How England star Chloe Kelly helped Ashleigh Plumptre on path to success with Al Ittihad and Nigeria

Backing from Lionesses' Euros hero was a boost for defender as she dealt with criticism over her move to Saudi Arabia

Ashleigh Plumptre struggles to avoid the heat. Whether it be the unrelenting Jeddah sun, or the criticism that followed her move to Al Ittihad two years ago.

Her decision to join Saudi Arabia's football revolution continues to spark debate. Many disapproved on cultural grounds, others couldn’t understand why a player with top-flight experience in England would trade that for the unknown.

But those who knew her best, like the England international and double European champion, Chloe Kelly, stood behind her.

“Chloe was one of the few that, when I first made this move to Saudi, because it was controversial to many people ... she was one of the ones that voiced publicly that she was in support of me,” Plumptre tells The National at Al Ittihad's Jeddah training ground.

“She’s always been one of my closest friends in football since we were kids, so that meant a lot. We don’t even speak that much anymore, but we’ve always been big supporters of one another in football.”

That support mattered. It helped her stay focused when the outside noise grew increasingly loud. She has since doubled down on her decision, extending her contract with Al Ittihad until 2027.

“It’s been incredible,” she says. “The fact that I extended just shows how much I enjoy my time here. I joined here knowing it was a project, but that’s something that I’m pretty passionate about because I care about the people and the place that I’m at and trying to work alongside players, staff, even management to bring sustainable success.

“And I know that doesn’t happen very quickly. The first two years, I’ll be honest, we quote unquote underperformed. Our league position wasn’t so great, but I didn’t really get too caught up in it because I know where we’re heading. That’s why I’ve extended another two years because I know in a project it takes time to build. I think over the next two years we’ll start to see that.”

Ashley Plumptre, right, then of Leicester City, battles with Man City's Chloe Kelly. Getty Images

Al Ittihad’s women’s team, formed from the Jeddah Eagles in 2022, are central to Saudi Arabia’s vision for transforming women’s football. They share a home with the men’s side, who were Saudi Pro League champions last season, and their training complex reflects that ambition. A life-size image of Karim Benzema greets visitors at the club’s headquarters, while children in yellow bibs train outside, dreaming of following in his footsteps.

It’s here, amid a blend of tradition and ambition, that Plumptre has found her home. “When you say, why would I come here? There’s actually a level of professionalism here that I think a lot of clubs in other leagues that have been established for a while, even in Europe, could probably learn from. And that does take time. It involves bringing the right people and having the right mindset. But yeah, we’re heading in the right direction.”

“I always say it’s nice to be seen as more than a footballer,” she continues. “I was very much treated just like a human being here. So I feel like I want to give back to the club and hopefully, when I do leave at some point, I leave it in a better place.”

In a part of the world where expatriates come and go in all walks of life, Plumptre's desire to put down roots speaks to her commitment to the cause. And she is being joined by an increasingly elaborate cast, with the league now boasting top internationals from Brazil, Spain, France and Portugal.

“The league is definitely getting better,” she says. “My first year, I feel like I was one of the few that had more experience in other leagues. And since then, there are players with way more experience than I have, which I think is huge for the league but also for the Saudi girls that want to learn from them.

"It’s not a one-way thing either. As internationals, we bring our experience, but we’re coming to their country to learn as well. So it’s definitely a reciprocated relationship in that sense.”

Born in Leicester, Plumptre grew up representing England through the youth levels, sharing dressing rooms with the likes of Alessia Russo, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh, Leah Williamson and Kelly.

“Probably at least a quarter of that team I grew up playing with,” she says of the Lionesses side that won a second Euros title in July.

“Even though we’re from different parts of the UK, we were around the same age, so we’d be on England camps together.”

The women’s game, she explains, is a small world. “We don’t speak all the time, but they’re people that you know. I was on an interview recently with Esme Morgan and we were just saying the women’s football world is very small. So we all end up knowing each other and in that respect, we support one another because we’re all somewhat on the same journey.”

That journey involved one of the most defining choices of her career. After representing England through the youth levels, Plumptre chose to honour her father’s heritage and play for Nigeria. In January 2022, she was cleared by Fifa to make the switch, a decision that deepened her connection to her roots and broadened her sense of identity and belonging.

At the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2025, Nigeria’s victory over hosts Morocco was as dramatic as it was unexpected. Two goals down at half-time, the Super Falcons overturned the deficit with three second-half strikes to win 3–2 and claim a record-extending 10th continental title.

“At half-time I just sat there by myself,” she says, recalling the final. “I was like, I’ve got to get myself together. Because to be honest, on a personal note and even on a team note, we had a pretty good tournament. And I know there’s always people that criticise here and there, but we felt good in ourselves. The first half of the final was a mess for all of us. I mean, me particularly, it’s probably my worst half of the whole tournament.”

She shakes her head, still smiling. “But I think that’s what tournament football is about. You always go through ups and downs and it’s how you recover from that. And I think the one thing that we have as a national team is this never say die attitude. So it didn’t matter that we were 2-0 down. We weren’t getting bogged down and it was like, okay, now we’ve just got to find a way to come back.

“For us, it’s more of a mindset thing," she adds. "Like we say in Nigeria, there is a Naija spirit. There is something within you that’s very hard to explain, but it’s like being connected to something bigger than you, being connected to the country and its people. And somehow that gets us over the line when we need it."

With a new contract secured at Al Ittihad and international success with Nigeria, Plumptre's life-changing decisions are paying off - and like her friend and supporter Kelly, she is also now a continental champion.