Ashleigh Plumptre says life in Saudi Arabia ‘like a peace bubble’ but move from WSL ‘deeply hurt people’

Ashleigh Plumptre said she “deeply hurt” people when she became the first player to move from the Women’s Super League to the Saudi Women’s Premier League, but that Saudi life is “like a peace bubble”.

Plumptre, 27, moved to Al Ittihad in the Saudi Arabia Football Federation-run SWPL after her contract expired at childhood club Leicester City in 2023.

Saudi Arabia’s involvement in football has long been criticised by women’s safety groups while last year more than 100 professional women’s players signed a letter calling on FIFA to drop its partnership with Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, as the country’s record on women’s and LGBTQ+ rights was “undermining” the women’s game.

“When I moved out here, the reaction was not good at all,” Plumptre told the BBC. “That was difficult. When I made this move there were people around Leicester — I remember some comments I received — it was like I was not the person they thought I was.”

“I had deeply hurt them because they feel like I am representing something which makes them not feel valued, and I understand that. It does not mean I condone certain things, even if the move means I am associated with certain things.”

While the men’s equivalent has attracted household names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Neymar, there has not yet been a significant migration of big names in women’s football to Saudi Arabia, although the SWPL does feature multiple internationals and two-time Champions League winner Asisat Oshoala, formerly of Barcelona.

The decision to award Saudi Arabia hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup has been criticised by Amnesty International. Amnesty’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Heba Morayef, said the state’s personal status law “fails to respect women’s agency” and “perpetuates discrimination against women”.

Plumptre says she feels safer in Saudi Arabia than she did in the United Kingdom.

“A friend of mine who was out here, we described it as being like a peace bubble,” the Nigeria international said. “Naturally, everyone is a bit fearful walking around at night, but I don’t have to check my shoulder all the time.

“I know this is just the perspective of myself, not of everybody who lives here, but with the safety I feel I can’t agree with some of the views the Western world have of this place. I don’t feel threatened at all here.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Leicester City, Nigeria, Women's Soccer

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