New Albion Women addition Naomi Powell will set her sights on an impressive campaign at the club after joining from Portland Thorns this summer.
The 27-year-old makes the switch to The Hawthorns having enjoyed successes in England, Scotland, and America, and those experiences will set her up excellently for a spell in B71.
Powell’s most fruitful early experiences in the game came with Orlando City, where she had a place in their Elite Clubs National League squad, and impressive performances at just 16 saw her named in the ECNL interregional All-Star team for 2015.
Her father, Darren Powell, also has a good standing across the American football scene, having held roles at MLS clubs including Orlando and Nashville. He was also assistant to Phil Neville at Inter Miami, where he coached none other than Lionel Messi during his time there.
The youngster then plied her trade for the Carolina Rapids, as she bolstered their successful attempts to win a youth division title.
Next for Naomi came college football at North Carolina State University, and subsequently, further development with NC State Wolfpack, who compete at the highest level of women’s college football in the States.
And she got off to a flying start with the Wolfpack, as she provided an assist on her college soccer debut in a 4-1 win over Oregon - a total she would treble throughout her freshman year across 11 appearances.
Three years and a place on the Atlantic Coast Conference Honour Roll for 2018 later, Powell moved to England, and more specifically, Nottingham - the place of her father’s birth to complete her studies.
Alongside her academic endeavours, Naomi joined Nottingham Forest, and signed her first professional contract with the Reds in 2021.
Pulling the strings in the Garibaldi midfield, Powell helped her side to a fifth-placed finish in the third-tier, as they began to build the courage, and ability for a title challenge the following season.
And they went on to do just that, beating Albion’s Black Country rivals, Wolves, to top spot in the division. They were ultimately beaten in the play-off final by Watford and forced to remain in the third-tier.
60 appearances, and an FAWNL Cup victory later, Powell’s stay at Forest came to an end, leading her to head north of the border in search of her next challenge.
That next opportunity came in the form of Edinburgh’s Hibernian, where she’d sign a one-year contract and make her Scottish football bow after a successful trial period.
Naomi showed her ability within the Hibees’ midfield, and especially her set-piece prowess across the 2023/24 season, and laid on 10 assists in her single season there - a fifth-placed finish.
Though in 2024, she made a move not many players would’ve trodden before her, as she crossed the Edinburgh divide to join Hearts that summer.
She notched two strikes at Tynecastle, and left after one season and 14 appearances to her name in the SWPL.
Powell returned home to America in the summer of 2025 and joined NWSL club Portland Thorns. She signed a short-term contract before having it extended and eventually departing at the end of the campaign without making a competitive appearance for the club.
The 27-year-old joins Albion with the prospect of regular first-team football and a return to the English game with similar ambitions to her time at Nottingham Forest.
