Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has shared his dream of giving back to Nigeria through the Troost Ekong Foundation, expressing his hope to create better opportunities for children by promoting education and sports development.
Launched to support underprivileged children in Nigeria, the Troost‑Ekong Foundation focuses on expanding educational opportunities and promoting empowerment via sports initiatives including establishing a football academy.
At the heart of the foundation’s work is its annual charity match — a spirited blend of football and fundraising. Proceeds from this event go directly into the development of the academy where children would receive both quality schooling and professional coaching.
The first edition of the charity match was successfully hosted in Uyo last year, and the next edition is set to kick off in Lagos on June 22, continuing the foundation’s momentum in merging philanthropy and football.
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Ahead of the charity match, Troost-Ekong reiterated his commitment to giving back to the nation: “Nigeria has always been somewhere very special to me. Whenever I started playing for the national team, the amount of love I got from the fans, the people, I was really keen to try and do something back that was meaningful, to create opportunities.”
“We always talk about the talent that is in Africa. The Troost-Ekong foundation is a non-profit organisation that helps underprivileged children to further themselves, not only through education but also through sports,” he added.
“The first and foremost thing that comes to mind with me personally will be football so this year we have another charity game, we had one last year and all the funds we are raising from that is gonna be used to develop a football academy where kids also will be educated.”
The 31-year-old revealed that his long-term vision is to help the most talented players from the academy secure opportunities to play professionally, either in the Saudi Pro League — where he currently plays — or in European leagues.
“My dream and long-term vision for that is that the best players will have an opportunity to come and play in the SPL or come and play in Europe and that’s also one of the reasons why on platforms like LinkedIn, and other things when I get to meet people, it’s my responsibility to form connections and to work together for them to have a brighter future.”
“If we can have some children that have an education that come from the foundation or have a football career or a sporting career, then that will be a success for us.”
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