Paul Leonard Kogeldans (born 28 June 1930), known as Leo Kogeldans, is a former Surinamese footballer and manager who has played for

V.V. Ajax Voetbal Vereniging Ajax commonly known as Ajax, was a Surinamese football club based in Paramaribo that played in the Surinamese Hoofdklasse, the highest level of football in Suriname. The club played their home games on the Mr. Bronsplein. Nam ...

and

S.V. Voorwaarts Sport Vereniging Voorwaarts is an association football club from Paramaribo, Suriname, which currently play in the Surinamese Topklasse. History Foundation Founded on August 1, 1919 by a group of school kids, primarily from the Hendrikschool, ...

in the

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

Hoofdklasse The Vierde Divisie, formerly known as Hoofdklasse () is the second-highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fifth tier in general. Background The league is divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunday. This is a result of ...

, and for VVV-Venlo in the Dutch Eredivisie. He also played for the Suriname national team. After his career he was manager of Dutch amateur club V.C.H. He is the father of former professional footballer Ruben Kogeldans.

Career

VV Ajax

Kogeldans was born in the

Frimangron Centrum is a resort in Suriname, located in the Paramaribo District. Its population at the 2012 census was 20,631. The historical centre of Paramaribo is located within the resort. The city centre is mainly in original condition, contains 291 lis ...

neighborhood of Paramaribo,

, a neighborhood known for producing top athletes. He began his football career playing on the

Mr. Bronsplein Established in 1948, Mr. Bronsplein is a large sports complex located on the Gemenelandsweg, in Paramaribo, Suriname. History Before World War II the field was already used for association football matches, and was known in the Sranan Tongo, Srana ...

where he was picked up by

, playing in the

. Ajax played barefoot at the time, and Kogeldans soon became known for his dribbling skills and goal scoring abilities. The top clubs in the country were eager to sign the young player, but it was talent scout Frits Juda who had convinced Kogeldans to sign with

instead.

SV Voorwaarts

Kogeldans joined SV Voorwaarts at age 18. He was an affective goal scorer, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-5 win against

MVV Maatschappelijke Voetbal Vereniging Maastricht (), commonly known as MVV Maastricht (, ) or simply as MVV, is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Maastricht. Founded on 2 April 1902, MVV Maastricht currently compete in the Eers ...

in his first year with the club. In 1949 he was called up for the Suriname national team based on his performance. He helped Voorwaarts to win two national championships in 1952 and in 1957, before departing for the Netherland.

VVV-Venlo

In 1957, Kogeldans relocated to Venlo, Netherlands signing with VVV-Venlo. He scored another hat-trick in his first match with the club in a

friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

against German club TSV 1860 München. Kogeldans went on to play two full seasons with VVV, helping the club to a 7th-place finish on the league table in both seasons. He was the first footballer of the

African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were e ...

to play professionally for VVV-Venlo.

International career

Kogeldans made his debut for the Suriname national team in 1949. He made a total 15 appearances for the first team before departing for the Netherlands.

Managerial career

After his playing career Kogeldans managed Dutch amateur club V.C.H. (Voetbal Club Horsterweg) from Venlo.

Personal life

On 7 February 1957, Kogeldans married Eveline Pinas, having four children together. His son Ruben Kogeldans played professional football for VVV-Venlo and

Willem II Willem II may refer to: People * William II, Prince of Orange (1626–1650), stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands * William II of the Netherlands (1792–1849), King of the Netherlands Other uses * Willem II (football club), a Du ...

before his untimely death on 7 June 1989 aboard the

Surinam Airways Flight 764 Surinam Airways Flight 764 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands to Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Suriname on a Surinam Airways DC-8-62. On Wednesday 7 June 1989, the fl ...

which crashed during approach to Paramaribo.

Honours

Club

;S.V. Voorwaarts *

SVB Hoofdklasse The SVB Eerste Divisie is the highest football championship for clubs run by the Surinaamse Voetbal Bond. The Topklasse is at the top of the system of Surinamese football championships. The league currently comprises twelve teams and operates a ...

(2): 1952, 1957

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kogeldans, Leo Living people 1930 births Footballers from Paramaribo Surinamese men's footballers Suriname men's international footballers S.V. Voorwaarts players VVV-Venlo players SVB Eerste Divisie players Eredivisie players Surinamese expatriate men's footballers Surinamese expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Surinamese emigrants to the Netherlands Men's association football forwards