Ashleigh Megan Plumptre OON, born on May 8, 1998, is a professional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Saudi Premier League club Al-Ittihad. Her journey to representing Nigeria on the international stage is a compelling story of heritage, determination, and overcoming skepticism.
Ashleigh Plumptre in action for Nigeria. Source: Wikipedia
Early Career and Transition to College Soccer
Plumptre began playing football at age 4 when she joined Asfordby Amateurs. At age 8, she joined the Leicester City Centre of Excellence, spending seven years with the club playing from under-10 to under-15 level. She left Leicester to join Birmingham City's under-17 team in 2013 where she also had the opportunity to train with the senior WSL 1 team. Plumptre joined WSL 1 side Notts County in 2014. In 2016, Plumptre moved to the United States to play college soccer at the University of Southern California.
As a freshman she made 17 substitute appearances as a midfielder for the USC Trojans including in every round of the NCAA postseason. She played 27 minutes of the College Cup final as USC beat West Virginia 3-1 to claim the second national championship in program history. She scored her first collegiate goal on 22 October 2017, the game winner in a 2-1 victory over Washington State. After only two starts in another 17 appearances as a sophomore, she became a starter as a junior in 2018, starting in 19 of 20 appearances.
In 2019, Plumptre transitioned to playing centre-back and started all 23 of USC's games during the season that included a postseason run to the NCAA Tournament quarter-finals. Her performances were recognised individually with All-Pacific first team and All-Pac-12 second team honours in 2019. Majoring in human biology, Plumptre's academic success earned her Pac-12 academic recognition in 2017 and 2018.
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Return to England and Professional Career
In December 2019, Plumptre elected to forgo the 2020 NWSL College Draft coming out of college despite projecting as a late-first round or early-second round pick and instead returned to England, rejoining hometown club Leicester City in the FA Women's Championship. She made her senior Leicester City debut on 19 January 2020, registering an assist on an Ella Rutherford goal in a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. Plumptre's debut season with Leicester was limited to three league appearances as the season was curtailed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of the 2020-21 season, Leicester City Women were taken over by King Power having previously been an independent club with a formal affiliation to the Foxes. The club became fully professional for the first time in the process. On 4 April 2021, Leicester City clinched the league title with a 2-0 win over London City Lionesses, their twelfth consecutive league victory dating back to 4-1 defeat at the hands of the same opposition on 1 November 2020.
Eligibility and Call-Up to the Nigerian National Team
Having earlier expressed an interest in representing Nigeria at senior level in June 2021, Plumptre received her first call-up for an eight-day training camp held in Austria the following month. She qualifies to play for Nigeria through her paternal grandfather, a Yoruba from Lagos. She made an unofficial debut on 23 July 2021, starting in a 1-0 friendly win over Slovenian 1. SŽNL club Olimpija Ljubljana. In November 2021, she attended a training camp in Nigeria.
Former England youth international Ashleigh Plumptre gotten approval from FIFA to switch her allegiance to Nigeria. Plumper, 23, who plays for Women’s Super League side Leicester City, is eligible to represent the African champions because of her father’s Nigerian heritage. After joining training camps in Austria and Abuja, she has now been cleared by FIFA and is eligible for Nigeria’s 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations play-off against Ivory Coast in February.
“We are happy to receive Ashleigh’s official clearance from Fifa,” NFF director of communications Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport Africa. “It was only possible because of her commitment and dedication. She made the federation’s work a lot easier by providing all the requirements in quick time. Ashleigh personally approached the English FA directly to get the required international clearance from that end. Her professionalism and unflinching desire to play for Nigeria is honestly heart-warming.
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Plumptre was granted approval by FIFA to play for Nigeria in 2021 after it was established that her paternal grandfather is a Nigerian.
Ashleigh Plumptre explains her reason for choosing to represent the Super Falcons of Nigeria
Overcoming Skepticism and Embracing Nigerian Identity
England-born defender, Ashleigh Plumptre, has opened up about the skepticism she faced from Super Falcons teammates during her first outing with the Nigerian women’s national team. The Leicester-born full-back, who previously featured for England at youth level, joined the Nigerian camp in July 2021 for an eight-day training session in Austria, ahead of the Aisha Buhari Cup. Despite her visible commitment, Plumptre said her teammates questioned her Nigerian identity.
Speaking in an interview with Lagos Talks 91.3 FM, Plumptre said, “Everybody didn’t really know what to expect from me at first. I think for them it was a rarity. They were obviously questioning like, ‘So, how are you Nigerian?’” Plumptre revealed that the simplest way to silence doubts was by showing a picture of her Nigerian father. “Normally when I get that question, I just show them a picture of my dad, and they’re like, ‘Oh, okay,’” she added with a laugh.
The versatile defender is eligible to play for Nigeria through her paternal grandfather and was cleared by FIFA after switching allegiance from England. She had not played a competitive senior match for the Lionesses, making her eligible for the switch. Since joining the Super Falcons, Plumptre has become a dependable member of the team.
International Debut and Continued Success
Since joining the Super Falcons, Plumptre has become a dependable member of the team.
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Key Highlights of Ashleigh Plumptre's Career:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ashleigh Megan Plumptre |
| Date of Birth | May 8, 1998 |
| Position | Defender |
| Current Club | Al-Ittihad |
| Eligibility for Nigeria | Paternal Grandfather from Lagos |
| FIFA Approval | 2021 |
Ashleigh Plumptre with the Super Falcons. Source: Punchng.com
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