University College grad Kingsley Belele shines on and off the pitch
by Adam Elliott Segal
Facing adversity was the best thing that could have happened during Kingsley Belele’s first years at U of T.
The Varsity Blues striker faced a series of injuries — a sprained ankle, his Achilles tendon and finally his knee. He missed most of one season, watching from the sidelines as the Blues were turfed in an early-round playoff game.
“That was one of the years I didn't really enjoy playing soccer,” Belele says.
The following offseason gave Belele much needed clarity, and he dedicated himself to getting in shape, training smarter and eating better. He was finally healthy and the team started winning. The time away offered him a positive outlook.
“In my third year, I started playing pretty well and our team started getting better — we were taking it a lot more seriously compared to other years.”
New recruits created an intensity in practice and the team’s on-field performance improved as a result, Belele says. The camaraderie improved as well — he has fond memories of studying at Robarts Library with his teammates and watching the 2022 World Cup together.
Belele is set to graduate this June with an honours bachelors of arts in human geography as a member of UC. But his time at the university is far from over; he’s headed to U of T’s OISE for his master’s in teaching this fall.
The decision means Belele can suit up for a fifth year as a striker for the Blues. Plus, U of T is hosting the nationals this upcoming season.
“I feel like that's the perfect way I can end my soccer career at U of T,” says Belele, who was a 2023–24 USPORTS Academic All-Canadian. “It’s amazing how far I’ve come since my first year.”
U SPORTS — the national association that governs university sports in Canada — recognizes exceptional varsity student-athletes who achieve an academic standing of at least 80 per cent.
The biggest lesson he learned? “Mistakes are okay. Going into university, I didn't want to make any mistakes. I wanted everything to be perfect. There are times when you fail, or do poorly on a test or a presentation, or even play a bad game or have a bad practice. I feel like you learn from those things and it helps you strive for more,” Belele says.
That mindset gave Belele the tools to grow and maintain a balance between academic life, the rigours of varsity athletics and holding down a job. A self-described quiet person, he came out of his shell after the injuries. He slept better. His grades improved, as did his performance on the pitch. Most importantly, he didn’t sweat the small stuff. “I feel like when I'm stressing on things too much, personally for me, it gets into my head. I was stressing out about things that weren’t in my control.”
One of the reasons for Belele’s success is the close relationship he has with his family. He has two older sisters, one of whom is a U of T alum.
“She's the reason I’ve been doing well in school. I never tell her this, but she's helped me a lot. If I didn't have her to help with questions about school, I would have been even more lost,” says Belele.
There’s one memory Belele will cherish from his playing career. Rival club Carleton paid a visit to Varsity Stadium this past season.
The Ravens, the top ranked team in the country, hadn’t lost to the Blues — who had finally cracked the top 10 after some long-suffering campaigns — in years. Belele came on in the second half; when he scored a goal to put the Blues up 2-0, the whole team broke out in a “pigeon celebration,” bobbing their heads like birds in jubilation.
“It was an inside joke we always wanted to do, and then we actually did it. It was pretty funny.”
Good thing for U of T soccer fans — there’s one more chance next year to get a gander at the pigeon dance before Belele takes his swan song.