Men’s Soccer
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Not every student-athlete will get the chance to join a team at the professional level in their career.
But for Thompson Rivers University (TRU) men’s soccer player Akwasi “Junior” Agyekum, it was a dream that came true. In 2023, Agyekum was drafted eighth overall in the CPL-U SPORTS draft by Atlético Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League.
“Regardless of who you talk to, what their aspirations are, that’s kind of the dream growing up,” said Agyekum.
“And when it happened, it gave me a real sense of accomplishment.”
As an added bonus, Atlético Madrid, who were the owners of Atlético Ottawa, is a team that Agyekum said he loved to watch and support as a child, and still does to this day.
Although his time with the team did not last too long, it was still memorable and important.
“It was an amazing experience to even get drafted by them, and being able to go over there and learn so much from so many different people,” said Agyekum.
“Getting to live the life of a professional athlete and see the discipline that goes into it, it’s an invaluable experience.”
After just under three months with the team, Agyekum said he and Atlético Ottawa decided to part ways, but with the contract that he signed being a U SPORTS development contract, he was able to return to study and play for the TRU WolfPack.
“We had a meeting, and due to pieces coming in and moving parts on the team, we mutually agreed it would be the best fit for both the team’s direction and my development as a young athlete,” said Agyekum.
“Regardless of what happens in the future, I would have wanted to finish my degree, so I think the U SPORTS contract system is great, because it allows for people to keep their eligibility and pursue school as well.”
WolfPack Head Coach John Antulov, who Agyekum said has been very supportive of him throughout every step of his soccer journey since joining TRU, said he understands why this decision was the right one for his star midfielder.
“The big thing for him was that he wanted to play, and it was important for him to get good quality game time at a really good level like U SPORTS, and continue to develop his game,” said Antulov.
“Unfortunately, with Atlético Ottawa, he probably wasn’t playing as much as he would have wanted to.”
The tenth-year head coach says he is grateful that Agyekum returned to play for TRU, considering this is where he found the success that first gave him the pro club opportunity.
In his first year, Agyekum took home Canada West All-Rookie honours, before leading the WolfPack to a national title as the MVP of the championship game in just his second year. That performance also landed him tournament All-Star honours, as well as the TRU male athlete of the year.
Coach Antulov said he noticed right away just what a great player he was getting.
“Agyekum was big and strong, and had a really good pedigree coming from the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy program,” said Antulov.
“He was very quiet but very determined. He always had a ball at his feet, always working and trying to get better, always asking questions and wanting to see video.”
Despite returning to university to focus more on academics and development, Agyekum maintains that he will stay ambitious and continue to pursue a career in soccer.
“I think I definitely want to try playing professionally again, because you only get to play sports at a high level for a limited number of years,” said the soon-to-be 22-year-old.
“I’m in my younger years right now, so I’d like to pursue it as long as possible.
Agyekum’s ambitions don’t only lie on the soccer field, but also outside of it too. He said his experience with soccer as a child has led him to create the Cleats4kids foundation with some of his friends, to help give the less fortunate better access to this sport that he loves so much.
“We would aim to hopefully help people all throughout Canada, and not just giving equipment,” said Agyekum.
“The price of playing youth sports is quite high, so just helping take down those costs, helping give opportunities to kids that can really benefit from not just soccer, but sports in general.”
As a leader in the community, Agyekum wants to not only help by providing those that need it with the resources to enjoy the sport, but also as a role model to show others that their dreams are possible too, the way others did for him.
“Seeing Black players on the Canadian national team, it makes me think that this is something I want to strive towards, this is something I can do,” said Agyekum
“When we won the national title, I was lucky enough to have a lot of role models on the team that were Black athletes, that can show you what you should do, and how you should act in order to achieve success. It’s massively important.”