Danelle Tan makes Japanese top-flight debut in Tokyo Verdy Beleza's season opener
Danelle Tan made her debut in the WE League on Aug 10.
SINGAPORE – Just a day after Singapore celebrated its diamond jubilee, a Lionesses gem made her first strides in top-tier Japanese professional football.
Danelle Tan, 20, debuted in Japan's top-tier Women Empowerment (WE) League on Aug 10 after being handed a start by Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza against International Athletic Club Kobe Leonessa in the clubs' season opener.
But it turned out to be a losing debut for the Singapore forward with the defending WE League champions going down 2-0 in the away fixture in front of 2,453 fans. The hosts scored in the 63rd and 88th minutes as it rained down on the 45,000-capacity Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium.
'It was obviously not the result we wanted but I'm really happy to have made my debut for Beleza,' said Tan, who played 71 minutes before she was substituted by Japan international Moka Hiwatari.
'I think I've settled down really well so I'm glad I was able to hit the ground running and start in the season opener. I think it was a very even game. Both sides had plenty of chances and the score could very easily have been 2-0 to us.
'But that's football, you don't take your chances and the other team does and the game slips through your fingers.'
Tan had conjured one of her side's best chances in the first half, when she found space to unleash a right-footed piledriver from about 20 metres, which forced the goalkeeper to tip the ball over the bar.
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She is understood to be the second Singaporean to play in the Japanese top tier. In 2021, Lionesses captain Siti Rosnani Azman inked a one-season contract with Kobe to play in the WE League.
Tan and her teammates will now look to regroup for their first home match of the season on Aug 17 against Nojima Stella at the Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka in Tokyo.
In July, Tan signed a one-year contract with Beleza, who were the inaugural winners of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Club Championship in 2019, and are record 17-time champions of the Nadeshiko League, which used to be the highest division in Japan before the formation of the WE League.
It signalled a fresh start for Tan after her Australian sojourn.
In May, Tan left Brisbane Roar, after making just three appearances in the 2024-25 A-League Women season. She joined the Australian club in August 2024, after helping German club Borussia Dortmund gain promotion to the Westfalenliga, the fourth tier of German football.
But Tan found game time difficult to come by Down Under after a knee issue and a subsequent surgery to fix it saw her miss the first eight matches.
But being handed a starting spot in the opening match of the Japanese season augurs well for her.
The Lionesses forward described her stint as being amazing thus far.
Tan said: 'My teammates have been incredible in welcoming me and helping me settle in, from guiding me with the language to giving me lifts and even helping me move into my new apartment. They've made the transition so much easier.
'Our training camp was a great nine days for the team to bond both on and off the pitch. We had sessions in the morning and again in the afternoon. Often my hair won't even be dry before we left for our next training. It was intense, but it helped me gel with the team.'
While the season started with a loss, Tan will remember her first taste of Japanese professional football as well as the fervent support from her club's fans, who came up with a chant for her.
She said: 'The fans are truly awesome. The match is 2.5 hours away by Shinkansen (bullet train), it was raining and yet they still turned up and sang the whole game. Even when we were down 2-0. The fans are the ones who truly make the game special and I'm incredibly grateful for their support.'
Danelle's father Tan Meng Wei, who was in the crowd to watch his daughter's debut was awed by the experience as well.
'Football is differently special in Japan. The crowd in Kobe was passionate and to hear the Beleza fans in the rain sing Danelle's name was unbelievable. I know she played her heart out and am so proud of her,' he said, adding that there were hundreds of Beleza supporters.
And as a special touch, Tan noticed that there was a red-and-white Singapore flag in the stands, waved by a Japanese supporter.
Reflecting on Aug 9, Tan said: 'I didn't manage to catch the parade, but National Day is always a reminder of the pride we share as Singaporeans. Even though I'm overseas, Singapore will always be home.
'The fans waved a Singapore flag at the game today which was a really nice touch; a little piece of home finding its way to me here.'
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