Stellenbosch FC goalkeeper Lee Langeveldt has announced his retirement after 21 years of playing, bringing an end to an era for the club. Langeveldt played a key role in the team's rise to the Premiership and was a leader in their Carling Knockout championship win. Born and raised in Idas Valley, he attended Hoërskool Stellenbosch and played for the local Idas Valley Football Club, where it was evident from an early age that he was a gifted footballer. However, a pathway to professional football did not exist in Stellenbosch at the time, and, while still a teenager, he was forced to leave home in search of opportunities elsewhere. “It was always my dream to play professionally, but at the time you had to go to Cape Town, to Santos, Hellenic, or Ajax Cape Town, or, and I was fortunate to get an opportunity at the School of Excellence in PE,” Langeveldt reflects. That move paved the way for future stints with FC Fortune and FC København in Denmark, and spells back home with Santos, Milano United, and Golden Arrows, before he received a fateful call in 2017 to join the then-newly formed Stellenbosch FC in the National First Division. “I was so excited when I received the call,” he says. “I think the whole town was excited to finally have a professional team in Stellenbosch, and the opportunity for me to come back and play for the community was incredibly special. “Playing football was always my dream, but to get the chance to do it in my hometown is something that I will always be grateful for.” Fast forward nine years, and Langeveldt had helped Stellenbosch FC earn promotion to the Premiership as NFD champions, played a key role in securing the Club’s top-flight status, and served as a leader in the team’s rise to becoming Carling Knockout champions and CAF Confederation Cup contenders. He adds, “Our previous coach, Steve Barker, often used the word ‘special’. Every time we used to play in the NFD, he used to remind us how special this club is and how special we are, and for me, what we did in those early years and what we have achieved since is exactly that. “I still remember in our second season in the PSL, we were fighting relegation, and it was tough, but do you know what motivated me as a player? I was worried that if the Club didn’t survive, then the people around me and the coaches won’t have jobs, and our communities won’t have these opportunities. “That was my biggest motivation. I knew if I did well and this club stayed up in the PSL, that it would create so many opportunities for our local people. “I’ve always felt a responsibility toward Stellenbosch and Stellenbosch FC. I still feel it, and I will always feel it. As long as I am on this earth, the Club and the town will be part of me. “I’m glad we’ve been able to give Stellenbosch something to celebrate, too. People in this town love football, and they love Stellenbosch FC. I see it in the streets on a daily basis, wherever you go. “It makes me so proud to walk around, not only in Stellenbosch but in Cape Town and all over, to see people wearing our kit. For me, that tells the story and the legacy that we have built here.