“My move to Saudi Arabia goes beyond football” – Ashleigh Plumptre

Nigeria international, Ashleigh Plumptre has revealed that her move to Saudi Women’s Premier League is a project bigger than on the pitch football.

The Super Falcons defender is looking to be a catalyst for change and a beacon of hope and inspiration for others in the Middle Eastern nation.

The 25-year-old move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Ladies in the summer as a free agent from English Women’s Super League side, Leicester City after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The former Leicester City Ladies star outlined that her mission in Saudi Arabia stretches beyond the pitch.

“It would be cool to do a class where I can just encourage kids like I’ve done with my younger siblings to just draw themselves or write their names and the things they’re passionate about,” Plumptre told Arab News.

“It doesn’t have to be football; it could be art, it could be music. But I think your hobbies say a lot about you and allow you to express yourself in some way, which I think is really important.

“I feel I have a strong purpose in being here [in Saudi Arabia], and that always goes beyond football.

“It’s not really trailblazing for me because I’m stepping into something that I believe I was always meant to do.”