Stephen Ademolu facts for kids
Ademolu with Ekranas in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | November 20, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Windsor FC Nationals | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001 | UNC Pembroke Braves | 9 | (11) |
| 2002–2003 | Cleveland State Vikings | 36 | (23) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2005 | Trelleborg | 30 | (12) |
| 2005–2007 | Tromsø | 42 | (7) |
| 2008 | Løv-Ham | 23 | (12) |
| 2008–2011 | Ekranas | 48 | (13) |
| 2011 | Windsor Stars | 7 | (8) |
| 2012 | Atlanta Silverbacks | 0 | (0) |
| 2012–2015 | Windsor Stars | 12 | (11) |
| 2015 | Detroit City | ||
| 2017 | Windsor TFC Stars | 12 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | Oakville Blue Devils | 17 | (11) |
| 2019–2022 | WSC Fury | 5 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004 | Canada U23 | 2 | (0) |
| 2005–2010 | Canada | 5 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of January 23, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 24, 2023 |
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Stephen Ademolu (born November 20, 1982) is a former Canadian soccer player. He is now a coach and trainer.
Contents
Stephen Ademolu's Soccer Journey
Stephen Ademolu started his soccer career playing for youth teams. He later played for college teams before becoming a professional player. He also represented Canada on the national team.
Early Playing Days
Stephen Ademolu played college soccer at two different universities. First, he played at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Then, he played at Cleveland State University.
At the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, he was the top scorer. He scored twelve goals and made six assists. He was also named the school's Top Male Athlete in 2001. He was the first player from his school to be named Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year.
At Cleveland State University, he continued to shine. He was named Newcomer of the Year in his second year. He was also a top scorer with eleven goals and six assists. In his third year, he led his team with twelve goals and six assists. He even tied a school record by getting eight points in one game.
Before college, Ademolu played for the Windsor FC Nationals youth team. He scored 120 goals in the Ontario Youth Soccer League. He won Top Goal Scorer and MVP in 1996–97. He helped his team win the Ontario Cups two times in a row.
Professional Club Career
Stephen Ademolu played for several professional soccer clubs. He played in Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, and Canada.
Playing for Trelleborg
In 2005, Ademolu joined Trelleborgs FF in Sweden. He scored his first goal in a big game against Malmö FF. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for that season. In 2006, he scored seven goals before moving to another team.
Time with Tromsø
Ademolu played for Tromsø IL in Norway for two and a half seasons. He made history by scoring an important goal in a 2005–06 UEFA Cup first round game. This goal helped Tromsø reach the group stage of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup group stage tournament. They played against big teams like Roma and Red Star Belgrade.
Moving to Løv-Ham
In 2008, Ademolu joined Løv-Ham Fotball to get more playing time. He scored twelve goals and made seven assists in 23 games. After this, he moved to Lithuania.
Success with Ekranas
In 2009, Ademolu signed with FK Ekranas in Lithuania. In his first year, he was named one of the top five players in the country. Ekranas won the 2009 A Lyga Championship.
Ademolu helped his team win two major titles in 2010. They won the 2010 A Lyga Championship and the 2009–10 Lithuanian Football Cup. During his time there, he also played in Champions League qualifying matches.
Return to Canada
Ademolu came back to Canada in 2011. He played briefly for the Windsor Stars. In 2012, he signed with the Atlanta Silverbacks in the United States. However, he could not play for them due to problems with his travel visa.
Playing for Canada
Stephen Ademolu also played for Canada's national soccer teams.
Youth National Team
During his college years, he was chosen to play for the Canadian Olympic team. This was for a tournament in 2004.
Senior National Team
He played his first game for the senior Canadian team in November 2005. This was a friendly match against Luxembourg. He also played against the United States in 2006. In 2010, he played in friendly matches against Jamaica, Argentina, and Venezuela.
Coaching and Other Work
After his playing career, Stephen Ademolu became a coach. He runs the Ademolu Soccer Academy. He has also worked as an assistant coach for the University of Windsor men's and women's soccer teams. He also coached local clubs in Windsor.
Ademolu has also written articles about sports. He was a sports columnist for the Urban Book Circle and for RedNation Online.
Personal Life
Stephen Ademolu has family roots in Jamaica and Nigeria. He has seven brothers and one sister. His twin brother, O'Nicholas, also played soccer for the Cleveland State Vikings. His cousin, Michael Carter, played Canadian football.
Achievements and Awards
Stephen Ademolu has won several awards and championships during his career.
Team Honours
- Ekranas
- A Lyga: 2009, 2010
- Lithuanian Football Cup: 2010
- Lithuanian Supercup: 2010
- Oakville Blue Devils
- League1 Ontario: 2017
Individual Awards
- League1 Ontario Second Team All Star: 2017
See also
In Spanish: Stephen Ademolu para niños
