National footballer Danelle Tan has been — quite literally — writing the latest chapter of her football career at Tokyo Verdy Beleza since joining the 2024/25 WE League champions last July.
An avid book lover, Tan recently began drafting an autobiography chronicling her experiences as a professional footballer. Through the book, she hopes to inspire others while also portraying the realities of life as an elite athlete.
“It has always been my dream to write an autobiography,” the 21-year-old said, adding that it would feature personal snippets like journal entries.
“I thought it would be really interesting to write while in the midst of my career. Especially as a female professional footballer, a lot of things are very uncertain — I don’t even know where I’m going to be next season. To write from that point of uncertainty but still pushing on and pursuing this dream… I thought that would be really interesting.”
“It would have been a book I would have loved to read as a young girl trying to chase this dream.”
Writing her Next Chapter
With her one-year contract, signed last July, approaching its tail-end, Tan expressed enjoyment during her stint and hopes to “be able to stay another season”.
“I really enjoy this environment that I’m part of, and so the goal is to stay the next season and hopefully a couple more seasons. I want to improve and also break into the squad, from being an impact substitute and then fighting for a place in the first team.”
“That kind of steady progression is what I’m hoping for.”
One highlight that is likely to feature in her autobiography’s final manuscript is what Tan describes as her “standout” moment on the pitch since joining.
That came in the Empress Cup round of 32 against Yokohama FC Seagulls, when she scored her first goal in front of the home fans.
Tan latched onto a line-breaking pass from midfielder Miharu Shinjo before instinctively lifting a composed chip over the goalkeeper from outside the box. Her stoppage-time strike made it 6-0, but the significance of the goal far outweighed the scoreline.
What followed was a wave of celebration, with the substitutes’ bench spilling onto the pitch and players piling onto her in a moment of unadulterated joy — an image that, by all accounts, captures exactly why she is documenting her journey.
“You would never think it’s the sixth goal of a 6-0 victory, especially with the Japanese, who can be muted in their celebrations. If you watch the celebration, you would think it’s an extra-time winner in a final. It was just so nice to celebrate with the fans and with my teammates.
“They were so supportive, and they knew it was my first goal at home.”
Green Heart
But Tan is no stranger to elite footballing fan cultures either, having plied her trade in England (London Bees), Germany (Borussia Dortmund) and Australia (Brisbane Roar) before landing in the Japanese capital.
“In Dortmund, you had the Yellow Wall, and in Brisbane the fans really showed up, but Japan brings a different flair… It’s amazing when you are playing, and you hear your songs being sung to you. They have flags for all of us hung at the stadiums, home or away,” Tan said, adding that the Midori no Shinzo – the club’s fan club, which translates to Green Heart – had created a song specially for her.
Back on the training ground, Tan was effusive in her praise of the quality of training and the professionalism that runs through the squad.
“The level of players I train with is incredibly high, almost every single player on my team has represented Japan at some level… That’s the calibre of players I am facing day in and day out. Their mindset is really second to none, every training you see them come in at least an hour before,” Tan said, adding that five of her teammates (Miyu Matsunaga, Shinjo, Momoka Honda, Tamami Aso and Yuna Aoki) had just returned victorious from April’s AFC Under-20 Women’s Asian Cup in Thailand.
“I try to learn as much from as many people as possible, and so, even during team training, I’m asking people a lot of things,” she said. “My teammate Rikako Kobayashi is an incredible striker, incredibly technical, how she turns or how she scans and turns away from defenders, I’m just trying to incorporate it into my own game as well.”
Despite the stiff competition she faces in the Beleza ranks, Tan couldn’t stress enough how grateful she was to be a part of the club.
“I came here after a tough season in Australia. I just really wanted to play and get back healthy… When I first came, the first half of the season was really good, and I was getting game time… Even now, if I am not playing in the league, we still have training matches, at a very high level.”
First Piece of Silverware as a Professional
Her time in Tokyo also earned Tan her first title as a professional, as Beleza triumphed 3-1 in a penalty shootout after holding RB Omiya Ardija Women’s to a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes in the WE League Cup final in April.
Though she did not feature in the squad that played in front of a 12,005-strong crowd at the Uvance Todoroki Stadium, Tan was pleased to be a part of the festivities.
“It’s always nice to win… It’s the first for me, and after the game we all got our winners’ shirts, and it was really cool to celebrate with the fans, altogether as a team.”
Embracing a Winning Culture
“For my teammates, it’s probably just another one to add to their huge trophy cabinet, because they have won so many over the years,” she said. “It’s the highest level I have played at. This team has been so successful and has a history of winning that anything other than a win is almost unacceptable, and I am still getting used to that level.
Tan also wrapped up her league campaign on Saturday (May 16), making a 14-minute cameo in Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza’s 2-1 win over Albirex Niigata Ladies after playing nine matches, including four starts, in the league this season.
The result secured Beleza third place on 41 points, behind Urawa Reds Ladies (44) and INAC Kobe Leonessa (53).
While Beleza had targeted a quadruple at the start of the season, Tan said continental glory still remains within reach in the AFC Women’s Champions League (AWCL) for the 2019 champions, who won its predecessor, the AFC Women’s Club Championship.
Featuring in the continental showpiece for the first time this season, Tan also opened her account for the club with the winner in a 1-0 victory over ISPE FC Women in Yangon last November.
Now, a semi-final clash against Melbourne City FC awaits Tan and Beleza at Suwon Sports Complex on Wednesday (May 20).
Bringing Lessons Back to Singapore
Fresh from her experiences in Japan, Singapore’s top goalscorer hopes to bring those lessons back to the national setup.
“I am hoping to bring all these experiences I’ve learnt, and help create this professional environment and culture with the national team,” she said.
“Hoping to do great things” under newly-appointed head coach Mihoko Ishida, Tan added that she already shared a connection with the former Arsenal Women player.
“My teammate Azusa Iwashimizu used to play with her in Beleza’s academy, Menina, and she used to be scared of her. It’s funny because I cannot imagine her being scared of anyone — she’s the oldest in our team, a mother, a legend, a World Cup winner and Olympic silver medallist.”
“I dropped (Ishida) a note when I heard, and I was hoping to reciprocate the warmth I felt from my Japanese teammates when I first came.”
And for the young trailblazer, who seeks to extend her stay in Japan — with a continental run still awaiting her — she may soon have enough material for a sequel.
