USA based Nigerian soccer coach, Ikem Udeh builds library in Enugu

By George Aluo
United States of America based Nigerian soccer coach, Ikem Udeh has vowed to leave no stone unturned in his vision to see Nigerian footballers combine education with sports.

To realize this objective, Udeh has embarked on the building of a modern library complex in Enugu.

The Enugu state born former Julius Berger of Lagos and Vasco Dagama of Enugu striker disclosed yesterday from his USA base that his pet project in Enugu is 90 percent ready and would start functioning fully by early next year.

Udeh while basking in the euphoria of the project almost being realized said he decided to embark on the project as a way of giving back to the society and to ensure that Nigeria breeds a new set of soccer stars that would not be academically deficient.

In his words: “when I was growing up in Enugu, I didn’t have the opportunity of combining playing football with education. It was when I got to America that I got scholarship that saw me studying at Alabama A&M University. I don’t want the kids back home to face the challenge that I faced. This is why I m building a modern library where kids can go and read. The library that I m building will be more of a community resource center than just a collection of books, and the plan is “big.””

Udeh, before going into coaching played for Kansas City Wizards, a professional club side in America. He has in the past three years been coaching boys and girls youth teams in the Hoover-Vestavia Soccer Club.