Credible records reveal that former Atlantis, Sparta United and Ramblers football clubs’ versatile attacker-cum-midfielder-turned-defender Immo Steffens is amongst very few players to have represented three of the country’s finest teams in the National Football League with great aplomb, prior and post-independence.
Born in Namibia’s second largest harbour town Lüderitz on the 7th of February 1951, Immo made his senior debut in organized football structures with coastal outfit Atlantis Football Club at the tender age of 16, barely out of his pair of shorts.
A product of the revered Karibib Privatschule, the hard galloping bearded attacker would go on to clock eight uninterrupted seasons with unfashionable Atlantic seasiders Atlantis FC between 1966 and 1974.
A very competitive athlete by nature, Immo was a special breed of “footie” and it became crystal clear that the less ambitious coastal outfit did not match his ambitions of winning trophies. He was subsequently obliged by desire to jump ship, only to resurface at their more glamorous cross-town rivals Sparta United, much to the chagrin of the Atlantis faithful.
Although he only donned the purple/white strip of United for just a season and a half, Immo’s decision was vindicated as he was handsomely rewarded after playing a pivotal role in steering the exciting Portuguese outfit to top-notch accolades.
He was part of the team that won the prestigious National League title, George Dent Cup (Walvis Bay) and the annual Christmas Cup in Swakopmund in only his debut season in 1975, certainly no mean feat.
Immo’s next stop was Pionierspark, holed up in the southern part of Namibia’s commercial capital Windhoek. He found refuge with the revamped Ramblers FC, under the watchful eye of shrewd player/coach, the late nimble-footed Scottish football genius Don Corbett.
His arrival at Rammies tied perfectly well with the club’s astonishing amazing run that saw the Tunschell Street Boys fashion a clean sweep in all available silverware on offer in the following sequence: National League title, Hansa Cup, Gorges Cup, Tuckmantel Pokal, League Cup, Northern Cup, Derby Cup and Otavi Cup in two seasons 1996 and 1977.
To add the cherry on the cake, Immo was a valuable squad member of the star-studded Rammies side that won the Central Football Association (CFA) regional division one league title in the maiden season of multi-racial football in then apartheid South West Africa (SWA) in 1977.
Rammies edged ahead of Katutura giants African Stars to book a place in the national play-offs, alongside second-placed Stars.
In the same season, Rammies reached two major domestic cup finals, the coveted national league title and the prestigious Mainstay Cup – only to stumble at the last hurdle against cross-town rivals African Stars on both occasions, losing 4-3 and 2-0 respectively.
However, his romance with the Pionierspark outfit came to a premature end when he relocated to South Africa in search of pastures green in 1980.
Upon his arrival in the city of gold, he joined forces with Vaal Reefs, Orkney for just half a season before finding a new home at Strathvahl FC.
In a short space of time, he found his feet with the Stilfontein outfit where he enjoyed arguably his best football years in an uninterrupted period of six solid seasons, winning a trident of regional league titles in the highly competitive Western Transvaal Football League in 1980, 1982 and 1983.
A bird of passage and even though he was getting a bit long in the tooth, Immo was on the move again sliding down to sea level, only to resurface in the mother city, Cape Town. He found new shelter with Green Point FC, turning out for the club’s over-35 age social league side between 1988 and 2000.
He also enjoyed fairly successful stints with Cape Town Deutschland and Old Mutual Cape Town Old Boys, campaigning in the popular coastal IFA Sunday league for over-45 age players.
The serial winner boosted his well-decorated trophy cabinet with an array of trophies, courtesy of league titles in the following sequence: IFA Over-35, three league titles with Deutschland Cape Town between 1990 and 1992, complemented by a trident of gold medals in the annual Horst Pietsch Pokal (Windhoek 1990, 1992, 1996), respectively.
However, the often hot-headed versatile defender had a history of run-ins with match officials and would sporadically fall foul of the referee’s’ crime sheet.
In one such incident at the Windhoek Showgrounds, in September 1978, he confronted veteran referee Arnulf Schmidt head-on in the tunnel after a hotly contested match against arch rivals SKW. A furious Immo told poor Schmitty in no uncertain terms where to get off, reminding him that he was the worst referee ever on the planet.
But the serial trigger-happy whistle man would have none of that and brandished the red card in his face. His indiscretion subsequently saw him being slapped with a six-months suspension for having brought the game of football into disrepute.
Despite an almost flawless trophy-laden football career, Immo regrets being unable to represent his motherland at provincial level.
Nonetheless, he can still take solace from the fact that he has at least managed to represent the coastal invitational eleven against the visiting Southern Suburbs (SA NFL), Paderborn and Traisa (both Germany) in exhibition matches in 1969 and 1971.
Immo also played for the Central Invitational side against Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs in 1977. He finally tasted provincial football in the colours of Western Transvaal in a pair of exhibition matches between 1982 and 1983.
He cites former Ramblers teammate Gunter Hellinghausen as his toughest opponent and holds the following players in high regard: Norman Field, Hasso Ahrens, Bobby Craddock, Bohumel Koudelka, Ronnie Dagnin, Steini Steinmetz, Horst Ganz, Chris Reichert, Don Corbett, Ivo de Gouveia, Puffi Rahn, Hansie Lohmeir, Gero Schaum.
Immo recalls one heart-stopping nasty incident that unfolded at the old Katutura stadium in 1977. “We were up against Tigers in a Central Football Association league match and found ourselves three goals to the good at half time.
“Shorty (Lohmeir) scored from an offside position but the goal stood. This infuriated Tigers’ supporters who peppered us with all sorts of dangerous objects as we walked through the wired tunnel for the half-time break.
“We took to our heels and jumped into Jeff Marting’s old man’s fruit and vegetables delivery van which we opted to use as shield for potential attacks in the townships.”
In conclusion, Immo applauds all the coaches mentioned hereunder for their contribution towards his overall football development: Harald Ahrens, Siggie Frewer, Norbert Thiel, Willie Prosser, Harald Dennewill (all Atlantis), Clive Crockett (Sparta United), Hasso Ahrens, Don Corbett, Ian Wood (Ramblers).