By Alexis Montieth

Olufolasade ‘Sade’ Adamolekun’s debut professional season with Heart of Midlothian Women Football Club (Hearts Women) in the Scottish Premier League underlined her promise as an up-and-coming Jamaican midfield talent.

Before the season was even over, the club moved swiftly in early May 2024 to extend the 23-year-old Reggae Girl’s contract to 2026.

The University of Southern California graduate arrived at the club last summer and delivered 10 goals and four assists across all competitions. Five of those goals and three of those assists came in the Scottish Premier League with the rest coming in the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup (SWPL Cup) and the Women’s Scottish Cup (SWF Cup).

Among those numbers were a hat-trick scored against East Fife in the SWF Cup and a brace against Montrose Ladies in the league.

“Sade has already made a huge impact, in what’s been her first season in professional football,” Sean Burt, women’s head of recruitment, was quoted as saying on the club’s website. “She has quality in abundance, highlighted by some wonderful goals against Partick Thistle and a standout performance against Glasgow City.”

“It is never easy transitioning away from home and family for the first time, but Sade has a great personality, and she has slotted into our group really well,” he added. “At 23, Sade is still very young. I believe with a full pre-season under her belt in the summer, she will really kick on next season and we’re very much looking forward to seeing her progress in a maroon shirt.”

Although officially listed as a midfielder by Hearts, the 23-year-old played a variety of roles this season, adapting to the demands of being a professional footballer.

“The coaching staff and teammates have been amazing during my transition,” Adamolekun told Our Today. “At Hearts, I’ve been fortunate to provide lots of versatility playing in the 9, false 9, 10, 7 and 11 [positions].”

The success with which she adapted to professional football is grounded in her football achievements at the high school and university levels. 

Adamolekun earned various awards during her high school football career including the All-First Coast 1st Team Award in 2017 after she scored 22 goals for Fleming Island High School. At the University of Southern California, she was named to the ‘All-Freshman Team’ for the 2019 collegiate season.

The Texas-born footballer was also called up to United States national team camps from the U-14 (Under-14) to U-18 levels before committing herself to the Jamaican national team. She has represented Jamaica at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels and was top scorer at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship qualifiers for her four goals in three games.

Adamolekun is happy with her move to Scotland and how she is adapting to the country.

“It’s been a pretty good transition,” she affirmed. “The Delahunts, our close family friends since I was six years old, are from Scotland. They exposed us to the culture, food and accent, etc., so it was seamless. As is common in the majority of the UK, the weather did provide a stark difference from what I am used to. Having lived in Texas, Florida and California I had to adjust to a colder and rainy environment to train and compete. I’m now adjusted and ready for the next two years.”

“Interestingly enough, Sarah Delahunt is also now back in Scotland doing her Masters and has been a great support mechanism for me,” she continued.

In an article on the club’s website published after Adamolekun’s contract extension, head coach Eva Olid was quoted as saying, “Sade is a real talent. She is excellent in possession and is a key player for us in the final third.”

The Spanish manager went on to express confidence in the Jamaican’s potential, insisting that “we know we can help her to be her best version and the best player she can be.”

Adamolekun shared her manager’s confidence and clearly articulated her vision for her development to Our Today.

“Overall, my primary objective is to continue to improve my game and improve under Coach Eva, while continuing to contribute as a game changer to the success of the club,” the player expressed. “This has been a positive first professional season for me. I’m grateful to the Hearts organisation for the opportunity to continue my development and kick off my professional career.”

The success that the 23-year-old and her club have enjoyed in her debut professional season is a solid platform for her continuing personal and professional development.

“We’ve had quite a bit of history made this year for the club, achieving back-to-back fourth place finishing, record SWPL1 points tallied in a season, record number of goals scored in a single SWPL1 season, and lastly, first-time appearance in a Scottish cup final for the club which will be played on May 26th,” Adamolekun said.