A stalwart of junior football in the Dundee area and a huge fan of Dundee Football Club who once met Pele has died.
George Hill, 89, of Monifieth, dedicated most of his life to junior football from the 1960s.
Over the years he spent time playing and coaching several teams including Lochee Harp Football Club, Broughty Athletic Junior Football Club and St Columba’s Boy’s Club.
During his National Service in the Army, where he reached the rank of captain, his interest in football saw him coach the Angus and Aberdeen Army Cadet Force team.
He stepped back from the coaching scene in recent years but remained a huge fan of Dundee Football Club.
His daughter Carol Mann said Mr Hill also scouted for his beloved Dark Blues.
She said: “Football played a huge part in his life.
“He was a regular at Dens Park as he used to go and watch Dundee Football Club when they were playing.
“He was an ardent Dundee fan. He aspired to play football professionally but it was never meant to be.”
Mr Hill spent his working life as a radiographer at Ashludie Hospital, in Monifieth, which put him in good stead for his role as a coach and physio to the junior football teams.
He stepped into the world of junior football in the 1960s when he became the coach of St Columba’s Boy’s Club.
In 1969 the Angus and Aberdeen Army Cadet Force team, coached by Mr Hill, won the Scottish ACF Football competition.
Mr Hill was also involved with Kirkton Community Centre, in Dundee, for a spell during the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1978, Mr Hill’s first wife, Fay, died. He went on to marry Carine. He had two daughters Elaine Hill and Carol Mann and a son David Hill.
It was in 1979 that Mr Hill left Dundee to move to Monifieth.
During the early 1990s he moved on to Broughty Athletic Junior Football Club and it was during this period that he met Brazilian football legend Pele.
A Dundee Football Club spokesman said: “Everyone at Dundee Football Club was saddened to learn of George’s death.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”
The funeral is at St Bride’s Church, Monifieth, at noon on Monday, April 22, before moving on to Dundee Crematorium.
