Born in Otjiwarongo in 1961, Egbert Hoff was raised in Windhoek, and schooled at the revered Deutsche Höhere Privatschule Windhoek (DHPS), an upmarket learning institution primarily tailored to take German-speaking ‘Pikininis’ through the ropes in Academia.
‘Hoffy’ started kicking a football at the age of 10 for the school team but only got to play competitive club football for Wanderers in 1975, after returning from a short holiday trip to the land of his ancestors, Deutschland, in 1974.
“I watched Die Mannschaft (Germany) beat Brazil in the World Cup. That experience was an inspiration to lift my game,’ recalled ‘Hoffy’. After one season with the ‘White Stallions’, ‘Hoffy’ developed itchy feet only to resurface next door at Ramblers.
He started his new journey with Rammies’ third strings under the stewardship of Hasso Ahrens, and deservedly got promoted to the second team the next season.
His near-faultless performance propelled DHPS to victory in the National Schools Championship under the watch of German import Dr Dieter Widmann.
The fearless tough-tackling defender represented then-South West Africa (SWA) in the South African Inter-Provincial Schools Football Tourney in Durban with DHPS in 1978. A Jack of all trades, ‘Hoffy’ was also called up for the SWA Provincial Volleyball side.
Aged 17 and barely out of his pair of pants, he was elevated to the Ramblers senior team, enjoying few cameo roles.
The next stop was the Provincial under-18 football Invitational side that competed in a School Tourney in Cape Town in 1980.
Whilst doing his compulsory army service between 1982 and 1983, the sport-crazy lad was selected for the SWA Volleyball team, subsequently included in the South African Combined Armed team after a solid display.
Upon completion of his army service, ‘Hoffy’ retreated to familiar territory, and continued doing the business for Ramblers becoming one of the club’s most reliable players.
He toured West Germany with Ramblers in 1983 for a series of exhibition matches against lowkey local teams from that neck of the woods.
Following in the footsteps of elder brother agile gloves man Wilhelm Hoff, who plied his trade with Ramblers, DHPS and the SWA Currie Cup teams, ‘Hoffy’ was biologically obligated by hereditary genes to excel in whatever he laid his itchy hands on sport-wise.
The tireless tough-as-nails tallish defensive midfielder hit the ground running, and became a vital cog in the solid Rammies rearguard.
His trademark tight man marking always sent shivers running riot in the bellies of deadly strikers who dreaded the mere sight of his ever-present imposing shadow.
His defensive prowess helped the Ramblers clinch the CFA league title in 1985 before adding the coveted Mainstay Cup to their league title.
Ramblers walloped a hapless Chief Santos 4-0 at the old Katutura stadium in 1985.
The club completed a clean sweep, winning the traditional annual X-mas cup the same season, putting the icing on top of the cherry during an otherwise flawless season.
Hoffy boasts an impressive filthy rich resume that includes a clean sweep of all available silverware on offer in the 1985 season.
Rammies won multiple accolades in the following sequence: Annual Derby Cup against old foes ‘Immer Wieder’ (SKW), APT Pokal (Tsumeb), Matador Cup, CFA Mobil League Title, Mainstay Cup, DTA Floating Trophy and Gruener Kranz X-mas Cup (Swakopmund), certainly no mean feat.
He showered praises for former teammate Bobby Craddock, whom he says helped him tremendously to improve his game, and also entertains great admiration for the talented Ahrens brothers Hasso and Uwe, Oscar Mengo, Ivo de Gouveia, Dahle Stephanus, Gunter Hellinghausen, Albert Tjihero and Kurt Gousventer.
Regrettably, a series of niggling knee injuries abbreviated his flirtation with the spherical object, thus obliging him to call it quits while still at the pinnacle of his promising football career.
Nonetheless, ‘Hoffy’ was not entirely lost to sport, and switched allegiance to Equestrian sport.
He excelled in the Showjumping discipline, winning both the top 10 national championships in Swakopmund and the national club team competition in Okahandja.
Co-founder of the Namibia Warmblood Society, ‘Hoffy’ teamed up with Patrick de Goede, Manie Heymans, Terence Smit and a few others to establish the famous Rock & Rut Mountain Bike Club.
Hoffy played a significant role in the overall development of cycling, organising the first Mountain Race at Farm Neu Heusis.
Nowadays, established successful Simmental cattle breeding commercial farmer, ‘Hoffy’, was the designated Chairman of Windhoek Farmerverein between 2009 and 2016, and has been a board member of NAU since 2018.
In his parting shot, the multi-talented athlete expressed dismay at the much-despised puke-inducing South African Apartheid system that denied Namibian athletes their birthright to represent their native land internationally because of imposed sanctions across all sport codes.
Mincing no words, the outspoken ‘Hoffy’ signed off with the following strong phrase loud and clear: “Don’t ask what the country can do for you, but rather ask what you can do for your motherland”.