Ashleigh Plumptre who has qualified with Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, the Super Falcons for next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is yet to feel the impact of the success he has achieved in so short a time since his switch from England to the West African nation.
Just a fortnight ago, the former England youth international helped Nigeria qualify for a successiveninth World Cup as they reached the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Yet, for the Leicester City defender, the focus on action on the pitch has not allowed her to reflect on her achievements.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in about the World Cup,” she told BBC Sport Africa yesterday.
“I never thought I would play in a World Cup, whether it was with England or Nigeria. I never thought it would be a thing.
“I remember watching the England Under-20s at the World Cup when I was about that age. I wasn’t thinking that would be me one day, and here we are. Crazy!”
Like several other African internationals, Plumptre represents a country of her parents’ heritage- in her case the country of her father – rather than the country of her birth.
But, unlike most, she made the conscious decision to commit to the Super Falcons and approached the Nigerian Football Federation herself.
“I always have to do something for a purpose,” the 24-year-old said.
“I’m somebody who is a bit different in football because I don’t just play to play it. I have to do it for a reason.
“When we won the league with Leicester I sat down with my dad and said “This is something I want to do”. It was actually my dad, who is my agent, who got in contact with Randy (Waldrum, head coach of the Super Falcons).”
However, changing allegiances from England to Nigeria was not without its challenges.
Plumptre recalls going to the Nigerian embassy in London to start a process that would take more than three months and multiple trips from her father Tim to the embassy and back.
Once her passport and international clearance had come through,she then faced the challenge of integrating herself into a squad which is used to success.
“I was super, super nervous for the first camp because I had no idea what to expect,” she said.
“There’s not been anyone on the team that’s like me, in terms of being from England and looking how I do.
“I didn’t know how some of the team would take me, but everybody was really, really welcoming. Especially after my initiation. Obviously dancing and singing is a big part of the culture and I had to throw myself into it even though I was dreadful.”
She can laugh now as she reflects, because since that first camp she has not looked back.
