A raft of England’s finest former youth players are set to walk out on to the world stage this month, but not all will represent the Lionesses. Some will play for the land of their parents or grandparents after opting to switch sporting nationality.
BBC Sport has spoken to Tottenham pair Rosella Ayane and Becky Spencer and Leicester City’s Ashleigh Plumptre about that bold decision – and its consequences.
‘Part of the family’
When Morocco secured their first ever Women’s World Cup place last year, Spurs forward Ayane had to get on a chair and make good on an earlier promise.
The first English player from the Women’s Super League to represent the Atlas Lionesses, she had changed sporting allegiance from England the year before but was yet to perform her initiation song.
Pressed to deliver at the start of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Ayane had put her new team-mates off, insisting they grab that World Cup ticket with a top-four finish first.
“They didn’t forget,” she laughs. “The minute we got into the hotel after we’d qualified, they made me stand up on the chair and I sang my little heart out.
“I picked an Adele song that everyone knew and they embraced it, they joined in and it showed how much they want me to be a part of that family.”
Born in Reading to a Scottish mum and Moroccan dad, 27-year-old Ayane was raised in England’s youth system alongside current Lionesses Leah Williamson and Katie Zelem.
But with no senior caps by 2021, and with Morocco having twice reached out, she chose to fulfil her still burning international ambitions with the Atlas Lionesses.
“I was very honoured,” she says. “And not only did it feel right football-wise, it felt right mentally for the place I was at.”
Unable to speak French or Arabic and knowing neither the players nor head coach Reynald Pedros, her switch was, nevertheless, a step outside her comfort zone.
“I really respect the way they’ve taken me in,” she says. “I’m from a completely different culture, speak a completely different language and it would be quite easy for them to isolate me, but they do the exact opposite.”
Ayane repaid them by letting her football do the talking – her crucial winning spot-kick against Nigeria took the Atlas Lionesses to their first Afcon final and she netted again in the 2-1 loss to South Africa in the showpiece.
In May, she won a Moroccans of the World award for her sporting exploits and, with a World Cup in the offing, her decision to switch is a personal triumph.
Yet looking back on a campaign that saw thousands of Moroccans take the players to their hearts, Ayane sees a bigger picture.
“I think we are starting to change the dynamic, the respect and the view of women’s football in Morocco,” she says. “If we can change the perspective of a country and help inspire the next generation, that for me is an achievement I’ll be forever proud of.”
Jamaica accept me ‘for who I am’
Londoner Spencer, whose dad is Jamaican, also switched from England in 2021 and the move has revitalised her.
“I had toyed with retiring before this,” says the 32-year-old Tottenham keeper. “Now I’ve picked it back up and it’s motivated me again to go on for a few more years.”
A Champions League winner with Arsenal in 2007, Spencer has long been a familiar face in the top flight and boasts over 100 WSL appearances.
She was England’s number one at the 2008 Under-20 Women’s World Cup and the following year was unbeaten in their tournament victory at the Under-19 European Championship alongside Lucy Bronze, Laura Coombs, Jordan Nobbs and Demi Stokes.
Senior call-ups followed but Spencer remained uncapped so concentrated on her club form and media work instead.
“I didn’t think about it and I wasn’t missing it,” she says. “I was actually quite exhausted because when you do that from such a young age you don’t know any different.”
An approach from Jamaica reignited her interest though and, after a clean-sheet debut against Nigeria in 2021, the WSL stalwart felt accepted by the Reggae Girlz “for who I was and the player that I am”.
Two head coaches have departed Jamaica since then and the players recently criticised their federation for its “subpar” support before this World Cup.
Speaking prior to this, Spencer was pragmatic, saying: “There’s not a lot of money in that federation so with that you don’t know what to expect, but we’ve got a very good core of players that stick together.”
Among them is Spurs midfielder Drew Spence, 30, who also switched from England, and the two friends contributed to the victories that secured Jamaica’s return to the world stage.
Now Spencer hopes the team’s visibility at this World Cup will inspire Jamaica’s future players and their nation.
“They love us over there,” she adds. “So we hope we can do them proud.”
A journey to self understanding
Leicester City defender Plumptre will never forget her debut for Nigeria against Ivory Coast in 2022. Returning to her hotel afterwards, she burst into tears.
“I’d been holding so much emotion back for so long,” she says. “This was something I’d been waiting to do for a long time and it was huge for my family.”
It was also a big moment for former England youth player Plumptre, who had changed sporting nationality to the birthplace of her grandfather the previous year.
“I had a lot of people questioning why I chose Nigeria over England,” she says. “Playing with Nigeria is part of this journey that I’m on. It’s not necessarily football, it’s a life journey.”
Born in Leicester, 25-year-old Plumptre enjoyed “great” experiences with England in two European Under-17 Championships alongside future Euro 2022 stars Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo.
But she started to consider her connections to Nigeria after frank lockdown chats with her younger half-sister about racism, their African heritage and a culture neither really knew.
Reaching out to the Super Falcons was her next step, although Plumptre was initially so overawed by her team-mates she got off the bus without daring to speak to Barcelona’s star striker Asisat Oshoala.
Stepping up during a tricky Afcon campaign that saw Nigeria lose their continental crown but qualify for a ninth World Cup, the calm and composed defender earned the right to be among them out in Australia.
“This was something that was never an aim of mine when I first joined Nigeria,” she says. “But being on the qualifying journey with the team to get here has taught me so much and given me amazing life experiences.”
That is not all.
“For me, it’s been a journey of self understanding,” she adds. “Knowing more about my heritage, learning more about my family’s culture and ultimately trying to be some kind of sounding board for kids of mixed heritage.”
So, how has her sister reacted? “She said one night off the cuff, ‘I’m proud of you Ash’ and that for me was enough. I knew then it was the decision I was meant to make.”
