DeAndre Vollenhoven
There is a young South African winger that is making waves at Auckland City, a club that is no stranger to stars from Mzansi.
Johannesburg-born winger DeAndre Vollenhoven is raising eyebrows in New Zealand with his displays for Auckland City, a club that is no stranger to South African connections. It is early days for the teenager, but he is clearly a player with fantastic potential and the next few seasons will be telling in whether he can make it as a professional outside of the country. He tells KICK OFF’s Nick Said of his journey in football so far, scoring in his first start for the Auckland City first team and his future ambitions in the game.
Teenage winger DeAndre Vollenhoven left South Africa for New Zealand with his family four years ago with the dream of making it as a professional footballer. And it is a case of so far, so good as he impresses with top New Zealand National League club Auckland City, who are certainly no strangers to South Africans or players with connections to the Premier Soccer League.
In fact, Vollenhoven is a teammate of former Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu forward Emiliano Tade, who returned to City last season after a stint in the PSL, while the likes of former SuperSport United defender Michael Boxall, junior national team forward Liam Jordan and current Maritzburg United full-back Dan Morgan are among the many with PSL connections to have played at the club in the past.
Vollenhoven broke into the first team last season and scored in his first start against Hakwe’s Bay in January. It has been a long journey to this point, one that started in Johannesburg.
“I came to New Zealand four years ago with my family,” he says. “I grew up in Alberton in Johannesburg and started playing football at around the age of seven or eight.
“I was first with Linhill Celtic and then went on to Sporting, and from there the Black Aces academy. I am the only person in my family that has played football professionally.”
He says a chance meeting got him on the right path to success in New Zealand.
“When I first came to New Zealand, my father and I went to watch Auckland City play. As foreigners in a new country you want to get tapped into the football side.
“We met some people we knew from South Africa at the game and they introduced me to Central United Football Club, that’s the feeder team for Auckland City. I played there for two or three years, and then got called up to the youth academy for City. From there I have managed to reach the first team.”
A big hit
Vollenhoven excelled in the youth leagues, and it was his stunning last minute goal from long-range that won his side the national junior title in 2019 and made plenty sit up and take notice of his talent.
“It was a nice feeling, just being called to one of the top teams in the country at youth level.
We actually won the youth league that season. It was nice to mix with different players coming from around the country, working with different coaches. It wasw very professional and a very positive environment.”
He was called into the first team for the 2020-21 campaign and made his debut off the bench against Canterbury United in December. The next match he was a substitute again and laid on an assist in a thumping 4-1 win over the reserve side of Australian A-League club Wellington Phoenix.
Ironically, perhaps, that was against South African-born Phoenix goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, who is a junior international with New Zealand.
“Coming from the youth league, to get opportunities in the first team is always a blessing,” Vollenhoven said. “Proving your worth to the people who doubted you. It is a good feeling for yourself and your family, even the people back home. Putting it out there that South Africans can always do it.”
He says that playing with Tade is a bonus as the latter is in tune with his style, one that is still very much ‘South African’.
“It’s always good having players that have been back home or have played there. It is good having that connection on the field, they know how to play with you and you with them. Understanding the football … it is always good having players with that experience, you can relate to a lot of things on the football field.”
The next step
The New Zealand Premiership has been restructured into a new National League competition for the 2021 season, which runs from March to September.
The reserve side of Wellington Phoenix get an automatic berth into the Championship phase, but other sides must qualify from their region with Auckland
City in the Northern League.
It would be a shock if they did not make it to the next phase and Vollenhoven has already played his part in a strong start to the new season.
“The next step for me is just to continue grinding in the first team. Hopefully in the next couple of years I can look forward to going into the A-League,” he says.
“If not, just keep grinding with Auckland City and try and go overseas, maybe look at college recruiting [in the United States]. That is the goal.
“My long-term ambition is to get to the highest league I can. The dream is to one day get into the A-League or the MLS [Major League Soccer], or even the [English] Premier League. That would be a nice goal.
“So for me right now it is mainly to just get overseas, I have to grind out the season we are in now and then try and go abroad. I would say that is my major goal.”
And what about South Africa’s Premier Soccer League? The 19-year-old is unsure at this point, but says he would not rule it out.
“Maybe … it is a bit of a yes and a no. I don’t see myself playing there, but if the opportunity came, and the circumstances
“IT IS A REALLY GOOD PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND A GOOD LEAGUE TO BE IN IF YOU ARE A DEVELOPING PLAYER.”
were right, then I would go,” he says, before admitting he was not much of a PSL fan while growing up in South Africa.
“It was always there, my grandfather used to watch it but I never actually had the opportunity to go and tap into the South African side of football. I mainly used to watch English football.”
He does believe he is in the right place though to fulfill his goals. Although football in New Zealand is not fully professional, the environment is right and lends itself to strong development of players.
With a national population of around 5-million, around the same size as Cape Town, Vollenhoven believes it is easier to get noticed if you have talent. This is especially so for football with rugby the dominant sport in the country.
In fact, a New Zealand Secondary School Sports Council census in 2019 found that football ranked only third among boys for participation behind rugby and basketball.
“The standard is good here, it is a really good professional environment and a good league to be in if you are a developing player,” Vollenhoven says. “Most players are scouted from here for Australia and the United States. If you
“IT WOULD ALWAYS BE A GOOD THING TO PLAY FOR THE HOMELAND.”
are playing in a country like this, it is a small place and you can put your skills on display.
“I feel like if you are in this country and you are good enough, you can always make it.”
A creative force
The teenager has tried to model his game on a former Manchester United great, also a winger, who he says has inspired him through his football journey to now.
“My family is mainly Manchester United fans and I started watching with my father when I was very young. A player I always looked up to was Ryan Giggs, a legend at the club with a left foot just like me.
“He has always inspired me since I was young, it is where I got my favourite number 11 from, unfortunately I don’t have it at the club right now!”
Vollenhoven adds he enjoys being a creative force in his side, but says he does have goals in his game, as evidenced during his time in the juniors, when he was fairly prolific, and the start to his senior career with Auckland City.
“I have speed, I’m skillful and can beat players. I can cut in well on the right [foot]. So my favourite position is on the right wing up top [in the forward line],” he says.
“I have mainly been the assist player in the team, I bring that creative flavour on the field. I am always creating chances, but I do see myself as a goalscorer as well.”
As for international football, he admits that he needs to cement his place at his club first before that enters the equation, but he remains open-minded about the future prospects.
“It would always be a good thing to play for the homeland [South Africa], but whatever opportunity comes my way, you have to take it and maybe make those sacrifices in life. Whichever one comes first [between South Africa and New Zealand] I hope I am able to take it.”