is a Japanese
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 lea ...
who played as
defender. She has also played for the
Japan national team.
Kitahara is currently the player-head coach for
Albirex Niigata FC (S).
Early life and education
Kitahara was born in
Fujieda on December 17, 1988. She graduated from
Kanto Gakuen University
is a private university in Ōta, Gunma, Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the ...
.
Playing career
Club career
Kitahara joined
Albirex Niigata
is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...
in 2011. She played 93 games in
L.League.
In 2016, she moved to
Mynavi Vegalta Sendai.
In July 2022, Kitahara joins
Albirex Niigata Singapore FC
, simply known as Albirex Niigata (S), is a football (soccer), football club based in Jurong East, Singapore, which plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of J2 League, Japan. Mostly the team is mad ...
's women team, Albirex Niigata Singapore Ladies.
In 2023, Kitahara scored 17 goals in 13 matches for Albirex Niigata, where the team finished runner-up for the
2023 Women's Premier League.
International career
On September 22, 2013, Kitahara debuted for the
Japan national team against
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. In 2014, she played at the
2014 Asian Games
The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea.
On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...
and Japan won second place. She was also played in the
2015 World Cup, in which Japan won second place.
She played nine games for Japan until 2015.
Coaching career
Kitahara has a Japan Football Association B Licence.
While playing for Albirex Niigata, Kitahara was also the assistant coach of the U-17 Albirex men’s team.
She was also a coach of the Albirex Singapore Football Academy.
In 2024, Kitahara became the head coach for Albirex Niigata Singapore Ladies team, taking over from
Nahar Daud.
National team statistics
[List of match i]
2013
at Japan Football Association
Honours
Individual
* Women’s Premier League Player of the Year: 2023
* Women’s Premier League Golden Boot: 2023
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Fox Soccer profile
1988 births
Living people
Kanto Gakuen University alumni
Japanese women's footballers
Japan women's international footballers
Nadeshiko League players
Albirex Niigata Ladies players
Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies players
Mynavi Sendai Ladies players
Asian Games medalists in football
Asian Games silver medalists for Japan
Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Women's association football defenders
Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games
FISU World University Games silver medalists for Japan
Summer World University Games medalists in football
Association football people from Fujieda, Shizuoka
Medalists at the 2009 Summer Universiade
Japanese women's football managers
21st-century Japanese sportswomen
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