Ashleigh Plumptre on joining Al Ittihad and trying to develop women's game in kingdom

Nigeria international Ashleigh Plumptre may have swapped the Women’s Super League in England for the incipient Saudi Arabian top-flight, but the Al Ittihad defender feels she is “meant to be here” as she plays a pivotal role in developing the women’s game in the kingdom.

Plumptre, 25, represents one of the most high-profile recruits to the still nascent Saudi Women’s Premier League having last summer moved to Jeddah.

The defender, whose contract with Leicester City expired in July, first joined her hometown club aged eight. She went on to help the senior team gain promotion for the first time to the top tier of English women’s football, in 2021.

Plumptre, whose father is her agent, said she had initially questioned why she would give up Leicester for a fresh project in Saudi. At the time, she was also preparing to feature for Nigeria – Plumptre represented England at youth level – at the 2023 Fifa World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

However, Plumptre followed her father’s advice and, without even knowing which club were interested in signing her, was soon convinced during an hour-long phone call with manager Kelly Lindsey and key figures at Ittihad that Saudi constituted the right destination for the next step in her career.

“From the off, they probably knew who I was. We had an hour conversation – head coach, general managers – [and] most of the time we didn't even speak about football,” Plumptre said in an interview released on Wednesday by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).

“It was more about who we are as people, the things that we value and care about, and the ambitions we have as individuals. I felt totally aligned with the people I was talking to, and I came off that call and I said to my dad,