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Tag: Ashleigh Plumptre

  • BREAKING: Super Falcons thrash Cote d’Ivoire as Plumptre debut for Nigeria

    BREAKING: Super Falcons thrash Cote d’Ivoire as Plumptre debut for Nigeria

    Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Friday thrashed the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in a 2022 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier match.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Super Falcons beat the Lady Elephants 2:0 in a thrilling encounter that was played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.

    The Super Falcons first put one past the Ivorian ladies at the 13th minute of play but was disallowed by a foul call by the centre referee, giving the Super Falcons a free kick instead.

    However, in the 21st minute of play, Esther Okoronkwo set up Ifeoma Onumonu inside the box to fire the Super Falcons in front from close range.

    Going into the second half, in the 56th minute, Onumonu bagged a brace as she lobbed the ball over the Ivorian goalkeeper to double the lead of the Super Falcons.

    TNG reports former England youth international, Ashleigh Plumptre made her international debut for Nigeria in the encounter.

  • BREAKING: Ashleigh Plumptre makes international debut for Nigeria

    BREAKING: Ashleigh Plumptre makes international debut for Nigeria

    Former England youth international, Ashleigh Plumptre has made her international debut for the Super Falcons of Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Plumptre made her international debut for Nigeria on Friday in the first leg of the 2022 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier match against Cote d’Ivoire.

    Plumptre, born 8 May 1998, and who plies her international trade with Leicester City, started at left full back.

    She had her first call-up for the Nigeria women’s national team in July 2021. Plumptre had represented England at under-15, under-17, under-19 and under-23 level, including at two tournaments: the 2014 and 2015 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship.

    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. She made an unofficial debut on 23 July 2021, starting in a 1–0 friendly win over Slovenian 1. SŽNL club.

    In November 2021, she attended a training camp in Nigeria. In late December 2021, she was officially cleared by FIFA to represent Nigeria.

    TNG reports Plumptre’s debut match for Nigeria was played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital territory (FCT).

    She was involved in the 90 minutes of play as the Super Falcons went on to thrash the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire 2:0.

  • English football star gets FIFA approval to play for Nigeria

    English football star gets FIFA approval to play for Nigeria

    The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has granted approval for former England youth international, Ashleigh Plumptre to play for 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.

    “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. That big move on her part obviously helped a lot and prevented the long wait for the FA’s response,” NFF director of communications Ademola Olajire told BBC Sport Africa.

    Plumptre, who has a British mother, had been capped 30 times by England at youth level but qualified for Nigeria through the grandparent rule.

    The centre-back needed to prove her eligibility and dedicated three months to acquiring all the required documents – a Nigerian passport and her grandfather’s documents and then officially requesting clearance from the four home nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) as well from Nigerian internal affairs.

    “She got all the documents in a few months without being forced or persuaded.

    “We’ve been through this Fifa process with other players in the past and others needed to be reminded. Ashleigh made personal sacrifices to ensure a smooth clearance,” Olajire added.

    Plumptre joins a growing list of foreign-born players like Michelle Alozie, Patricia George and Nicole and Toni Payne, who all opted to represent the nine-time African champions.

    She has played 25 games this season for Leicester women’s side which she first joined as an eight-year-old.

    She previously played in the English top flight with Notts County in 2014 before moving to the United States.

    Stints with US college side USC Trojans and LA Galaxy followed, before she returned from studying in January 2020 to play a key role in a memorable season for Leicester.

    After she helped the Foxes to the FA Women’s Championship title in 2020-21, Plumptre was voted player of the season and rewarded with a new two-year deal.

  • Aisha Buhari tourney: Leicester star Plumptre trains with Super Falcons in Austria

    Aisha Buhari tourney: Leicester star Plumptre trains with Super Falcons in Austria

    Leicester City defender Ashleigh Plumptre trained with the Super Falcons for the first time on Saturday at the Event Hotel Pyramide, Vienna in Austria.

    Plumptre, who recently expressed her intention to play for the nine-time African champions is among the players invited by head coach Randy Waldrum for the Aisha Buhari invitational tourney billed for Lagos in September.

    The 23-year-old is eligible to play for the Super Falcons because of her father’s Nigerian heritage.

    She was voted Leicester’s player of the season after helping the Foxes to the FA Women’s Championship title in 2020/21.

    New invitees; Evelyn Ijeh, Josephine Ijeh and Adekite Fatuga-Dada have also joined their teammates in camp.

    The Aisha Buhari Cup which is organised to honour Nigeria’s first lady will serve as preparations for the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ghana in October.

    United States of America, Ghana, Morocco, South Africa and Cameroon are the other teams that will compete in the tourney billed to hold at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

  • Leicester City star open to playing for Nigeria

    Leicester City star open to playing for Nigeria

    Ashleigh Plumptre, who plays for Leicester City’s women’s team, says she is open to playing for Nigeria despite representing England at youth level.

    The 23-year-old is eligible to play for the Super Falcons because of her father’s Nigerian heritage.

    “The idea of me being able to play for Nigeria, with that being an option, I would happily grab that with both hands,” Plumptre told BBC Sport Africa.

    “What representing something that really means to somebody is very important. Obviously, there’s a lot of things I can openly say that I don’t know about Nigerian culture but I want to learn because I know that it’s in me, and it’s in my sister and in my dad.

    “We can only get it from my granddad, he’s the only thing that we know in terms of Nigeria. I’ve obviously visited Nigerian relatives in America and in England.

    “Seeing this little journey my sister and I have been on, and the understanding of our family heritage, not just that but watching Nigerian documentaries and learning about the past is incredible.”

    After establishing herself at club level, Plumptre who has a British mother, believes a potential international career with Nigeria could pave the way for other biracial footballers to follow.

    “What it will mean for me as somebody who is British born but with Nigerian heritage is huge. People look at me and they think I’m tanned and that I’ve been on holiday, they don’t think that I’m Nigerian,” she added.

    “I don’t think that should be significant in saying whether somebody is Nigerian or not because it’s in your blood, it’s not about what you look like.

    “My sister, she looks African because she has an Afro and her skin tone is darker than mine, with that obviously, she’s had different experiences in school than I have had.
    “I think with football being my platform, I am using that as something that’s bigger than me. As much as I can resonate with my Nigerian heritage.

    “I feel like I can hopefully inspire someone like my sister or other kids like her maybe in this country or other countries to look at me and be like you know what? It doesn’t matter what your skin tone looks like.

    “If you can resonate with your heritage and it means something to you, it means you can represent something bigger than you, then that’s what it comes down to.

    “I think people too often look at the surface of this rather than actually try to find out inside what our drives and passions are, and what means a lot to us.”