sportsman of the Year – Sage Stephens (2nd award)

Players' Player of the Season – Langelihle Phili

Young Player of the Season – Langelihle Phili

Golden Boot – Langelihle Phili

Rama Fans' Player of the Season – Langelihle Phili

DDC Footballer of the Season – Keenan Johanessen

DDC Sportsman of the Year – Liam Slade

DDC Golden Boot – Tauric Gamildien

CEO’s Award – Jean-Pierre Farrugia

Special Achievements – Thabo Moloisane and Genino Palace (100 appearances), Sage Stephens (club appearance record), Wesley-Irwin Sergel (300+ matches as assistant coach), and Lee Langeveldt (career achievement award).

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