Dr. Kingsley Okonkwo is a Nigerian-American businessman behind the first Black-owned sports complex in Corpus Christi, Texas. Prior to starting the sports complex, he established the Corpus Christi Football Club in 2016.
Okonkwo, who had always wanted to be an entrepreneur growing up, said the idea of the football club was influenced by the fact that no similar club existed in Corpus Christi.
“I realized we didn’t have anything like that in Corpus Christi,” Okonkwo told Kris TV. “So the idea and the idea and the concept came; can we build something here?”
The club was subsequently registered in 2017 to bring a professional soccer franchise to the city called the CCFC Sharks. The club’s next step will be to have a field to call home. Sooner, rather than later, they will have one located close to Old Brownsville Road and Cliff Maus Drive.
“We’re building what will be a world-class facility,” Dr. Okonkwo said. “Our athletes will be able to play soccer, baseball, and softball. We will not need to travel every time.”
According to Kris TV, the complex will also have nine different fields and will allow for other teams to compete and host tournaments. What is more, the facility will be equipped with a 5,000-seat stadium.
“It feels good to know that when you put in a lot of hard work, you can see the benefits of the hard work,” Okonkwo said.
Okonkwo is developing the facility with an investment group led by Next Sports Company and the project is expected to cost $28.3 million when all phases are completed.
In addition to his investment in sports, he is the first black to own a pediatric clinic and urgent care in Corpus Christi. A board-certified and licensed pediatrician, he opened the location about two years ago.
“I’ve always wanted to be a pediatrician since I was 12 years old,” Okonkwo said. “The first clinic I opened was actually in Odessa, TX, about 5–6 years ago. It’s grown to four different clinics, and the Corpus Christi branch is actually the fifth branch.”
For other young black entrepreneurs who want to be like Okonkwo, he said good education and hard work are key to success.
“The key to success is a good education and hard work. There’s no way around it. And I also make it clear to them that they should not allow other people’s views of them to become their reality,” Okonkwo said.
