A true football legend lives among us
The Heidelberg pensioner is still passionate about soccer.
Colin Viljoen (74), a resident of Heidelberg, is a true soccer legend.
Viljoen grew up in Doornfontein and attended a primary school in Hillbrow. His high school days were spent at Athlone Boys.
While Viljoen was playing club soccer at junior level, his coach saw potential and asked him if he would like to ply his soccer trade in England.
A meeting was set up with Viljoen’s parents and the decision was made to send him to the UK to try his luck. In August 1965 at the age of 16, Viljoen made the journey to England.
Viljoen was drafted for Ipswich Town in the junior ranks where he stayed in the u-18 team for a year. He was then drafted into the senior team of Ipswich Town in 1967 where he stayed for 13 years.
In his first match, Viljoen scored a hat trick against Portsmouth. He represented Ipswitch in more than 400 games in various competitions in the UK and European competitions.
In 1975, Viljoen was selected to play for England in a few matches. After his stint at Ipswitch, Viljoen was transferred to Manchester City in 1978 for an amount of £100 000. There Viljoen stayed on for two years.
He was then transferred to Chelsey in 1980 for £60 000, where he also stayed on for two years before retiring from soccer due to injuries.
Some of the famous football managers Viljoen played under were Don Revie, Sir Bobby Robson and Geoff Hurst.
After Viljoen’s football days he opened a pub near Heathrow Airport in London.
In 1990 Viljoen returned to South Africa where he initially stayed in Edenvale and then Alberton.
Viljoen was also a soccer coach in these areas during that time.
As a resident of Heidelberg, Viljoen wants to plough back into the Heidelberg community by holding football clinics for the youth.
He is looking at three different groups, seven to nine years old, 10 to 12 years old and 13 to 16 years old. The plan is to hold a demonstration at Heidelberg Heritage Museum for anyone interested.
Viljoen wants to teach them various aspects of football that include individual and technical skills. The full football course will be a nine-month course where everything will be taught to equip the players to succeed.
There will be an amount paid monthly for the training (as parents can afford).
He also conducts tours to Barcelona in Spain for soccer lovers of all ages, where he takes them to the stadium to see Barcelona play.
For more information on the football coaching, tours or wants to get in touch with Viljoen, contact him on 082 443 5397.
