Victor Kodelja

Victor Kodelja... married to wife Christine (children Jeremy, June, Amanda)... worked for Gutter Shop in Vancouver before moving to Toronto in 1974 to join Canada Soccer’s national team “in being”... retired from football in 1978 to undertake plumbing apprenticeship, but then returned to the professional game in October 1980...

honoured by the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame as a player... honoured by the Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia...

represented Canada in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers... career 14 international appearances across 10 years from 1974 to 1983 with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team, including eight international "A" appearances...

with Vancouver Columbus FC, a Canada Soccer Football Championship winner (Challenge Trophy in 1969)... a three-time Pacific Coast League winner (1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71)...

said Robert Iarusci, “he was a tricky winger and had a rifle of a shot”... said Bill Young of his era as a player, Kodelja was “the best Canadian player to lace up boots - without a doubt”... said Calgary coach Al Miller in 1980, “Victor has a great deal of skill”... said Calgary coach Al Miller in 1981, Kodelja is “quiet but commands a lot of respect for his abilities on the field; shields the ball well, reads the game well, is good at jockeying a forward rather than diving into the tackle, and invariably finds a teammate with his passes”... wrote the Toronto Blizzard in 1983, “known as the Ice Man for exhibiting tremendous confidence and composure in pressure situations, Kodelja can also unleash a wicked shot when he chooses to go forward; a defensive-minded player, he is an excellent reader of the game and is a strong tackler”... said Alex Kemp in 1986, “Normie McLeod and Victor Kodelja stand out as the two best players I’ve ever seen (as youth players at the Sun Tournament of Champions)”...

said Peter Greco in 2018, “Victor Kodelja was a good player. He was the type of player that sometimes you wouldn’t even know he was on the field for 85 minutes, but then all of a sudden in five minutes he would score three goals. When he played and things went right, this guy was magic. We’re talking about a kid at 17 years old”... said Dan Comuzzi in 2018, “Victor Kodelja was the most natural player. He was just a kid when he played with us, but he could have probably played in any league”... said Sam Lenarduzzi in 2018, “Victor Kodelja was a very, very gifted player. He helped the team a lot, although he was a very laid back guy who would prefer to go fishing. He made a difference to the Columbus team (in the late 1960s)...

said Glen Johnson in 2018, “Victor Kodelja had that gear. He could taunt a defender and because he was so quick he’d be gone”... said Gary Thompson in 2018, “Victor Kodelja was known for his high level of skill. He was very good on the wing and he could turn it on. Some guys like him could be quiet for the whole game and then, bang, bang, he would be scoring”... said Bruce Twamley in 2018, “Victor Kodelja was top notch, he was as good as you get... he was a fantastic talent. He had great vision, great range of passing, he had pace... he had everything. He could dribble past players, he could pass through players, his control and passing was superb. He was just a very gifted football player”...said Chris Bennett in 2018, “I was sitting in the stands when Victor Kodelja made started at Callister Park. He came on as a sub on the far right side and he made mince meat of the leftback. I knew when Victor made his debut that day in the Pacific Coast League that we would never see him in the junior ranks again”...