Berry Nieuwenhuys, (5 November 1911 – 12 June 1984) was a South African

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

er who played predominantly for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, which he was contracted to from 1933 to 1947. He retired in 1947, returning to South Africa to be employed at the Transvaal Country Club. He occupied the position of

outside right In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bei ...

, akin to an advanced winger, but could play on the opposite flank. Nieuwenhuys became noted for his pace, technical skill, power of shot, and adeptness at heading. He made 260 appearances, scoring 79 goals - 74 of which had been amassed in the league. He attained double figures in goals scored in six consecutive seasons in the 1930s. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

disrupted his career, forcing him to guest with

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

while he served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. Many supporters found his surname unpronounceable, so he was often referred to by the diminutive "Nivvy".

Life and playing career

Born in

Boksburg Boksburg is a city on the East Rand of Gauteng province of South Africa. Gold was discovered in Boksburg in 1887. Boksburg was named after the State Secretary of the South African Republic, Willem Eduard Bok, W. Eduard Bok. The R29 (South A ...

Transvaal Province The Province of Transvaal (), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's ...

, Nieuwenhuys worked as an engineer and played for his hometown side Boksburg FC and the Germiston Callies before signing for

in September 1933. He became one of nine players from Boksburg to participate in the English and Scottish leagues during the 1930s. Liverpool, in particular, fielded at least six South Africans during the decade, including prolific goalscorer

Gordon Hodgson Gordon Hodgson (16 April 1904 – 14 June 1951) was a professional sportsman, born in Transvaal Colony, who is best known as a striker for Liverpool and as a fast bowler for Lancashire. He won two international caps for South Africa and three ...

. He debuted against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

on 23 September, in a First Division fixture at

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

, as a replacement for Harry Taylor on the right wing. It proved to be an auspicious beginning, with Liverpool defeating Tottenham 3-0. He contributed to two of the goals, through his accurate crosses to

Alf Hanson Adolph Jonathan "Alf" Hanson (27 July 1912 – October 1993) was a football player for Liverpool, Chelsea, South Liverpool, Shelbourne, Ellesmere Port Town and Tranmere Rovers. Life and playing career Born Bootle, Lancashire, Hanson playe ...

and Sam English. He registered his first goal a week later, on 30 September, against city rivals Everton. His 32nd-minute strike, along with Hanson's 60th-minute and English's 80th-minute goals, gave Liverpool a 3–2 win. The club's overall performances in the league were unremarkable during manager George Patterson's eight-year tenure. Liverpool's league form deteriorated dramatically in the 1935-36 season, in which the club finished 19th. Patterson, suffering from stress and serious illness, resigned and was replaced by

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

George Kay George Kay may refer to: * George Kay (footballer), English footballer and manager * George Kay (minister), Scottish minister * George Kay (writer), English screenwriter * George Frederick Kay, American geologist See also * George Kaye (disam ...

. Along with his incredible pace and quicksilver feet Nieuwenhuys could also hit a venomous shot and he would often be seen cutting in from the wide berth to unleash an unstoppable strike at goal. In 1939, in recognition of Nieuwenhuys reaching five years at the club, Liverpool rewarded their midfielder with a benefit match against city rivals Everton. The occasion attracted 13,000 people and generated £685 (equivalent to £123,000 in 2008). During the

, Nieuwenhuys volunteered for the

, receiving Czechoslovakia's Medal of Merit. Many of his teammates, including compatriots

Arthur Riley Arthur Riley (26 December 1903 – July 1984) was a South African international footballer who also played football for Liverpool. Life and playing career On 26 November 1939, Riley played in goal as part of an All-British XI versus a Football ...

and Dirk Kemp, also enlisted in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

. He guested for both

and

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

as well as Lovell's Athletic, the

works team A works team, sometimes also referred to as factory team and company team, is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business, institution, or organization in a broad sense. Works teams have very close ties with thei ...

for Lovell's sweet factory in

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. Nieuwenhuys had a passion for sports cars and, prior to enlistment, bought a

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

from

Carroll Levis Carroll Richard Levis (March 15, 1910 – October 17, 1968) was a Canadian talent scout, impresario and radio and television broadcaster, mainly working in Britain. Biography Born in Toronto and brought up in Vancouver, the son of a murdered po ...

for £50. It remained in a journalist's garage for the duration of the war. Nieuwenhuys returned to the club after the war. His place in the squad became uncertain in the 1946–47 season, which was the first season of competitive football since the league system's suspension. His final season yielded his only honour, the league championship under manager

. He scored five times in 15 appearances. His teammates during this era included

Jack Balmer John Balmer (6 February 1916 — 25 December 1984) was an English footballer who played as a striker for Liverpool. Life and playing career Born in West Derby, Liverpool, Lancashire, Balmer came from a family of footballers: Billy and Bob bo ...

, Bill Jones, Albert Stubbins,

Billy Liddell William Beveridge Liddell (10 January 1922 – 3 July 2001) was a Scottish footballer who played his entire professional career with Liverpool. He signed with the club as a teenager in 1938 and retired in 1961, having scored 228 goals in 534 app ...

and

Bob Paisley Robert Paisley (23 January 1919 – 14 February 1996) was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. ...

. It would be the last of the club's league titles until the 1963-64 season. He retired in 1947, having briefly been installed as assistant professional at West Derby Golf Club. He returned to South Africa, assuming a similar responsibility at the Transvaal Country Club for

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame was, until recently, located at World Golf Village between Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States. It is unusual amongst sports halls of fame in that a single site honored both men ...

Bobby Locke Arthur D'Arcy "Bobby" Locke (20 November 1917 – 9 March 1987) was a South African professional golfer. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won The Open Championship four times and 15 PGA Tour events in total ...

. Nieuwenhuys continued his association with football through coaching, specifically for Southern Suburbs under manager Bernie Gibson, and the Callies Nieuwenhuys supplemented his professional career by featuring for the baseball team Hurst Hawks, which included Liverpool colleagues Lance Carr and

Ted Savage Theodore Savage Jr. (born Ephesian Savage; February 21, 1937 – January 12, 2023) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1962 to 1971. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburg ...

. His surname's pronunciation presented a dilemma to many supporters, with even the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

Arthur Simmons describing it as a "jigsaw".Raath, Peter (2002), ''Soccer through the years, 1862-2002'', p. 15 The name is pronounced " Nivvenhows " - from The Football Who's Who 1935.

Honours

Liverpool *

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

championship: 1946–47

References

External links

Profile
at the Liverpool F.C. website
Player profile
at LFChistory.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Nieuwenhuys, Berry 1911 births 1984 deaths South African people of Dutch descent Afrikaner people Soccer players from Boksburg South African men's soccer players Men's association football forwards Germiston Callies F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players Arsenal F.C. wartime guest players West Ham United F.C. wartime guest players English Football League players Boksburg F.C. players Lovell's Athletic F.C. wartime guest players Royal Air Force personnel of World War II 20th-century South African sportsmen