Hat-trick On Debut, England-Born Nigerian Defender Ashleigh Plumptre Making Waves In Saudi Arabia

How often do you see a defender scoring a hat-trick? Ashleigh Plumptre has the flex of doing it so on her debut. Just a month after signing for Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023, Plumptre announced her arrival by scoring all three goals in a resounding 3-0 victory over Eastern Flames in their season opener. Having recently signed a contract extension at the club, the English-born Nigerian center-back spoke to NDTV on the sidelines of the Saudi Arabian women's national team's friendly match against Indonesia in Jeddah.

Plumptre reflected on her early days, playing in the US after turning pro, returning home to play for his hometown club Leicester City, the overall experience of playing in a World Cup, and pledging to do her utmost for the betterment of women's football in the Middle-East.

"I started playing when I was four years old. I always grew up playing with girls. I know a lot of players of my age didn't play with girls, they played with boys. I played Sunday league kind of until i was 8; then joined an academy. After joining pro league at 16 in England, I went to play in the US. Then i came back to play for my hometown club Leicester (City) next year," Plumptre told NDTV.

"So, the World Cup experience in general was a huge experience for me. I never thought i would be playing in a World Cup, and especially to represent Nigeria, so that was a real privilege; and then being able to play against England, obviously like you mentioned that it's the country of my birth. So, it felt a lot more special because I knew a lot of the girls in the team. I played with them or against them or I grew up playing against them. Honestly, that was probably one of my favourite games that I ever played my whole life. I know we lost on penalties, but i didn't feel so disappointed. I just felt really grateful that i got the opportunity and we were able to push England as far as we did," she added.

The 26-year-old is currently enjoying life in the Middle-East, playing for Saudi giants Al-Ittihad, who are based in Jeddah. Swapping the Women's Super League in England for the Saudi Women's Premier League had its challenges, but Plumptre managed to overcome those hurdles in the best possible way; netting a hattrick on her debut. In fact, she now has two hattricks to her name, having also bagged three in her first Jeddah derby against Al-Ahli last year.

"I've obviously been for a year and a half now; I am really enjoying it. There's obviously some real purpose of being out here. I am really enjoying the culture, the lifestyle and I think for me, football has always been a platform to experience more, learn about life, the people. (This opportunity) has enabled me to broaden my horizon a little bit. So, when i came here, i definitely didn't expect to be scoring (a hattrick on my debut). I think I scored like three times when I was with my last club for over three years. So, like scoring three in a game was a bit of a surprise for myself.

Plumptre is also a role model for the budding women's footballers in the country. She often turns up for the Saudi women's team matches, supporting the girls and her Al-Ittihad teammates. This is a clear indication of her commitment towards the growth of women's football in the country.

"Obviously, we are here for the girls of the (Saudi) national team, and partly because there's a quite a few of the girls from my team Al Ittihad who are playing here. So, being able to see their growth in a short period of time is really fulfilling. They obviously get a different opportunity playing with the national team and learning different things. They come back to us (the overseas players) and they can share what they have learned and what they've worked on. But, yeah for me, I didn't knew any of these girls before I came here and i've got a glimpse of their lives of what football is like for them. For me, while i'm here, which is continuing to try to improve myself and the people around me and trying to grow the game for better here and the Middle-East in general," Plumpre highlighted.