Freda Ayisi
.jpg) Ayisi playing for Lewes WFC | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 October 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Ghana | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlton Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2014 | Arsenal | 16 | (1) |
| 2014–2018 | Birmingham City WFC | 40 | (4) |
| 2018–2019 | Leicester City | 15 | (1) |
| 2019–2021 | London City Lionesses | 19 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | Lewes | 17 | (1) |
| 2022–2024 | Charlton Athletic | 39 | (4) |
| 2024- | Hashtag United | 9 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| 2024– | Ghana | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Freda Ayisi (born 21 October 1994) is a Ghanaian footballer who currently plays for the Hashtag United women's team. She has previously played for Lewes WFC, Birmingham WFC in the 2017 FA Women's Cup final and Arsenal when they won the 2014 FA Women's Cup Final. In 2022 she became a player for Charlton Athletic Football Club
Life
[edit]Ayisi was born in Ghana in 1994.[1]
Ayisi began playing football at Arsenal where in her first season she scored against FC Kairat in the Champions league. She later said that this was the highlight of her time with "the gunners".[2] She was with Arsenal when they won the 2013–14 FA Cup but was mostly a sub in the match where they won 2–0 over Everton.[2]
In 2014 she moved for the first time to Birmingham City where over the next three years she played in 57 matches.[3] In March 2015, Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was given a three-match ban for violent conduct in a goalless draw with Birmingham City, after she had a fight with Ayisi.[4] Ayisi was expelled from the match immediately by the referee.[5] Bardsley later said, "Passions ran high against Birmingham. Viewing the footage again, I regret the incident with Freda Ayisi. Whilst I was provoked, it was out of character for me to react in that way."[6]
In the same year Ayisi scored against Sunderland when Birmingham were facing relegation. However Sunderland scored an equaliser.[7] In 2017 she was playing at Wembley Stadium in the 2017 FA Women's Cup final representing Birmingham against Manchester City.[2][8]
In August 2018 she and Melissa Johnson joined Leicester City for the 2018–19 season.[9] before Ayisi joined the London City Lionesses.[3]
She played for Lewes from 2021.[10] The Athletic compared Ayisi to Dimitar Berbatov based on her videos which include gaining control of a ball thrown from a fourth storey window. Ayisi liked that one as it was popular and gained an endorsement from pundit Ian Wright.[11][12]
Ayisi joined Charlton in 2022.[13] In May 2023 she met Nora Häuptle who had recently taken the job of managing the Ghana women's national football team. Häuptle noted that Ayisi played well for the team scoring Charlton's only goal in a draw against Crystal Palace.[14]
Ayisi's TikTok videos have found her 560,000 followers. In 2023 she will be involved with Soccer Aid[12] and she was chosen as a "pro-baller" to join pundit Jermain Defoe, former footballer and content creator Moses Duckrell and DJ/footballer Monki to endorse marketing by Jameson Irish Whiskey to five-a-side players.[15]
In February 2024 she played in her first international match for Ghana as they competed against Zambia.[16] She was replaced by Gifty Assifuah in the next match which they lost.[17]
In the summer of 2024 Ayisi joined Hashtag United in the National League Southern Premier division.
References
[edit]- ^ Tagoe, Godwin Nii Armah (20 May 2022). "England based Female Ghanaian Footballer Freda Ayisi Matches Pogba's 'Smoothie' Skill Challenge Effortlessly". SportsBrief – Sport news. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Ayisi 'learned so much' from Arsenal legends". Islington Gazette. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ a b "WOMEN | Freda Ayisi becomes second summer signing | Charlton Athletic Football Club". www.charltonafc.com. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Ghana-born Freda Ayisi sees red in English Women League". GhanaWeb. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley accepts FA violent conduct charge". The Guardian. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ "England women's goalkeeper faces violent conduct charge". Eurosport. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ McVeigh, Niall (23 August 2015). "Women's Super League: Chelsea win at Arsenal to close in on double". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Birmingham 1–4 Man City". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Leicester City Women's new signings feature Freda Ayisi". SheKicks. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
- ^ "Former Arsenal and Leicester City midfielder joins Lewes Women". Sussex Express. 21 July 2021.
- ^ Frostick, Nancy. "Freda Ayisi: the 'female Berbatov' on trick shots and having Ian Wright as a fan". The Athletic. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ a b Goulding, Georgia (12 March 2023). "Ian Wright's support for Freda Ayisi's freestyle TikToks left her "gassed"". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Freda Ayisi signs new one-year contract | Charlton Athletic Football Club". www.charltonafc.com. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Nora Hauptle watches Charlton Athletics Freda Ayisi". ModernGhana.com. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Cripps, Amie (2 June 2023). "Everyone's a Baller: Jermain Defoe, Freda Ayisi, Monki and Moses Duckrell". VERSUS. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Charlton midfielder Freda Ayisi reacts after making Black Queens debut". ghanasoccernet. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "ASSIFUAH REPLACES AYISI AS NORA HÄUPTLE NAMES SQUAD FOR ZAMBIA CLASH". 2024.