'Nigeria is home from home and really special to me' - Abigail Temple Asokuh

In the Asokuh house in Stranorlar sits two unique underage medals; one is an U-17 World Cup soccer medal won by Nigerian player Eloka Asokuh over 30 years ago, while the other is an All-Ireland GAA minor medal won last year by his daughter and current Donegal full-back Abigail. 

Eloka is no stranger to the sporting scene in Donegal, having represented Finn Harps for seven years after moving to the county over 20 years ago. Born in eastern Nigeria, Eloka always believed that sport had the powerful ability to take you around the world. 

He would spend time in France, Argentina, Belgium, and Germany, before Finn Harps came calling. It was the last move he would make before settling down and raising a family in the Twin Towns area.  

His unique achievement as a World Cup winner has become something of a phenomenon in the local district, but now his daughter Abigail is carving her own career in the world of GAA.  

Still only 18, and currently in her Leaving Cert year, Abigail Temple Asokuh is hoping to lead the charge this Sunday in Clones when Donegal face Armagh in the Ulster final.  

“It’s a week you just have to look forward to. Like the fact we’re playing in an Ulster final, I don’t think many would pass up an opportunity on that,” the Sean MacCumhaill’s player said.  

“We have new things that we want to try out as we have been through the league, and it’s just about doing that out on the pitch now, hopefully it all works out for us this weekend. 

“It’s been a great season for both us and Armagh, so I think it’ll be a great game in Clones on Sunday when we come up against each other. 

“It’s been a long break between league and championship, but in that time, we’ve taken a lot of learnings from all our games this season. After every game, I think we always saw something that we could’ve done better at, so it just comes down to improving every week and taking lessons from it all.” 

Following in the footsteps of her father, soccer was the sport that was instilled into her. She took part in gymnastics and athletics, among other sports, but GAA was nowhere on the horizon.  

In fact, the Donegal woman never even ventured into the sport until she was 14. And three years later, in 2023, she received a call from then Donegal senior boss Maxi Curran, to announce her call-up to the county senior panel. 

“When anyone ever asks me about my start in GAA, I just say it was something new that I wanted to try,” Temple Asokuh said.  

“For me, growing up, it was always soccer. Gaelic football was just a new thing to go into to make friends and play more sport. I didn’t expect to end up where I am four years later, and I suppose I’m still learning all the time. 

“When I played GAA in primary school, I just saw it as a day out, but when I went to secondary school, our deputy principal was involved in Sean MacCumhaill’s as a coach, and he asked me to come down and try it out and I just took it from there.” 

Her immediate burst onto the scene seems to have gone by in a flash. She gave up soccer to totally focus on one sport. 

Despite being only one of two Leaving Cert students on the panel, alongside Eva Gallagher, Temple Asokuh has already made a name for herself in 2023.  

After making her debut against Waterford during the county’s league campaign last season, she was named Player of the Match in her side’s Ulster minor final, before capturing an Ulster senior medal one week later, before ending the season with an All-Ireland minor medal in August. 

Her father is still involved in coaching underage soccer in the Twin Towns area. Despite a deep passion for a sport he’s spent his whole life involved in, his daughter admits that alongside her mother Siobhan, they have been Temple Asokuh’s biggest supporters as she creates her own sporting path. 

“Funny enough, my dad did offer me his World Cup medal a few times, but I don’t want the responsibility of looking after it just yet, he can hold onto it for now,” she said. 

“He’s been a great influence on me and still is. He always believed that sport can take you so far in so many ways. It can give you opportunities in life, and having him as a figure growing up was massive.  

“Both him and mum have always supported me, especially when I swapped over from soccer to Gaelic, they were massive in supporting me, and still are. 

“I do miss soccer sometimes, I played with Raphoe Town FC, and they were brilliant and really welcoming. It’s sometimes on my mind that one day I will go back and play soccer, but I don’t think now is the right time.” 

She hopes to go down a teaching path or an area studying biology when she finishes her Leaving Cert, but one thing is certain, she hopes to travel someday to see her family in Nigeria. A place she calls home from home and remains close in her heart despite never being there. 

“It’s definitely in the plan to go over there someday. I’m always on the phone with my family there, and they’ve always supported me in my career, I hope to get over there as soon as possible,” she said. 

“Being from Nigeria is a big part of who I am. Even having my name on the team sheet is a big deal. Having that Nigerian name there . . . Nigeria is a home away from home and really special to me.” 

This Sunday in Clones, the young 18-year-old aims to represent all the people that are important to her in life – Donegal, Nigeria, family, and friends – as she hopes to add a second senior Ulster medal to an already impressive and blossoming career.