Former England striker Eniola Aluko has been appointed Aston Villa Women’s first sporting director.
Aluko, who won 102 caps for her country, announced her retirement from football last week after leaving Juventus in December.
The 32-year-old recently completed UEFA’s Executive Master for International Players and has been preparing for a second career as a director of football.
“I’m very excited to transition into a Sporting Director role,” said Aluko.
“I feel it’s something that I’m ready for at this point in my career. I’ve always been passionate about the women’s game, its development and setting cultures that drive excellence.
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“I’ll be helping to create a successful club in Aston Villa Women, and obviously I’m back home in Birmingham where it all started for me. I’m excited for this next step.”
Aston Villa CEO, Christian Purslow added: “Eniola enjoyed a fabulous playing career and took her first steps in the game in this city, the city where she grew up.
“She is an inspiration and inspiring role model to young girls and women in Birmingham and will help Aston Villa to be an exemplar of women’s and girl’s football in the region.”
Aluko competed in three World Cups, two Euros and represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, scoring 33 goals in total before her last international appearance in April 2016.
The forward came through the ranks at Birmingham and Charlton before making her name at Chelsea.
Aluko played in the USA for three years before returning to Birmingham, and then Chelsea for seven years, ending her career playing for Juventus.
7 Comments
Wao! congratulations
“…..The 32-year-old recently completed UEFA’s Executive Master for International Players…”
Let our own exinternationals sit down in their parlours and be feeling entitled to employment offers simply bcos they are exinternationals.
@Drey
Exactly my take;
The Odegbami’s and co. Should look at this and learn a thing or two..
Privilege and entitlement is out of vogue in the mind of Success oriented being.
Aluko didn’t get that job just because she was an ex international or just being English. She got the job inspite of being all these,and they were an added motivation for her to develop herself more in the field she chose.
She didn’t wait for the English Fa or the British government to sponsor her for her course,she did that in her private capacity cause she got the passion and ambition for the job.
Besides, she didn’t go straight to the top of the female game in the UK; this isn’t The Chelsea,Arsenal,liverpool or City ladies or the English female national team; she is starting with the Aston villa female club. A good way to build your Cv..sometimes, it is good to start from the bottom- up rather than go from top-bottom.
Congrats to Eniola .
So happy for Eniola. A big big congratulations to you, Sone and others. God bless.
My brother leave them o. Let them continue to play the race card to cover their laziness, while local champions and sycophants continue to oil their machinery of laziness and entitlement.
To be globally relevant you need to be globally competitive. To be globally competitive you need to acquire globally acceptable competencies.
Mr ex-internationals should know that sentiments don’t strike gold anymore in the globalized world we find ourselves today.
Those who have ears let them hear.
In life, some people exhibit what I like to call SELF DEVELOPMENT ALLERGY. They are allergic to progress. They refuse to develop themselves, refuse to make effort to broaden their knowledge base. Yet, it is these same people that are the most vocal in asking for handouts, political appointments, etc. As Dr. Drey mentioned, dem go dey house, siddon for couch, feeling entitled to jobs they are not qualified for! All appointments to our football and other sports jobs should be based on qualification, not sentiment. Period!
MEANWHILE:
Amuneke Set To Replace Mido At El-Makassa
By Morakinyo Abodunrin Last updated Jan 22, 2020 0
Former African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Amuneke is in pole position to take over the vacant coaching role at Egyptian Premier League side, Misr El-Makkasa after the club sacked former Egyptian international Ahmed Mido on Wednesday.
Sources close to the immediate past coach of Tanzania national team informed Sporting Life that the Egyptian club has contacted the former Nigerian international to take over immediately after Mido was sacked after spate of poor results.
Though details of the deal was sketchy, Sporting Life gathered that Amuneke will most likely be in Cairo on Friday to sort out the final details of the contract.
Amuneke actually made name with Egyptian club, Zamalek en route to Europe where he played for Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona.
THOSE WHO CLAIM NOBODY WILL GIVE DEM JOBS SHOULD ASK AMUNEKE HOW HE DOES IT.
From NEPA FC to Julius Berger to GE Asst Coach to GE Head coach to Al-Khartoum Fc to Tanzania MNT Head Coach and hopefully to Misr El-Makkasa of Egypt.
Even our african adage says “…a child who washes his hands well will dine with kings…” corroborating the words of the scriptures which says “…Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men….”