Although she was born in Leicester and played for England until under-23 level, Ashleigh Plumptre chose to represent Nigeria and has been described as “a bit of a trailblazer”
The Lionesses will be up against an old teammate when they take on Nigeria in the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday.
Because one of the team in green has played alongside some of them in an England shirt. Leicester-born swapped from Lioness to Super Falcon after being inspired to research her family roots when her little sister faced racism.
Her dad Tim says: “She’s patriotic about England and also proud she’s Nigerian too. She’s been brought up around both cultures and has done it for her own self-discovery, for her sister and to inspire children with parents from other cultures.”
Ashleigh Plumptre, 25, played for England from under-15s to under-23s level, alongside the likes of Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway, before making her Nigeria debut last year. She qualified to play for the Super Falcons through African-born grandad Harry. And it was in Covid that she began researching her roots after darker-skinned old sister Bayleigh, 12, told her about her problems with racism.After Ashleigh Plumptre applied to swap national teams though FIFA, England invited her to join the senior Lionesses. Tim says: “She thanked them but said her mind was made up. The Nigeria coach already knew of Ashleigh and was so pleased. He said to me ‘we’d love to have her, she could do a big job for us.”Now Tim, 53, says Ashleigh and her Nigerian team-mates are like sisters. And Super Falcons fans affectionately chant “white girl” in tribute to their new star. “They’ve never come across a white Nigerian,” says Tim. “She’s a bit of a trailblazer.” Ashleigh grew up as part of the England youth set-up before heading off to America on a scholarship, graduating in human biology at the University of Southern California. She played for the USC Trojans team before returning to sign for her home club Leicester City last season.
