Kezie Ibe, 25, was a talented young football player picked up by Arsenal FC from age 11 to 15. Then, like many other young lads, he was release. Disappointed and disillusioned, he dropped out of football for a couple of years.
He was referred to Protec by a friend and at age 17 applied for a place. He was interested in Protec particularly because by this stage he knew how precarious a career in football was and wanted to study as well as play football. His parents thought it was an ‘either or’ choice of one or the other so Protec was the perfect solution. Kezie explains:
“It really was a second chance for me. Protec gave me the opportunity to study and also get full time quality football training. I studied an AS Level in Physical Education and it was definitely a really big thing to study as well as play football.”
During his course the Protec coaches advised Kezie that he should be playing as a striker rather than a midfielder and he really reaped the benefits of the change by being picked up by Staines and then Yeovil Town FC after just two years on the Protec course.
Kezie now runs a coaching business and says:
“If it wasn’t for Protec I would never have had the chance to play professional football. It was a great experience and I’d really recommend it if you are serious about your football.”
