Anita Amma Ankyewah Asante (born 27 April 1985) is an English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
and former
defender or
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
who is the first-team coach at
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
. Asante is of
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
ian descent, the appellation "
Amma
Amma or AMMA may refer to:
Acronym
* American Medical Marijuana Association
* Amhara Mass Media Agency (created in 1993), a media organisation in Amhara Region in Ethiopia
* Association of Malayalam Movie Artists
* Assistant Masters' and Mist ...
" is of
Akan Akan may refer to:
People and languages
*Akan people, an ethnic group in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire
*Akan language, a language spoken by the Akan people
*Kwa languages, a language group which includes Akan
*Central Tano languages, a language group w ...
origin, given to girls born on Saturday. She obtained 71
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
for the
English national team and was selected in the
Great Britain squad for the
2012 London Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
At club level, Asante has played for English clubs
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
and
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, whilst also having played for
Saint Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte S ...
,
Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...
,
Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's Uni ...
and
Sky Blue FC
NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 ...
of the American
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...
(WPS). She also spent six seasons playing in Sweden, two with
Göteborg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...
and then four with
FC Rosengård
FC Rosengård, formerly Malmö FF Dam (1970–2007) and LdB FC Malmö (2007–2013), is a professional football club based in Malmö, Scania, Sweden. The team was established as Malmö FF Dam in 1970. It started out with playing 7 seasons in th ...
.
Education
Asante studied politics and English BA at the Business School of
Brunel University
Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
in London, whilst also benefiting from the UK "Government's Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme", which helps athletes in full-time education.
She started a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
in the United States looking at the governorship of
women's football and plans to complete after her professional playing career ends.
Club career
Asante joined her first club Arsenal as a junior in 1998. She became a senior player in 2003/2004 season.
[ Asante was part of the Arsenal team that won the quadruple in 2006/2007, collecting the ]UEFA Women's Cup
The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA.
The ...
, FA Women's National Premier League
The FA Women's Premier League National Division (originally WFA National League Premier Division) was a football division in England. From 1991 until 2010, the National Division functioned as the top league in English women's football. Durin ...
, FA Women's Cup
The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup and now Women's FA Cup (Vitality Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reas ...
and the FA Women's Premier League Cup
The Women's National League Cup is an annual English football cup competition, founded in 1991 by the Women's Football Association (WFA). It was renamed the FA Women's Premier League Cup from 1994 to 2018.
The first edition of the Cup includ ...
. Asante was part of the Arsenal team that made history by being the first team outside Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
or Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
to win the UEFA Women's Cup. Asante is reported to have played exceptionally well in the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.
On 3 July 2008, it was announced that Asante along with teammate Lianne Sanderson
Lianne Joan Sanderson (born 3 February 1988) is a current broadcaster and former English professional footballer who played as a forward. She won 50 caps for the England national team.
At international level, Sanderson made her debut for Englan ...
had joined Chelsea Ladies
Chelsea Football Club Women, formerly known as Chelsea Ladies Football Club, are an English women's football club based in Norbiton that competes in the Women's Super League, the top flight of women's football in England. Since 2004, the clu ...
. Upon signing Asante said:
Arsenal manager Vic Akers
Victor David Akers, OBE (born 24 August 1946) is a football manager and former player who was most recently the assistant manager at Boreham Wood. Akers played as a left back. He was also manager of Arsenal Ladies winning numerous trophies wit ...
publicly criticized the players after their departure: "You think you've the respect of players, and then they do that. It's a sorry state of affairs."
In 2009 Asante joined New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
–based WPS franchise Sky Blue FC
NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 ...
. She helped the club win the inaugural WPS championship. On 6 May 2010 Asante was traded to the Saint Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte S ...
in return for India Trotter
India Ashlei Trotter (born March 10, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player. She played for Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC, and the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) and the United States women's national so ...
. When the Saint Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte S ...
folded on 27 May 2010, she was acquired by the Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...
. She was subsequently traded to the Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's Uni ...
on 6 August 2010.
In December 2010 Asante returned for a second spell at Sky Blue FC, after Jim Gabarra, her coach at Washington Freedom, took the reins at Sky Blue. With the demise of WPS prior to the 2012 season, Asante signed a contract with Swedish club Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC. Her first match for Göteborg was back at Arsenal in the UEFA Women's Champions League
The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA.
The ...
quarter final, a 3–1 first leg defeat. Asante played 41 league games for Göteborg over the two seasons, scoring nine goals. She won the Swedish Cup and the Swedish Super Cup with KGFC, before she signed for national champions LdB FC Malmö in October 2013. Due to a foot injury, it was not expected that Asante could play in Malmö's looming Champions League fixture with holders VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
. Asante, won several titles at FC Rosengård (formerly known as LdB Malmö) including the Damallsvenskan league 2014, 2015, the Swedish Cup (Svenska Cupen) 2016 and the Swedish Super Cup (Svenska Supercupen) 2016, 2017 and runners up in 2015. Anita has reached the quarter finals of Champions League three seasons with FCR.
On 7 June 2020, she signed for newly- promoted club Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, ahead of their maiden WSL campaign. Asante's first goal for her new club was the deciding goal in a 1–0 victory away to rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
. On 26 April 2022, Asante announced her intention to retire from playing at the end of that season. She was appointed first-team coach at FA Women's Championship
The Women's Championship (formerly The FA Women's Championship) is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The division was established in 2014 as the FA Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2).
WSL 2 replaced the previous level 2 d ...
club Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
in July 2022.
International career
England
Asante played in the England Under 17 team. She also was a member and captain of the England Under 19s and played in the inaugural FIFA World Under 19 Championship in Canada in 2002. She won 11 international caps in all at this level. She was in the first call up for the England Under 21s in 2004, a month after her senior international début.
Asante made her senior international début as a substitute against Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
in May 2004. Her first full international was against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in March 2005. She scored her first international goal in only her second full international which was against Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
in April 2005. This turned out to be the winning goal. Asante was named in England's squad for Euro 2005.
Asante played in the 2011 World Cup and made her 50th senior international appearance in England's 2–0 win over eventual champions Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Having been part of the English squad which reached the final of Euro 2009, Asante was confident of England's chances ahead of Euro 2013
The 2013 UEFA Women's Championship, commonly referred to as Women's Euro 2013, was the 11th European Championship for women's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held in Sweden from 10 to 28 July 2013, became the most ...
. She was substituted at half time in England's 3–0 defeat to France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
which sealed a first round elimination.
In 2015, the politically vocal Asante was "a glaring omission" from England's squad for the 2015 World Cup in Canada. She had been the only English player to sign a petition against the controversial artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...
used at the tournament. She criticised the head coach Mark Sampson
Mark Geraint Sampson (born 18 October 1982) is a Welsh football coach who was most recently a first team coach at Stevenage. He has also been a manager of the England women's team.
Playing career
Born and raised in Creigiau, a suburb of Cardi ...
for the manner in which he informed her of her non selection, and his unwillingness to enter into further correspondence on the matter.
Incoming England head coach Phil Neville
Philip John Neville (born 21 January 1977) is an English football manager and former player, who is the head coach of MLS team Inter Miami CF. He is also the co-owner of Salford City, along with several of his former Manchester United teammate ...
surprisingly recalled Asante in his first squad, for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup
The 2018 SheBelieves Cup was the third edition of the SheBelieves Cup, an invitational women's soccer tournament held in the United States. Featuring national teams from Germany, England, France, and hosts United States, it began on March 1 and en ...
. At the opening match of the tournament, a 4–1 win over France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, Asante suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury
An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during inju ...
and was substituted
A substitution reaction (also known as single displacement reaction or single substitution reaction) is a chemical reaction during which one functional group in a chemical compound is replaced by another functional group. Substitution reactions ar ...
after 14 minutes.
Great Britain Olympic
In June 2012 Asante was named in the 18-player Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. She played in all four games as Great Britain were beaten 2–0 by Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in the last eight.
Outside of football
Asante is openly lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
and is in a relationship with ITV News Sports reporter and presenter Beth Fisher.
International goals
:''Scores and results list England's goal tally first''
Honours
;Personal
*Outstanding Achievement Awards – 19 May 2006 - Presented by the Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
at Brunel University
*Player of the year – (2003/04)[
*Sports Award – (Ghana Professional Awards 2004)
*Nationwide Player of the month – March 2006]
;Team
*UEFA Women's Cup
The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA.
The ...
– (Arsenal) 2007
*FA Women's Cup
The Women's FA Challenge Cup Competition is the top annual cup tournament for women's clubs in English football. Founded in 1970, it has been named the WFA Cup, FA Women's Cup and now Women's FA Cup (Vitality Women's FA Cup for sponsorship reas ...
– (Arsenal) 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
*FA Women's National Premier League
The FA Women's Premier League National Division (originally WFA National League Premier Division) was a football division in England. From 1991 until 2010, the National Division functioned as the top league in English women's football. Durin ...
– (Arsenal) 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
*FA Women's Premier League Cup
The Women's National League Cup is an annual English football cup competition, founded in 1991 by the Women's Football Association (WFA). It was renamed the FA Women's Premier League Cup from 1994 to 2018.
The first edition of the Cup includ ...
– (Arsenal) 2005, 2005, 2007
*Quadruple winners – 2007 (UEFA Cup, League, League Cup and FA cup)
*Double winners – 2006, 2008 (League and FA Cup)
*Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen (, ''The Swedish Cup'') is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 96 teams compe ...
– (Göteborg) 2012
*Svenska Supercupen
Svenska Supercupen, ''Swedish Super Cup'', was a one-off fixture in Swedish football played between the Allsvenskan champions and the winners of Svenska Cupen. The fixture was played in November, after the Allsvenskan season.
In the event of a ...
– (Göteborg) 2013
*Svenska Cupen – (FC Rosengård) 2016
*Svenska Supercupen – (FC Rosengård) 2015 runners up, 2016, 2017
References
External links
*
*
*
Player profile - Anita Asante
Arsenal FC
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Asante, Anita
Living people
1985 births
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players
2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Alumni of Brunel University London
Arsenal W.F.C. players
Aston Villa W.F.C. players
BK Häcken FF players
Black British sportswomen
Chelsea F.C. Women players
Chicago Red Stars players
Damallsvenskan players
England women's international footballers
England women's under-23 international footballers
English expatriates in Sweden
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
English expatriate women's footballers
English sportspeople of Ghanaian descent
English women's footballers
England women's youth international footballers
Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden
Expatriate women's soccer players in the United States
FA Women's National League players
Women's Super League players
FC Rosengård players
Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Lesbian sportswomen
British LGBT footballers
LGBT Black British people
English LGBT sportspeople
Olympic women's footballers of Great Britain
Sky Blue FC (WPS) players
Saint Louis Athletica players
Washington Freedom players
Women's association football defenders
21st-century LGBT people
Women's Professional Soccer players