SINGAPORE: From early setbacks to fierce competition for minutes, the road to top-flight football has not been straightforward for Singapore’s Danelle Tan.
After signing for the A-League Women side Brisbane Roar last year, the 20-year-old missed the start of the campaign with a knee injury that sidelined her for almost two months.
Since returning to fitness, she has made just three substitute appearances and is still searching for her first goal.
But the fire continues to burn strong within Tan, who said she is even more motivated to keep improving.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” she told reporters at a media roundtable on Thursday (Mar 27).
“I guess it’s also because this season here (has) no winter break, so all the games come thick and fast.
“(I was) going into a good preseason, and then getting that injury – not an ideal timing for the injury … sitting out for seven, eight games, and then struggling to find my feet again back in the squad.”
Tan, who was the first female Singaporean footballer to play in a European league, signed for Brisbane Roar last year.
“Everybody wants to play and so it’s always a bit disappointing when you’re not getting the game minutes you want,” said Tan, who is now fully fit.
“This is the first time I’ve played in a season and the season has been cut short by the injury.
“It’s been a very different season. For me, it’s just more motivation that I need to keep improving. I need to keep training more and biding my time and taking my opportunities as they come.”
‘TECHNICALLY GIFTED’ PLAYER
A trailblazer in local women’s football, Tan previously played for Germany’s Borussia Dortmund in the fifth-division Landesliga, scoring 17 goals in 27 appearances during her one season there.
Tan joined Dortmund in July 2023, becoming the club’s first female signing from Asia.
“Every season presents its own challenges. When in Germany, I had to get used to the cold … and learn a new language. Here, it’s slightly different, maybe more challenging on the football field,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say it is the most challenging (season), I would just say it’s a different kind of challenge. I embrace these challenges, I think it’s where you grow the most as a player and a person as well.”
Tan is Singapore’s youngest international goalscorer, having netted in her Lionesses debut as a 14-year-old at the 2019 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship. The goal also made her the fifth-youngest scorer in a senior women’s international match.
But the step up to Brisbane Roar has been significant. Tan’s teammates include Australian internationals Tameka Yallop and Sharn Freier, as well as Japanese defender Momo Hayashi.
Being able to train and play alongside world-class players has been a “really good experience” so far, she said. And to do that at Brisbane’s top level facilities has also been a “huge step”, she added.
“That’s been something that’s really helpful in my development – that you get a proper taste of what professional football looks and feels like,” said Tan, who made her Roar debut in early January.
“At the end of the day, it’s now become my job and that is something that has sort of changed … The dynamics of how I view football is no longer just something I do as a passion but it’s now what I do as a job. That’s been a huge difference this season.”
