Anita Asante facts for kids
Asante 2022
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anita Amma Ankyewah Asante | ||
| Date of birth | 27 April 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2003 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2008 | Arsenal | 160 | |
| 2008–2009 | Chelsea | 11 | (0) |
| 2009 | Sky Blue FC | 16 | (0) |
| 2010 | Saint Louis Athletica | 1 | (0) |
| 2010 | Chicago Red Stars | 6 | (0) |
| 2010 | Washington Freedom | 6 | (0) |
| 2011 | Sky Blue FC | 12 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Göteborg | 41 | (9) |
| 2013–2017 | FC Rosengård | 80 | (2) |
| 2018–2020 | Chelsea | 7 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Aston Villa | 35 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2018 | England | 71 | (2) |
| 2012 | Great Britain | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022-2023 | Bristol City Women | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Anita Amma Ankyewah Asante (born 27 April 1985) is a well-known English football coach and former player. She is currently the first-team coach at Bristol City. During her playing career, Anita was a strong defender or midfielder. She played 71 games for the English national team. She was also chosen for the Great Britain team at the 2012 London Olympics.
Anita played for several top clubs. In England, she played for Arsenal, Chelsea, and Aston Villa. She also played in the United States for teams like Sky Blue FC and Washington Freedom. Later, she spent six seasons playing in Sweden for Göteborg and FC Rosengård.
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Anita Asante's Education
Anita Asante studied Politics and English at Brunel University. She also received help from a special UK government program. This program, called the "Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme," supports athletes who are also studying full-time. Later, she started working on a higher degree (a PhD) in the United States. Her research focused on how women's football is managed.
Playing for Clubs
Starting at Arsenal
Anita Asante began her football journey at Arsenal as a junior player in 1998. She became a senior player for the club in the 2003–2004 season. Anita was a key part of the Arsenal team that achieved something amazing in 2006–2007. They won four major trophies in one season! This included the UEFA Women's Cup, the FA Women's National Premier League, the FA Women's Cup, and the FA Women's Premier League Cup.
Arsenal made history by being the first team from outside Germany or Scandinavia to win the UEFA Women's Cup. Anita played a big role in their success, especially in the final match.
Moving to Chelsea and the USA
On 3 July 2008, Anita Asante and her teammate Lianne Sanderson joined Chelsea Ladies. Anita was excited about joining Chelsea. She wanted to help the team compete with top clubs like Arsenal and reach cup finals. She believed Chelsea had a great team with lots of energy and young players.
After leaving Arsenal, their manager, Vic Akers, was not happy. He felt that the players had not shown enough respect by leaving.
In 2009, Anita moved to the United States to play for Sky Blue FC. This team was part of the WPS league. She helped Sky Blue FC win the very first WPS championship. Over the next couple of years, she played for other American teams. These included Saint Louis Athletica, Chicago Red Stars, and Washington Freedom. In December 2010, Anita returned to play for Sky Blue FC again.
Playing in Sweden
When the WPS league ended before the 2012 season, Anita signed with a Swedish club called Göteborg. Her first game for Göteborg was against her old club, Arsenal, in the UEFA Women's Champions League. Göteborg lost that first game 3–1.
Anita played 41 league games for Göteborg over two seasons. She scored nine goals during her time there. She also won the Swedish Cup and the Swedish Super Cup with Göteborg. In October 2013, she signed with the national champions, LdB FC Malmö.
At FC Rosengård, Anita won several more titles. She helped them win the Damallsvenskan league in 2014 and 2015. She also won the Swedish Cup in 2016 and the Swedish Super Cup in 2016 and 2017. Anita reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League three times with FC Rosengård.
Return to England and Retirement
On 7 June 2020, Anita signed with Aston Villa. They had just been promoted to the top league, the WSL. This was their first season in the WSL. Anita scored her first goal for Aston Villa in a 1–0 win against their rivals, Birmingham City. On 26 April 2022, Anita Asante announced that she would stop playing football at the end of that season.
Playing for England
Youth and Senior Teams
Anita Asante played for England's youth teams, including the Under 17 and Under 19 squads. She was even captain of the England Under 19s. She played in the first-ever FIFA World Under 19 Championship in Canada in 2002. She earned 11 international appearances at this youth level.
Anita made her first appearance for the senior England team in May 2004. This was as a substitute against Iceland. Her first full game for England was against Northern Ireland in March 2005. She scored her first international goal in her second full game, which was against Norway in May 2005. This goal turned out to be the winning one. Anita was part of England's squad for Euro 2005.
World Cups and Euros
Anita played in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. During this tournament, she played her 50th game for England. This milestone happened in England's 2–0 win against Japan, who later became the champions.
Anita was part of the England squad that reached the final of Euro 2009. She was hopeful about England's chances for Euro 2013. However, England was knocked out in the first round after a 3–0 defeat to France.
In 2015, Anita was not chosen for England's squad for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She had been the only English player to sign a petition against the artificial turf used at the tournament. She was not happy with how the head coach, Mark Sampson, told her about not being selected.
When Phil Neville became the new England head coach, he called Anita back to the squad for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. Sadly, in the first match of the tournament, Anita suffered a serious knee injury (an anterior cruciate ligament injury) and had to leave the game early.
Great Britain Olympic Team
In June 2012, Anita Asante was chosen for the 18-player Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics. She played in all four games for Great Britain. The team was eventually beaten 2–0 by Canada in the quarter-finals.
Coaching Career
Bristol City Women
On 19 July 2022, Anita Asante was announced as the first team coach for Women's Championship side Bristol City W.F.C.. Under her coaching, Bristol City was promoted during the 2022–2023 season. This meant they moved up to a higher league.
International Goals
Anita Asante scored two goals for the England national team during her career.
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition | Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 May 2005 | Oakwell, Barnsley |  Norway |
1–0 | Friendly | 1 |
| 2 | 7 March 2014 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus |  Finland |
3–0 | 2014 Cyprus Cup | 1 |
Honours and Awards
Anita Asante has won many awards and titles throughout her football career.
Arsenal
- UEFA Women's Cup: 2007
- FA Women's Cup: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008
- FA Women's National Premier League: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- FA Women's Premier League Cup: 2005, 2005, 2007
Göteborg
- Svenska Cupen: 2012
- Svenska Supercupen: 2013
FC Rosengård
- Svenska Cupen: 2016
- Svenska Supercupen: 2015 (runners-up), 2016, 2017
- Individual Awards
- Outstanding Achievement Awards – 19 May 2006 (Presented by the Queen at Brunel University)
- Player of the year – (2003/04)
- Sports Award – (Ghana Professional Awards 2004)
- Nationwide Player of the month – March 2006
- Women's Super League Hall of Fame: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Anita Asante para niños
