Neil Tovey

**Neil Robert Tovey** OIS (born 2 July 1962) is a South African soccer coach and former player and also brother of former footballer Mark Tovey. He was born in Pretoria. He holds the record for most appearances in the National Soccer League. Neil Tovey's style of play is characterized by his defensive prowess and leadership on the field. He was known for his ability to convert to defense and his role as a captain, where he led his teams to success both domestically and internationally. Tovey's playing style was marked by his ability to play multiple positions, including as a midfielder and a defender, and his ability to make crucial contributions to his team's success. His coaching style is also marked by his focus on player development and his commitment to improving the team's performance. Tovey is commonly regarded as one of South Africa's best centre-backs of his time.

## Club career

He made his professional debut for Durban City in 1981 and won the 1982 and 1983 NPSL titles under Clive Barker and played 174 league games. Tovey was transfer listed on 12 March 1986. He scored on debut in a 2-1 win over Arcadia Shepherds in Durban on 4 April 1986. He also scored in a 5-1 win over Kaizer Chiefs on 8 June 1986 in what became Chiefs' worst loss ever. He stayed until 1989 and played 117 league games. He joined Chiefs in 1990 and took over captaincy from Howard Freese in 1992 wearing the number 9 jersey. In the same season, Tovey got a record 52 starts which is still a record. He was converted to defence by Philippe Troussier. He led Chiefs to cup victory scored two very important goals in the Rothmans Cup against QwaQwa Stars and Umtata Bush Bucks. He played 341 league games for Chiefs. He played 362 matches and scored 32 goals in all competitions. In the very last match of his career and his last two touches Chiefs colours resulted in a goal in a 5–1 win over Dynamos on 9 June 1999.

## International career

Tovey made his international debut in 1992 after the re-admission of South Africa to FIFA. His finest hour came in 1996 when he won the 1996 AFCON after defeating Tunisia. He was included in the squad for the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia, Bafana Bafana were eliminated after a 2-2 draw against Czech, 1-0 loss against UAE and 4-3 loss against Uruguay which was his last international match. Tovey played for South Africa national football team and won 52 caps without scoring. He captained the team 29 times.

## Coaching career

Tovey coached Banyana Banyana to a COSAFA Cup win in 2002. Tovey saved Hellenic from relegation in the 2003–04 season. He got his UEFA A licence with a 90% pass in Hennef, Germany, which were the best marks since 1998.
On 27 June 2015 Tovey became technical director of South Africa national football team.

## Honours

- Premier Soccer League: 1991, 1992
- Carling Knockout Cup: 1997
- 1996 African Cup of Nations

## Infobox (football biography)

- **name**: Neil Tovey
- **fullname**: Neil Robert Tovey
- **birth place**: Pretoria, South Africa
- **height**: 1.81 m
- **position**: Central defender
- **youthyears1**: 1980–1981
- **youthclubs1**: Virginia United
- **years1**: 1981–1986
- **clubs1**: Durban City F.C., Durban City
- **caps1**: 174
- **goals1**: 17
- **years2**: 1986–1990
- **clubs2**: AmaZulu F.C., AmaZulu
- **caps2**: 117
- **goals2**: 14
- **years3**: 1990–1999
- **clubs3**: Kaizer Chiefs F.C., Kaizer Chiefs
- **caps3**: 341
- **goals3**: 27
- **totalcaps**: 634
- **totalgoals**: 58
- **nationalyears1**: 1992–1997
- **nationalteam1**: South Africa national football team, South Africa
- **nationalcaps1**: 52
- **nationalgoals1**: 0
- **manageryears1**: 1998–1999
- **managerclubs1**: Kaizer Chiefs
- **manageryears2**: 2000–2001
- **managerclubs2**: Mamelodi Sundowns
- **manageryears3**: 2001–2002
- **managerclubs3**: AmaZulu F.C., AmaZulu
- **manageryears4**: 2003–2004
- **managerclubs4**: Hellenic FC, Hellenic
- **manageryears5**: 2005–2006
- **managerclubs5**: Mamelodi Sundowns
- **manageryears6**: 2009–2010
- **managerclubs6**: AmaZulu F.C., AmaZulu
- **manageryears7**: 2010
- **managerclubs7**: Mpumalanga Black Aces
- **manageryears8**: 2011–2012
- **managerclubs8**: Thanda Royal Zulu
- **manageryears9**: 2015–2020
- **managerclubs9**: South Africa national football team, South Africa