AFC Ann Arbor are pleased to announce the joining of Ellie Ferguson to The Mighty Oak ahead of the 2020 season. Ferguson comes to Ann Arbor with an impressive resume despite only just finishing her freshman year of college. Ferguson has represented the Ireland women’s national team at the U15, U16, and U17 levels, captaining them at each step of the way. Ferguson also partook in the qualification rounds for the UEFA U17 European Championships in both 2018 and 2019. Despite hailing from Ireland, Ferguson spends her collegiate season in Athens, Ohio, as she currently attends Ohio University.
Ferguson is looking forward to growth in multiple facets for the upcoming season. “I am most looking forward to playing my first ever season of club soccer here in the U.S.,” she told AFCAA. “I think it will really help me develop as a player and person gaining this experience.” While she may not have experience playing club soccer in the U.S., she has ample experience playing in Ireland. She spent 2014-2019 with Shelbourne FC, who won the Women’s National League in 2018 while she was part of the youth set-up. Her experience with a top-tier youth set-up in Europe immediately gives her a leg-up in understanding what needs to be done in order to succeed at a competitive level.
She also spoke about what drew her attention to AFC Ann Arbor as a club, as she said, “What appealed to me most about AFC Ann Arbor was the culture of the club.” She immediately took an understanding of what the club both expects from its members, as well as provides, as she said, “The club seems to have very high standards and expectations of its players and I hope to fulfill that. I know that the club looks after its players and cares for them too.”
The Mighty Oak, and Boyzzz Khumalo specifically, received a strong referral in signing Ferguson for the 2020 season. “Ellie was recommended to us by Rafael [Simoes], who used to play with us.” Indeed, one of the key members of the 2016 and 2017 sides, Simoes currently coaches at Ohio University and gave his stamp of approval on Ferguson. The former attacker graduated from Charleston and spent time at Marshall with the men’s side, before heading to Athens. The approval from Simoes serves as an indication of Ferguson’s quality.
Ferguson also broke down her play style a bit, saying, “I would describe myself as a ball playing center back or defensive midfielder. I like to stay calm on the ball and can play both short and long passes.” She emphasized her favored aspects of the game as she said, “I definitely like to get on the ball as much as possible and spray passes around.” Khumalo agreed with her assessment of her skills highlighting her quality on the ball as something to look forward to seeing in action in the summer. As a whole, Ferguson offers maturity and high levels of experience on the pitch, and a skill set that any team would be thrilled to have.
The opportunity to play with AFC Ann Arbor serves as a great opportunity to continue to play at a high level for Ferguson even during the collegiate offseason. “Personally, I would just like to get as many minutes under my belt as possible, be able to help the team as much as I can and get even fitter and stronger going into the fall season,” she explained. In terms of team goals, hers are simple: “As a team I would like to win as a much as possible and I think we could be capable of doing that.”