Anita Asante
Encyclopedia
Anita Amma Ankyewah Asante (born 27 April 1985, in London
) is an English
football defender
currently playing for Sky Blue FC
of Women's Professional Soccer
. She is a member of the England women's national football team
.
Asante used to be a defender
for English
sides Arsenal Ladies
and Chelsea Ladies
. She is of Ghana
ian descent.
and English BA at the Business School of Brunel University
in London
, benefiting from the UK "Government's Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme" which helps athletes in full-time education. While in America she undertook a Ph.D.
in the governorship of women's football.
, FA Women's National Premier League, FA Women's Cup
and the FA Women's Premier League Cup. Asante was part of the Arsenal team that made history by being the first team outside Germany
or Scandinavia
to win the UEFA Women's Cup. Asante is reported to have played exceptionally well.
On 3 July 2008, it was announced that Asante along with fellow team mate Lianne Sanderson had joined Chelsea Ladies. Upon signing Asante said 'I want to compete with the likes of Arsenal and Everton and hopefully get to some finals, like the League Cup Final,' 'But I also don't want to assume anything; it is going to take a lot of hard work as well as getting the girls together to seek that ambition. 'But it is such a great squad here at Chelsea, with lots of enthusiasm and lots of young players. 'We also know a lot of the younger players who were at Arsenal before and our England team mates, but there are so many other players who want to win things and will be up for it this season.'
In 2009 Asante joined New Jersey
–based WPS
franchise Sky Blue FC
. She helped the club win the inaugural WPS championship. On May 6, 2010 Asante was traded to the Saint Louis Athletica in return for India Trotter
. When the Saint Louis Athletica folded on May 27, 2010, she was acquired by the Chicago Red Stars
. She was subsequently traded to the Washington Freedom
on August, 6, 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.
in 2002. She won 11 international caps in all at this level. She was in the first call up for the England Under 21 women in 2004, a month after her senior international début.
Asante made her senior international début as a substitute against Iceland
in May 2004. Her first full international was against Northern Ireland
in March 2005. She scored her first international goal in only her second full international which was against Norway
in April 2005. This turned out to be the winning goal.
Team
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
currently playing for Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
of Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is 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 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
. She is a member of the England women's national football team
England women's national football team
The England women's national football team represents England in international women's football. The side has been quite successful of late, qualifying for three World Cups, 1995, 2007 and 2011...
.
Asante used to be a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sides Arsenal Ladies
Arsenal L.F.C.
Arsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's association football club affiliated with Arsenal F.C.. Founded in 1987, they are the most successful club in English women's football having won 34 major trophies to date; which are 12 FA Women's Premier League titles, 11 FA Women's Cups, ten...
and Chelsea Ladies
Chelsea L.F.C.
Chelsea Ladies Football Club are a semi-professional English women's football club affiliated with Chelsea F.C.. They have competed in the top tier of women's football in England, the Premier League National Division, since 2005...
. She is of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian descent.
Education
Asante studied PoliticsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and English BA at the Business School of Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, benefiting from the UK "Government's Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme" which helps athletes in full-time education. While in America she undertook a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in the governorship of women's football.
Club
Asante joined her first club Arsenal as a junior in 1988. 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 CupUEFA Women's Cup
The UEFA Women's Champions League is the first international women's association football club competition for teams that play in UEFA nations. Initially known as the UEFA Women's Cup, the competition has been re-branded since the 2009-2010 edition as the UEFA Women's Champions League...
, FA Women's National Premier League, FA Women's Cup
FA Women's Cup
The Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football clubs in England – designed as an exact equivalent to the FA Cup created 99 years earlier...
and the FA Women's Premier League Cup. Asante was part of the Arsenal team that made history by being the first team outside Germany
Germany women's national football team
The German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...
or Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
to win the UEFA Women's Cup. Asante is reported to have played exceptionally well.
On 3 July 2008, it was announced that Asante along with fellow team mate Lianne Sanderson had joined Chelsea Ladies. Upon signing Asante said 'I want to compete with the likes of Arsenal and Everton and hopefully get to some finals, like the League Cup Final,' 'But I also don't want to assume anything; it is going to take a lot of hard work as well as getting the girls together to seek that ambition. 'But it is such a great squad here at Chelsea, with lots of enthusiasm and lots of young players. 'We also know a lot of the younger players who were at Arsenal before and our England team mates, but there are so many other players who want to win things and will be up for it this season.'
In 2009 Asante joined New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
–based WPS
WPS
Kingsoft Office, commonly known as KSO or KSOffice, developed by Zhuhai-based Chinese software developer Kingsoft, is an office suite for Microsoft Windows and Android OS. KSOffice include Kingsoft Writer, Kingsoft Presentation and Kingsoft Spreadsheet.Kingsoft Office Suite Free is a trial version...
franchise Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
. She helped the club win the inaugural WPS championship. On May 6, 2010 Asante was traded to the Saint Louis Athletica in return for India Trotter
India Trotter
India Ashlei Trotter is an American soccer player who currently plays in Sweden for Dalsjöfors GoIF.-Career:She graduated from Florida State University and helped put Florida State women's soccer on the map...
. When the Saint Louis Athletica folded on May 27, 2010, she was acquired by the Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a American professional soccer club that is based in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois that participates in the Women's Premier Soccer League. From 2009-2010, the Red Stars played their home games at Toyota Park in the Womens Professional Soccer...
. She was subsequently traded to the Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom
The 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 originally founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Since 2004, the...
on August, 6, 2010.
In December 2010 Asante returned for a second spell at Sky Blue FC, after Jim Gabarra
Jim Gabarra
Jim Gabarra is a retired American soccer forward who coached the Washington Freedom women's soccer team for ten years. He played professionally in the American Soccer League, United Soccer League, American Indoor Soccer Association and Major Indoor Soccer League and Western Soccer Alliance.-Early...
, her coach at Washington Freedom, took the reins at Sky Blue.
International
She played in the England Under 17 women's team. She also was a member and captain of the England women's Under 19 team and played in the inaugural FIFA World Under 19 Youth Championship in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 2002. She won 11 international caps in all at this level. She was in the first call up for the England Under 21 women in 2004, a month after her senior international début.
Asante made her senior international début as a substitute against Iceland
Iceland women's national football team
The Iceland women's national football team represents Iceland in international women's football. It is currently ranked as the 15th best national team in the world by FIFA...
in May 2004. Her first full international was against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland women's national football team
The Northern Ireland women's national football team represents Northern Ireland in international women's football.-World Cup record:-Current squad:Northern Ireland squad for 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers versus France on 27 and 31 March 2010...
in March 2005. She scored her first international goal in only her second full international which was against Norway
Norway women's national football team
The Norway women's national football team represents Norway in international women's football. The team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams...
in April 2005. This turned out to be the winning goal.
International goals
- Scores and results list England's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored 1 6 May 2005 Oakwell, Barnsley BarnsleyBarnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
1–0 Friendly 1
Honours
Personal- Outstanding Achievement Awards - 19 May 2006–Presented by the QueenElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
at Brunel University - Player of the year - (2003/2004)
- Sports Award - (Ghana Professional Awards 2004)
- Nationwide Player of the month - March 2006
Team
- UEFA Women's CupUEFA Women's CupThe UEFA Women's Champions League is the first international women's association football club competition for teams that play in UEFA nations. Initially known as the UEFA Women's Cup, the competition has been re-branded since the 2009-2010 edition as the UEFA Women's Champions League...
- (Arsenal) 2007 - FA Women's CupFA Women's CupThe Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football clubs in England – designed as an exact equivalent to the FA Cup created 99 years earlier...
- (Arsenal) 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 - FA Women's National Premier League - (Arsenal) 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- FA Women's Premier League Cup - (Arsenal) 2005, 2005, 2007
- Quadruple winners - 2007 (UEFA cup, League, League cup and FA cup)
- Double winners - 2006, 2008 (League and FA cup)
