Mercy Akide
Encyclopedia
Mercy Akide Udoh is a former Nigerian football player.
When she was 12 years old, at Holy Rosary Secondary School in Port Harcourt, she was took part in long distance races, running the 400m, 800m and 1500m races against older competitors. She was also a regional table-tennis champion.
But it was in soccer that she really stood out. Mercy earned the nickname 'Ske', which in local parlance meant 'skinny' while playing against boys at Mile 1 in Port Harcourt. Among her many admirers then was a young kid called Chidi Odiah, who is now a full Nigeria international playing club football with CSKA Moscow.
It was due mainly to her exceptional skills that a group of youth soccer organisers put together a girls' tournament from where the best players were selected to form the Garden City Queens.
After two years of playing for the Queens, and turning down the overtures of the rival Port Harcourt-based Larry's Angels, Akide left Port Harcourt for Lagos to continue both education and soccer with Jegede Babes under the influence of Princess Bola Jegede.
)
1991-1994 Jegede Babes (Nigeria
)
1995-1998 Ufuoma Babes (Nigeria
)
1998-1999 Pelican Stars (Nigeria
)
1999-2000 Milligan College/Hampton Roads Piranhas
2001–2002 San Diego Spirit
(WUSA
)
2003–2006 Hampton Roads Piranhas
(W-League
)
In those games, she averaged nearly five goals per game during the two years she spent at club. One of those friendly games was against elite team Jegede Babes, and although the Queens lost 6-1, Akide scored the only goal for her side.
Club proprietor Princess Bola Jegede was so impressed by her that she promptly offered her a place in her club.
But by the 1993 season, she emerged highest goalscorer in both league and Cup. She plundered 16 goals in the league and another eight in the Challenge Cup.
She took the form into the next season, scoring 15 goals in the 1994 league season and 10 in the Challenge Cup to earn herself a call-up to coach Ismaila Mabo's national camp.
Unfortunately, her goals were not enough to help Jegede to either title.
It was to be a rewarding move. Her 17 goals in the league and 9 in the Challenge Cup helped Ufuoma to the double. It was to be the first of many titles.
The next season, she hit 11 league goals and 10 Challenge Cup goals and Ufuoma Babes continued their dominance of the domestic league.
Akide still finished with the top goalscoring honours in 1997. She scored 14 league goals and 8 Challenge Cup goals as Ufuoma romped to their fourth consecutive double.
Pelican Stars dethroned Ufuoma Babes in both the league and Cup in 1998 with Akide scoring a disappointing 10 league goals and 7 in the Challenge Cup.
By the time the season was over, Akide had earned a scholarship to Milligan College
in Tennessee, USA
after a scintillating World Cup performance with the Super Falcons.
But another rush of goals, 17 in the league and 9 in the Challenge Cup earned her a recall.
Her international debut came soon after, a World Cup qualifier against Sierra Leone in Ibadan with Mercy playing as a winger. She marked it with two goals. She scored one more in the return leg to cement her place in the team. She was the first African Women Footballer of the Year
(2002) and was a 1999 and 2004 FIFA World All-Star.
She has played for Nigeria in the last three FIFA Women's World Cups and also helped Nigeria's Super Falcons to three African Women Championships (AWC) titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002.
In November 2004, she married journalist Colin Udoh in her home town of Port Harcourt.
In 2005, she was named by FIFA as one of its 15 Ambassadors for Women Football.
.
Early life
Mercy started playing football at the age of five with her brothers Seleipiri (elder) and Ipali (younger) in the sandy field of Bundu Waterside, close to Port Harcourt Prisons in Port Harcourt. She is noted for being very swift right from a very tender age.When she was 12 years old, at Holy Rosary Secondary School in Port Harcourt, she was took part in long distance races, running the 400m, 800m and 1500m races against older competitors. She was also a regional table-tennis champion.
But it was in soccer that she really stood out. Mercy earned the nickname 'Ske', which in local parlance meant 'skinny' while playing against boys at Mile 1 in Port Harcourt. Among her many admirers then was a young kid called Chidi Odiah, who is now a full Nigeria international playing club football with CSKA Moscow.
It was due mainly to her exceptional skills that a group of youth soccer organisers put together a girls' tournament from where the best players were selected to form the Garden City Queens.
After two years of playing for the Queens, and turning down the overtures of the rival Port Harcourt-based Larry's Angels, Akide left Port Harcourt for Lagos to continue both education and soccer with Jegede Babes under the influence of Princess Bola Jegede.
Career
1988-1990 Garden City Queens (NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
)
1991-1994 Jegede Babes (Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
)
1995-1998 Ufuoma Babes (Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
)
1998-1999 Pelican Stars (Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
)
1999-2000 Milligan College/Hampton Roads Piranhas
2001–2002 San Diego Spirit
San Diego Spirit
The San Diego Spirit was a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego in San Diego, California. The team began play in 2001...
(WUSA
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
)
2003–2006 Hampton Roads Piranhas
Hampton Roads Piranhas
Hampton Roads Piranhas is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 1995. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada...
(W-League
W-League
The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
)
Garden City Queens
At that time, the Nigerian Women's league was in its formative years and Garden City Queens was not among the top teams like Jegede Babes, Ufuoma Babes and Larry's Angels. The club played mostly exhibition games around the state with Mercy as the star attraction.In those games, she averaged nearly five goals per game during the two years she spent at club. One of those friendly games was against elite team Jegede Babes, and although the Queens lost 6-1, Akide scored the only goal for her side.
Club proprietor Princess Bola Jegede was so impressed by her that she promptly offered her a place in her club.
Jegede Babes
Akide joined Jegede Babes just as Nigeria were taking part in the inaugural Women's World Cup in China in 1991. With an already established strike force in place, Akide was moved to central midfield for the 1992 season where she took time to adjust.But by the 1993 season, she emerged highest goalscorer in both league and Cup. She plundered 16 goals in the league and another eight in the Challenge Cup.
She took the form into the next season, scoring 15 goals in the 1994 league season and 10 in the Challenge Cup to earn herself a call-up to coach Ismaila Mabo's national camp.
Unfortunately, her goals were not enough to help Jegede to either title.
Ufuoma Babes
After returning from the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, Akide (who had by now earned the nickname of Marvellous), pitched tent with Warri-based club Ufuoma Babes, who had won the league and Cup double in the previous two years.It was to be a rewarding move. Her 17 goals in the league and 9 in the Challenge Cup helped Ufuoma to the double. It was to be the first of many titles.
The next season, she hit 11 league goals and 10 Challenge Cup goals and Ufuoma Babes continued their dominance of the domestic league.
Akide still finished with the top goalscoring honours in 1997. She scored 14 league goals and 8 Challenge Cup goals as Ufuoma romped to their fourth consecutive double.
Pelican Stars dethroned Ufuoma Babes in both the league and Cup in 1998 with Akide scoring a disappointing 10 league goals and 7 in the Challenge Cup.
Pelican Stars
Akide spent only one year with Pelican Stars, but it was a rewarding year, trophy wise. Pelican again won the double even though Akide only managed 9 league goals and 6 Challenge Cup goals.By the time the season was over, Akide had earned a scholarship to Milligan College
Milligan College
Milligan College is a Christian liberal arts college founded in 1866 and located immediately outside of Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee, United States. The school has a student population of just over 1,100 students as well as a campus that is located just minutes from downtown Johnson City...
in Tennessee, USA
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
after a scintillating World Cup performance with the Super Falcons.
International career
Two seasons of consistency with Jegede Babes where she scored a total of 49 goals in two seasons caught the attention of national coach Ismaila Mabo and Mercy was called to camp in 1994.But another rush of goals, 17 in the league and 9 in the Challenge Cup earned her a recall.
Her international debut came soon after, a World Cup qualifier against Sierra Leone in Ibadan with Mercy playing as a winger. She marked it with two goals. She scored one more in the return leg to cement her place in the team. She was the first African Women Footballer of the Year
African Women Footballer of the Year
African Women Footballer of the Year, an annual award for Africa's best female football player.*2001 - Mercy Akide, Nigeria*2002 - Alberta Sackey, Ghana*2003 - Adjoa Bayor, Ghana*2004 - Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria*2005 - Perpetua Nkwocha, Nigeria...
(2002) and was a 1999 and 2004 FIFA World All-Star.
She has played for Nigeria in the last three FIFA Women's World Cups and also helped Nigeria's Super Falcons to three African Women Championships (AWC) titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002.
In November 2004, she married journalist Colin Udoh in her home town of Port Harcourt.
In 2005, she was named by FIFA as one of its 15 Ambassadors for Women Football.
Coaching career
Mercy works from 2006 to 2008 at Stars Soccer Club, who was the head coach for Stars U-16 Athena C Gold Girls, and worked as with Youth Development along with friend Luke Concannon who works with both youth development and the U-13 girls team. Since 2008 works as Co-Director of Youth Development by Beach FC in Virginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
.