Japanese FootballerJ.League PlayerGoalkeeperAsian Games Athlete

Ayumi Niekawa

Ayumi Niekawa is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds, winning the 2022 AFC Champions League.

1. Overview

Ayumi Niekawa (牲川 歩見Niekawa AyumiJapanese), born on May 12, 1994, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club Urawa Red Diamonds. Known by the nicknames "Nii" (ニエJapanese) and "Niezō" (ニエゾウJapanese), Niekawa stands at 77 in (195 cm) tall and weighs 198 lb (90 kg). His professional career began in 2013 with Júbilo Iwata, a club he had been affiliated with since his youth. He has since played for several Japanese clubs, including J.League U-22 Selection, Sagan Tosu, Thespakusatsu Gunma, Azul Claro Numazu, and Mito Hollyhock, before joining Urawa Red Diamonds. Niekawa has also represented Japan at various youth international levels, notably contributing to the Japan U-17 team's quarter-final finish at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup and winning the AFC Champions League with Urawa Red Diamonds in 2022.

2. Early Life and Youth Career

Ayumi Niekawa began his football journey within the youth ranks of Júbilo Iwata, a prominent Japanese football club. From 2005 to 2006, he played for Júbilo Hamamatsu SS while attending Hamamatsu City Iida Elementary School. He then progressed to Júbilo Iwata U-15, where he played from 2007 to 2009, and subsequently to Júbilo Iwata U-18 from 2010 to 2012, while studying at Shizuoka Prefectural Iwata Agricultural High School.

In 2011, during his time in the youth system, Niekawa was selected for the Japan national under-17 football team to participate in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico, where he played one match against Argentina and helped his team reach the top eight. In 2012, while still with the U-18 team, he was registered as a Class 2 player for the Júbilo Iwata senior team, indicating his potential for a professional career. He officially achieved a full top team promotion in 2013, becoming the first youth academy product to do so in four years. However, in August 2013, he was called up for the U-19 Japan national team's expedition to Spain, but suffered an injury during training that led to a six-month long absence from play. Consequently, his player registration was temporarily cancelled in September of the same year. He signed a professional A contract on April 10, 2015.

3. Club Career

Ayumi Niekawa's professional club career began with his youth club, Júbilo Iwata, and has seen him traverse various teams across Japan's professional football leagues, often through loan spells before making permanent transfers.

3.1. Career Progression

Niekawa officially joined the senior team of Júbilo Iwata in 2013, where he remained until 2018, though he did not make any league appearances for the club during this period. His professional debut occurred on July 20, 2014, in a J3 League match against SC Sagamihara while playing on loan for the J.League U-22 Selection team.

From 2014 to 2015, he spent time on loan with the J.League U-22 Selection, playing 21 matches in the J3 League. In January 2016, Niekawa moved to Sagan Tosu on a loan deal for the 2016 season. Despite being a candidate for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics team, he was ultimately not selected. He then joined Thespakusatsu Gunma on loan in January 2017 for the 2017 season. For the 2018 season, he was loaned to Azul Claro Numazu in the J3 League.

In 2019, Niekawa's move to Azul Claro Numazu became permanent, ending his long association with Júbilo Iwata. He continued to play a significant role for Numazu throughout that year. In 2020, he made another permanent transfer, joining Mito Hollyhock in the J2 League. During the 2020 season, Niekawa competed for the starting goalkeeper position with veteran Kazuya Matsui, appearing in 20 matches. Following Matsui's departure, Niekawa became the regular starter for Mito Hollyhock in the 2021 season, playing in 40 matches throughout the year.

In 2022, Niekawa transferred permanently to Urawa Red Diamonds, a J1 League club, where he wears jersey number 16.

3.2. Club Statistics

As of the end of the 2024 season, Ayumi Niekawa's club career statistics are as follows:

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupLeague CupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
JapanLeagueEmperor's CupJ.League CupAFCTotal
Júbilo Iwata2013J1 League000000-00
2014J2 League0000--00
2015J2 League0000--00
J.League U-22 Selection (loan)2014J3 League9000--90
201512000--120
Sagan Tosu (loan)2016J1 League000000-00
Thespakusatsu Gunma (loan)2017J2 League11020--130
Azul Claro Numazu2018J3 League27000--270
201929000--290
Mito Hollyhock2020J2 League20000--200
202140000--400
Urawa Red Diamonds2022J1 League0000001010
2023J1 League0020100030
2024J1 League3020-0050
Career total15106010101590

4. International Career

Ayumi Niekawa has represented Japan at several youth national team levels, showcasing his talent on the international stage.

In June 2011, Niekawa was selected for the Japan national under-17 football team to participate in the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Mexico. He played in one match during the tournament, contributing to Japan's run to the quarter-finals.

He was also part of the U-19 Japan national football team and the U-21 Japan national football team. With the U-21 squad, he participated in the Incheon Asian Games 2014, where he made four appearances. In January 2015, Niekawa was chosen as a training partner for the Japan national team ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2015. He later played for the U-22 Japan national football team in 2015, making two appearances in the qualifiers for the AFC U-23 Championship 2016. In 2016, he was part of the U-23 Japan national football team that competed in the AFC U-23 Championship 2016, and was also considered a candidate for the 2016 Summer Olympics squad, though he was not ultimately included in the final roster.

5. Honours

Ayumi Niekawa has achieved notable team successes during his club career, particularly with Urawa Red Diamonds.

5.1. Club

Urawa Red Diamonds

  • AFC Champions League: 2022
  • Japanese Super Cup: 2022