Here at Sporting Her, we want to support women and girls in sport globally, both on and off the pitch. Our writer, Louisa Okolobe, spoke to footballer, Uchenna Kanu, recently about her time on the pitch for Swedish side Linkoping Football Club alongside the Nigerian national team (Super Falcons), and her journey to getting where she is today.
📸: Uchenna Kanu
Uchenna’s journey so far
Uchenna started playing around her neighborhood from an early age and decided to take it seriously at the age of 14. Growing up the pathway to become a professional female footballer was not an easy one. Her family were a great support system and played an important part of why she stuck with football even when there were a lack of opportunities for girls in Nigeria. Growing up she was inspired by the likes of Desire Oparanozie and Marta who she saw doing what she wanted to do. At 17, she got the opportunity to represent Nigeria in the FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women’s World in 2014.
When speaking to Uchenna, she highlighted the importance of getting an education even as a footballer because it has helped her become a better rounded individual. She spent her collegiate years at Southeastern University in Central Florida, United States, where she played college football between 2016 and 2018 scoring 115 goals in 55 appearances. In 2019, she registered her 27th hat-trick during her collegiate career, making it onto the NAIA’s first team for the fourth consecutive year, and was the NAIA’s all-time leading goalscorer with 152 goals over four seasons (including her time at Pensacola FC). Also that year, she got her senior team debut on 8 April 2019 against Canada and was part of the Super Falcons team that made it to the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup In France.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sports Management, Uchenna made the move to play football professionally in Spain. She became the first African to join the Sevilla women’s team. She arrived with a reputation as one of Africa’s brightest young prospects after starring in Nigeria’s triumph at the Wafu Women’s Cup, scoring 10 goals before her Women’s World Cup debut in 2019.
Now 24, Uchenna plays forward for Swedish side Linkoping Football Club alongside the Nigerian national team (Super Falcons), and recently was listed in the team roster for the 2021 Aisha Buhari tournament. Uchenna told Sporting Her that so far she is enjoying living in Sweden and playing with Linkoping FC, her teammates have been very welcoming and her experience at Linkoping has helped her grow as a player by developing her tactical skills.
📸: Uchenna x Nigerian National Team
Aisha Buhari Tournament
We spoke to Uchenna before she competed in the Aisha Buhari Tournament in September. When we asked for her thoughts on the tournament she told Sporting Her that “it is always nice to be able to play more games together with the team. This tournament will also help showcase the women’s game in Nigeria and Africa. There are really talented players here in Africa and this can really help more people see what we are capable of doing if given the opportunity.”
The Aisha Buhari Tournament took place last month between 15 September to 21 September 2021, Nigeria hosted five other African countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, and South Africa. The tournament consisted of two groups with each team facing the other teams in their group once. The top two teams from the group stages qualified for the semi-final, with the winners moving on to play the final match and losers competiting in the third place match. South Africa women’s national team pulled off a big upset as they pipped Nigeria 4-2 to win the 2021 Aisha Buhari women’s invitational tournament in the closing match at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Onikan on Tuesday, September 21.
📸: South Africa win the 2021 Aisha Buhari Cup
We asked Uchenna a few fan questions about her football journey and her sporting experience growing up in Nigeria.
What is National Team camp like when you meet up?
Uchenna: “It is always fun, it is great getting to build chemistry with the other teammates. I always enjoy the games and not just the football games but other games with the girls”.
Where do you see the National Team in the next 5 years?
“We’ve got a really talented squad and with the latest additions I am excited for what’s to come next. I see us going further than we have in previous competitions. The AWCON, WWC and potentially Olympics will come up during that period it is such an amazing time to be a player,” she said. For the Women’s World Cup (WWC) 2023 hosted in Australia / New Zealand, the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) will double as the WWC qualifiers. Whilst not ideal, she understands how the global pandemic has really affected football calendar and is honored to play with the national team.
Growing up, what was your experience of the opportunities available for women and girls in sport?
Uchenna: “I had a great support system in my family but outside that it was next to nothing. There was no State support or programmes to facilitate my training. Even in USA, it was not always easy but I knew I had to keep at it to make my family proud”.
What was your biggest obstacle getting to where you are today as a female footballer?
Uchenna: “It is the lack of training facilities no matter how talented you are, you cannot become great without training. There is barely any investment into developing the women’s game in Nigeria. We still have a long way to go in showcasing women’s football in Nigeria and Africa but the Aisha Buhari Tournament is a step in the right direction”.
Pop Uchenna a follow on twitter – @Ucheofficial27
Interviewed by Louisa Okolobe
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