Calem Nieuwenhof (born 17 February 2001), is an Australian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays as a
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for club
Heart of Midlothian.
Raised in the northern suburbs of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Nieuwenhof started his professional career with
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
, for whom he made his debut in the
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
in November 2020 and later signed his first contract with. He soon departed after experiencing frequent injuries and signed with Sydney rivals
Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...
in June 2022. After a consistent season, in which received plaudits, Nieuwenhof signed for
Heart of Midlothian in July 2023.
An Australian international, Nieuwenhof received his first call-up to represent the
Australia U23 in March 2023. He played his first tournament in the
Maurice Revello Tournament held in France.
Early life
Nieuwenhof was born in
North Curl Curl, the northern suburbs of
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. He was interested in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
from a young age due to his father and grew up supporting
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
.
At the age of four, he joined Curl Curl FC before moving into the
NPL youth level, by the time he was 12, with
Manly United
Manly United Football Club is an Australian football club based in the northern beaches area of Sydney. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues NSW and their home ground is Cromer Park, in the suburb of Dee Why, approximately 15 minute ...
.
Club career
Sydney FC
Nieuwenhof initially started with the
Sydney FC Youth
Sydney Football Club Youth is the youth system of Sydney Football Club based in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. The team referred to as Sydney Youth play in the Y-League (November to February) and consists of u23 players, the highest level of y ...
squad in the
A-League Youth
A-League Youth, formerly known as the National Youth League and Y-League, is an Australian national soccer youth developmental and under-21s league, founded by Football Federation Australia and now run by the Australian Professional Leagues. Th ...
and
NPL NSW
The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, the organising body in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier Leagues Northern ...
. On 19 November 2020, Nieuwenhof made his professional
first-team debut, as an injury replacement player, in a 2–1 home loss against
Shanghai SIPG
Shanghai Port FC (), previously named Shanghai SIPG, is a professional football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Pudong, Shanghai, and their home sta ...
in the
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
.
Nieuwenhof signed his first professional contract with Sydney FC on 8 December. On 2 January 2021, he started and scored on his league debut, a long-shot outside of the 18 yard, in a 2–1 win against
Wellington Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
at
Sky Stadium
Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights) is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand. The stadium's bowl site size is .
The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situa ...
. He earned a starting place in the squad under
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
, making a further 8 appearances before injuring his back during Easter weekend. A scan revealed that Nieuwenhof had suffered a fractured vertebrae to his back, consigning him to eight-weeks on the sidelines. He was awarded the club's A-League Goal of the Season for his goal against Wellington.
Nieuwenhof returned to the squad, playing his first match in eight months, against
Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football, soccer club, based in Belmore, New South Wales, Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales, that plays in the National Premier Leagues NSW. The Club was founded as Pan- ...
in the
FFA Cup
The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup until the 2021 season, is the national football knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia, formerly known as Football Federation Australia ...
on 24 November 2021. He struggled to make appearances in the squad due to injuries, and by the end of the
2021–22 season, he made only 2 league appearances with a combined total of 48 minutes played. On 19 May 2022, Nieuwenhof departed Sydney FC but was allowed to stay within the club until he was fully recovered from his injury.
Western Sydney Wanderers
On 6 June 2022, Nieuwenhof signed a two-year scholarship deal with cross-town rival
Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...
. On 9 October, he made his league debut in a 1–0 win against
Perth Glory
Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues.
Founded in 19 ...
. By November, Nieuwenhof led the league in tackles (28) and sat third in ball recoveries (58) behind
Neil Kilkenny
Neil Martin Kilkenny (born 19 December 1985) is a professional footballer who plays for Australian club Western United. A midfielder, he began his career in the youth system at Arsenal, and went on to play league football for Oldham Athletic, Bi ...
and former teammate
Luke Brattan
Nathan Luke Brattan (born 8 March 1990) is an Australian professional football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Sydney FC.
Born in England, Brattan moved to Australia at a young age, playing youth football for Rochedale Rovers a ...
over the first six games of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, which led him to earn the October/November nomination for Young Footballer of the Year.
During the league campaign, Nieuwenhof remained a starter for the club despite a stacked experienced midfield that featured
Oliver Bozanic
Oliver John Bozanic (born 8 January 1989) is an Australian Association football, football player who plays as a midfielder for Perth Glory FC, Perth Glory, on loan from Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Western Sydney Wanderers.
Bozanic was born in ...
,
Romain Amalfitano and former teammate
Miloš Ninković
Miloš Ninković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Нинковић; born 25 December 1984) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers.
Club career
Čukarički
At a young age Ninković joined FK Čukarički's you ...
.
He later formed a partnership with former
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
player
Morgan Schneiderlin
Morgan Fernand Gérard Schneiderlin (; born 8 November 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League on loan from Nice.
Schneiderlin began his career with Strasbourg, ...
, who arrived in January on loan, and mentored Nieuwenhof from his experiences in the top divisions of Europe. Schneiderlin praised his professionalism in training and his performances in matches. Likewise, Nieuwenhof expressed his admiration for Schneiderlin and reciprocated the praise following the pair's first match against
Western United
Western United Football Club is an Australian professional football club. The club is based in the western Melbourne suburb of Truganina, the club aims to represent western Victoria, incorporating the western suburbs of Melbourne; the region ...
.
On 19 February 2023, Nieuwenhof scored his first goal for the club and added an assist in a 4–4 away draw against
Adelaide United
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional Association Football, soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under North American professional sports league organization#Systems ar ...
. On 18 March, he brought his tally to 3 goals of the season, after scoring past
Andrew Redmayne
Andrew James Redmayne (born 13 January 1989) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Sydney FC in the A-League and the Australia men's national team.
Redmayne was born in Gosford and played youth football w ...
from 25-yards, in a 4–0
Sydney Derby win against his former side
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
. His goal was awarded Goal of the Week. Nieuwenhof would lead his side to a fourth-place finish at the conclusion of the
league season, helping the Wanderers qualify to the
A-League Finals series for the first time since the club qualified in 2017. He finished the season with 4 goals in 27 appearances with the Wanderers, before shortly departing in July 2023.
Heart of Midlothian
On 22 July 2023, Nieuwenhof signed a four-year contract with
Heart of Midlothian for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be a fee of six-figures. As the first summer signing for the club, he joins alongside compatriots,
Kye Rowles,
Nathaniel Atkinson and
Cameron Devlin. In an interview with ''Heart TV'', he spoke of his decision to join the Hearts, stating, "It was a pretty easy decision. I played with Oli Bozanic last year and he spoke so highly of his time here
..I actually came to a Hearts game back in 2018 and I remember vividly how much passion there was. So I’m really excited to come and play and represent everyone here." He received the number 8 ahead of the
2023–24 Scottish Premiership
The 2023–24 Scottish Premiership (known as the Cinch (company), cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is the eleventh season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Football in Scotland, Scottish football, and the 127th editi ...
.
Nieuwenhof made his debut on 5 August, as Hearts completed a 2–0 win over
St Johnstone
St Johnstone Football Club is a professional association football club in Perth, Scotland which is a member of the Scottish Premiership for the 2022–23 season. The club's name is derived from St John's Toun ''aka'' Saint Johnstoun – an old ...
at
McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of .
As well as St Jo ...
.
International career
Youth
In March 2023, following his immense form at club level, Nieuwenhof received his first call-up to the
Australia U23 training camp, in preparations, for the
Paris 2024 Olympics qualification. On 24 March, he made his debut for the Olyroos, starting the match against the
Switzerland U20 side, before being substituted for
Ryan Teague
Ryan Graham Pun Teague (born 24 January 2002) is an Australian professional association football, soccer player who plays as a midfielder for A-League Men, A-League club Melbourne Victory FC, Melbourne Victory.
Club career Sydney FC
Teague joine ...
, in a narrow 1–0 defeat at
Stadio Comunale Bellinzona
Stadio Comunale Bellinzona is a multi-use stadium in Bellinzona, Switzerland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of AC Bellinzona. As of 2009, the stadium has an official capacity of 5,000 people, but could h ...
.
On 24 May, Nieuwenhof was announced in the
Australia U23 squad list for the
Maurice Revello Tournament in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. He would be one of 14 players signed to an
A-League Men
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
club that was representing the ''Olyroos''.
Nieuwenhof started in the maiden fixture against
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
where his side lost 4–3 in a
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
, following a 0–0 scoreline by full-time, when Nieuwenhof failed to hit the target in the deciding penalty kick, handing the bonus point to Qatar. In the final group match, he grabbed an assist, a pass through to
Noah Botic
Noah Vinko Botic (born 11 January 2002) is an Australian soccer player who plays as a forward for Western United.
Club career Early career
Botic was born in Sydney, Australia, and played for numerous different clubs in Australia at youth level ...
who striked with his left, in a 2–0 win against
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on 12 June that ensured qualification to the semi final.
In August 2023, Nieuwenhof was recalled for ''the Olyroos'' ahead of the
2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. He was included in the 23-man squad set to play against
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
and
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
in September.
Personal life
Nieuwenhof is a lifelong
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
fan and revealed his favourite match was a
Sydney Derby clash where Sydney FC won 4–0 in front of a crowd of 61,880. He is a close friend of
Jake Hollman who both played together in
Manly United
Manly United Football Club is an Australian football club based in the northern beaches area of Sydney. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues NSW and their home ground is Cromer Park, in the suburb of Dee Why, approximately 15 minute ...
and
Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
youth squads. He is also close friends with professional cricketer
Ollie Davies who both grew up together in
Northern Beaches
The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the entra ...
.
His father was a former footballer who played for Manly United and helped Nieuwenhof with his development through the youth system.
He considers both
Miloš Ninković
Miloš Ninković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Нинковић; born 25 December 1984) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers.
Club career
Čukarički
At a young age Ninković joined FK Čukarički's you ...
and
Luke Brattan
Nathan Luke Brattan (born 8 March 1990) is an Australian professional football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Sydney FC.
Born in England, Brattan moved to Australia at a young age, playing youth football for Rochedale Rovers a ...
as mentors, with the midfielders helping him settle with the first team during his first years in Sydney FC. He was given the nickname "Sleepy" by his teammates due to his laconic and relaxed personality that makes him look "half-awake".
He studied commerce at
UNSW
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
which has a partnership with Sydney FC, allowing him to study and play football simultaneously.
Career statistics
Honours
Individual
*
PFA A-League Team of the Season:
2022–23
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nieuwenhof, Calem
2001 births
Living people
Australian men's soccer players
Men's association football midfielders
Sydney FC players
National Premier Leagues players
Australian people of Dutch descent
Place of birth missing (living people)
Western Sydney Wanderers FC players
Australian expatriate men's soccer players
Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland
Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
Soccer players from Sydney