Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre jumped and ran through and across the MKO Stadium in Abeokuta after scoring Super Falcons lone goal and his very first for Nigeria. She jumped around like a child with pure joy, hugging her teammate’s one after the other.
She had dreamt of that goal as a kid and achieving her dream made her celebrate out of ecstasy.
Sharing her excitement on social media after the match, Plumptre wrote: “I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a kid, scoring for my country. To finally see it happen in Abeokuta, in front of our amazing fans, is a feeling I’ll never forget.
”It ended 1–1 against Benin Republic, but we did enough to qualify on aggregate. Proud, thankful, and motivated to keep giving everything for the badge.”
Despite the draw, the result was enough to send Nigeria through to the 2026 WAFCON, which will be hosted by Morocco from March 17 to April 3, 2026.
Plumptre’s performance and emotional message have since earned widespread praise from fans and teammates alike, further cementing her growing influence within the Super Falcons setup.
SAUDI OFFER
The Al-Ittihad Ladies of Saudi Arabia defender also took time to talk about the move to Saudi Arabia. She said her first instinct was to turn it down.
In 2023 the defender’s contract was coming to an end at childhood club Leicester City and she was looking for a new project, something to inspire her and where she would feel valued as a person as well as a footballer.
And after negotiations and a visit to the Middle East, the Nigeria international decided to take the plunge and become the first player to move from the Women’s Super League (WSL) to the Saudi Women’s Premier League (SWPL).
Two years later she has signed a contract extension at Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad and wants to challenge preconceived notions from the western world about Saudi Arabia and what life is like for a female athlete.
But she admits regrets at losing the trust of some LGBT fans in women’s football and acknowledges that Saudi women’s football has a long way to go on and off the pitch.
Speaking with BBC Sports, she said: ‘My initial reaction to Saudi offer was no’
Now 27, Plumptre is a cerebral young woman as well as a talented footballer. She has taken several unusual moves in her career, most notably switching international allegiance from England – where she was born and who she represented at youth level – to Nigeria, the nation of her paternal grandfather.
So when her father Tim, who is also her agent, told her of an approach by Al-Ittihad, she decided to give them a chance despite initial misgivings.
“I spoke to some teams in the UK, US and Europe, then Dad said there was a team in Saudi Arabia who are interested in you,” she told BBC Sport.
“I was shocked. My initial reaction was ‘no’, but I wanted to give them a chance.”
Plumptre was one of the first international stars to move to the SWPL, which was launched in 2022 as a fully professional competition.
“I had an hour-long call with the coach and two people in the management staff, and I said to Dad, ‘I have a really good feeling about this’,” said Plumptre.
“We barely even spoke about football, but about ourselves and what we were passionate about.
“I’m someone who goes off feeling and intuition. But I wanted to go out and visit – I wanted to see what it was really like. I visited for two days and really liked it, and when I left there I thought ‘this is where I want to be’.”
‘Saudi life is like a peace bubble’
Like many expats in Saudi Arabia, Plumptre lives in a gated community known as a compound.
These residential compounds offer a lifestyle more like Western suburban areas and have gyms, pools, restaurants and other amenities in a self-contained area. Some even have unofficial bars which serve alcohol, which is banned in Saudi Arabia.
Plumptre says she feels happier and safer as a woman living in Jeddah than she did in the UK.
“I know international players, members of my family and friends who have come out here who genuinely feel safer here and calmer than in the UK,” she said.
“A friend of mine who was out here, we described it as being like a peace bubble.
“I’ll give an example. I had been to the supermarket and I had all these bags. I live in a compound. I had to take all these bags into the elevator, so I left my car out with the door open, engine on and keys in the car so I could take up my shopping.
“In the UK I would never leave my car out with the keys in. Here I have no problem.
“Naturally everyone is a bit fearful walking around at night, but I don’t have to check my shoulder all the time. I know this is just the perspective of myself, not of everybody who lives here, but with the safety I feel I can’t agree with some of the views the Western world have of this place.”
As Plumptre says, this is just one perspective on life for a woman in Saudi Arabia.
Some of the most notably unequal practices in the country are no longer in place. Women have been allowed to drive since 2018. A year later those over 21 could apply for a passport.
But the concept of guardianship, or ‘wilaya’, is central to Saudi culture. Traditionally every woman has a ‘wali’, a male guardian who makes decisions on her behalf.
There has been some reform – women over 21 no longer need approval to access healthcare or education – but reports from organisations such as Amnesty International say this is not always practically implemented and women are still heavily restricted in what they can do, wear and say.
Asked about how she has been treated since her move, Plumptre says: “I don’t feel threatened at all here.
“Men are encouraged to treat women a certain way, and there are consequences if they do not.
“Every woman can say there is a level of fear within them if they were to be out walking at night whether in the Saudi or in the UK, but there are levels of fear, and there are lower levels in Saudi based on the way men behave.”
‘We don’t have many fans’
While the SWPL is not as star-studded as the men’s Pro League, there are several major names who feature alongside Plumptre.
Two-time Women’s Champions League winner Asisat Oshoala joined Al-Hilal this year, while France internationals Kheira Hamraoui and Amel Majri play in the SWPL.
And they get star treatment, including flights to games to avoid long travel times around such a big country.
But there are several obvious issues in the SWPL. One is the disparity in skill between the internationals and homegrown players. Another is the lack of fans at many of the games.
Plumptre admits there is plenty of catching up to do.
“It’s not something I will ever hide away from – the standard is not what I’m used to in the WSL or at international level, and I worried how that would impact myself and my development,” she said.
“One of my club and international team-mates, Francisca Ordega, said in Saudi we must do more. The pace is not as fast, so you must think in different ways, and push yourselves beyond boundaries that you didn’t before. There is more responsibility on you.”
Facilities, Plumptre says, are good for players. Al-Ittihad is not just a football club, but also has teams in swimming, volleyball and basketball, and Plumptre says they have adapted to the arrival of women’s football since 2023, although the state-of-the-art facilities do go to the men.
