Fifi Baiden
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Kingsley Mensah "Fifi" Baiden (born November 11, 1991) is a Ghanaian former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
.


Early life and education

Baiden was born November 11, 1991, in
Ajumako Ajumako is a town in Ghana. It is the capital of Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam district. It is famous for being the birthplace of Ottobah Cugoano, an abolitionist of the 18th century. Facts of Interest The University of Education, Winneba (Ajumako Campus ...
, Ghana. He was a member of Ghana-based
Right to Dream Academy Right to Dream is a youth association football academy system based in Ghana. It started in 1999 as a residential school and training center in Accra. It is owned by the Mansour Group. It is now a multi-club multi-academy group with branches i ...
, which he joined around the age of 10. To help his family financially, Baiden would sell
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
amongst other odd jobs. He describes his early life: He earned a scholarship to Dunn School in
Los Olivos, California Los Olivos (; Spanish language, Spanish for "the olive trees") is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tourism is popular in this rural area ...
for Fall 2007. With Dunn, he captured three straight MVP awards. He earned an athletic scholarship to the
University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...
and played four years of
college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...
for the
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of th ...
team.


Playing career

In January 2014, Baiden was drafted in the 3rd round (42nd overall) of the
2014 MLS SuperDraft The 2014 MLS SuperDraft was the fifteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The first two rounds of the four round draft took place on January 16, 2014, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Rounds three ...
by the
Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
. He became the second Right to Dream Academy member to be drafted into MLS after former Dunn School and UCSB teammate Michael Tetteh. After playing for them in preseason, he was officially signed in February 2014. Baiden made his professional debut on March 30, 2014, when he appeared on loan for the Columbus Crew's
USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...
affiliate club
Dayton Dutch Lions The Dayton Dutch Lions are an American soccer team based in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. From 2011 to 2014, the team played in the USL Professiona ...
in a 0–3 loss against
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
Reserves. Baiden would return to make one appearance for the Columbus Crew on May 31, 2014. In July 2014, he was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list due to a torn
acetabular labrum The acetabular labrum (glenoidal labrum of the hip joint or cotyloid ligament in older texts) is a fibrocartilaginous ring which surrounds the circumference of the acetabulum of the hip, deepening the acetabulum. The labrum is attached onto the bo ...
. Baiden was waived at the conclusion of the season.


Post-playing career

Baiden was named as a volunteer assistant coach with the
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer team is an NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of student-athletes attending the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Gauchos play their home matches at Harder Stadium. Like most of th ...
team in August 2015. He spent the 2015 season with the Gauchos as the team went 14-7-2 and advanced to the third round of the
2015 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament The 2015 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament (also known as the 2015 College Cup) was the 57th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I men's collegiate soccer. The first, second, third, a ...
, but Baiden was not listed on the coaching roster the following season. He founded the non-profit Fifi Soccer Foundation and authored the book ''The Hope You Can Have''. He currently coaches multiple teams with Santa Barbara Soccer Club. He is a project manager with Public Works Alliance.


Personal life

Baiden was named a Humanitarian Ambassador for
MAP International MAP International is a Christian nonprofit organization based out of Brunswick, Georgia. Their mission is to provide medicines and health supplies to those in need around the world. History Establishment MAP International was founded in 1954 ...
in August 2014 for his efforts in the 2014
West African Ebola virus epidemic The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in West Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sie ...
.


References


Further reading

* ''The Hope You Can Have'',


External links

*
Columbus Crew player profile
*
UC Santa Barbara player profile

Right to Dream Academy player profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baiden, Fifi 1991 births Living people Ghanaian men's footballers Ghanaian expatriate men's footballers UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's soccer players Columbus Crew players Dayton Dutch Lions players Men's association football midfielders Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Columbus Crew draft picks Footballers from Central Region (Ghana) USL Championship players Major League Soccer players 21st-century Ghanaian sportsmen