Former star footballer pushes ‘constant progress’ 

James Britz had two big loves in his youth – athletics and football – and football eventually won.

Born and raised in Windhoek, Britz made himself a name on the track as a junior 100m and 200m champion, while he also played himself into the hearts of the Civics and Orlando Pirates faithfuls.

“It was a real struggle to balance between the two. My parents and the majority of my family were absolutely against me playing football and they were forcing me to concentrate more on athletics, because they believed I was better off on the track.

“The truth is that I was more passionate about football. There was a time that I was the only one among my friends who was doing athletics.

“I had literally had to dodge home to go and play football. I didn’t even have soccer boots,” he says.

The retired footballer started off as a striker during his younger days, before he was successfully converted into a winger as he grew older.

He was also comfortable playing in the hole behind the main striker.

A young Britz joined a youth development programme operating under seasoned coaches Kenny Grotzinger, Brian Isaacs and late Lucky ‘Bazooka’ Richter.

“I went to Jan Mohr Secondary School where I started to feature prominently for the school’s under-17 team, and that was also when I caught the eyes of the national youth team selectors.

“I was then roped into the under-17 national team,” he says.

“In that same year, I was also part of the national under-17 junior athletics team that went to participate in the African Youth Athletics Championships in Mozambique, as well as at the prestigious World Youth Athletics Championships in Hungary.”

Britz returned from Hungary with mixed feelings.

He was disappointed about not qualifying beyond the second round, but returned home with a lot of experience.

REBEL

His parents then prohibited him from playing football, but the rebellious young man that he was, Britz decided to continue playing.

“I started being more on the football field as opposed to the athletics track. I was a big Young Ones fan, because I grew up idolising Kosie Springbok and Dolfie Campbell.

“However, Spokiesdorp, the location I grew up in Khomasdal, was a Civics stronghold,” he says.

“My childhood friends always invited me to go play with them at Civics. They held trials for players to go on tour to Germany. I was training for athletics at the same venue at Independence Stadium. One day I had to bunk school because it was their last trial day to give it a try.”

To his surprise Britz was selected to be part of the touring squad, which is how he became a Civics player.

Britz established himself as a very prominent player of the junior national teams at the time.

“One of my sojourns with the under-17 national team took me to Cameroon, where we were handed a free football lesson as our more experienced counterparts handed us a thorough 8-2 hammering in Yaounde. It was a football match that brought us back to reality.

“Namibia’s inexperience of continental football was badly exposed. I must say that our standard has improved drastically in international competitions ever since.

“We are no longer everybody’s pushovers, because we are competing fiercely,” the qualified football coach says.

Britz also enjoyed a memorable spell with Katutura giants Orlando Pirates, the team he is currently coaching.

“I was just told by coach Brian (Isaacs) that he would come pick me up to go play for Pirates while busy playing street football with my friends in Spokiesdorp.

“I didn’t have soccer shoes and shin pads, once again, but my cousin bought some after my parents refused.

“I was used to some of their star players . . . but I didn’t allow the name of the club and the big players to intimidate me,” he says.

Britz says he played his most memorable football match ever in the colours of the Katutura Buccaneers during a friendly match against their bitter rivals Black Africa.

He was named man of the match and on Monday afternoon at team practice.

The supporters formed a guard for him as he entered the sports ground, “which is the most special gesture any player could expect from his supporters”, he says, adding that Pirates will always have a special place in his heart.

WORK, FAMILY

The retired footballer married Ulande Britz, his high school girlfriend, and the couple has three children.

Britz is making a living as a football coach.

“Apart from coaching Orlando Pirates, I am also running a football academy known as Kaizen which is a Chinese word meaning ‘continuous progress’. We also opened a branch at Rosh Pinah, which is run by my brother.

“I derive so much joy from working with the youth.

“I am also the under-20 national team coach, a job I am so proud of because I have seen so many young players developing through the ranks and into the senior national team. One of my reasons for being a coach is that I want to instil discipline in the youth,” he says.

Britz says his academy has produced a number of players over the years, like Ivan Kamberipa, Tjipee Karuuombe, Lorenzo Louis and Ngero Katua.

His advice to young, aspiring footballers is to be disciplined at all times and to listen to their parents, “because no parent will give their child the wrong advice”.