Ayana Aoyagi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ayana Aoyagi | ||
| Date of birth | 16 June 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Cairns, Queensland, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Melbourne City | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Tyler Apaches | ||
| 2021 | Creighton Bluejays | ||
| 2022–2023 | Florida Tech Panthers | 25 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Brisbane Roar | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | Lily Wolf Ishikawa | ||
| 2025 | South Melbourne | 9 | (0) |
| 2025– | Melbourne City | 0 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 January 2026 | |||
Ayana Aoyagi (Japanese: 青柳彩奈, Aoyagi Ayana, pronounced [a.o.ja.ɡi a.ja.na];[1] born 16 June 2000) is an Australian soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for A-League Women club Melbourne City. She previously played for W-League club Brisbane Roar, Hokushinetsu Women's Soccer League (HWSL) club Lily Wolf Ishikawa and National Premier Leagues Victoria Women (NPL Victoria Women) club South Melbourne.
Early life
Aoyagi was born on 16 June 2000 in Cairns, Queensland,[2]: 83 to Lynette and Shigeto Aoyagi. She is of Japanese descent, and has two siblings.
Aoyagi attended Kelvin Grove State College in the suburb of Kelvin Grove in Brisbane, before moving to the United States to attend university.[3] As a junior she played soccer for Far North Queensland (FNQ FC) under-15s in 2014.[2]: 83 [4]
College career
Aoyagi first moved to the United States in 2019, and attended Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, where she joined the Tyler Apaches for the 2019–20 season.[5] In 2021, Ayagi moved to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where she played for the Creighton Bluejays during the 2021 season.[2]: 83 [6] In the following year, she moved to the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, where she played for the Florida Tech Panthers during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.[2]: 83 [3]
Club career
South Melbourne
Aoyagi signed for National Premier Leagues Victoria Women (NPL Victoria Women) club South Melbourne ahead of the 2025 season.[7] She made her debut as a defender on 5 April 2025, coming on as a substitute for Akeisha Sandu in the 87th minute of a 5–1 away win over Heidelberg United at Olympic Park.[8] She made her starting debut as a goalkeeper on 3 May 2025 in a 1–1 home draw with Spring Hills FC at Lakeside Stadium in Albert Park.[9] She kept her first clean sheet on 15 June 2025 in a 1–0 home win over Bentleigh Greens.[10] She finished the season with three clean sheets in nine appearances.
Melbourne City
Ayagi signed for A-League Women club Melbourne City ahead of the 2025–26 season.[11] She is yet to make her debut for the club.
Personal life
Known for her social media presence, outside soccer Aoyagi has also worked as a disability support carer, freelance photographer, Instagram content creator, model and recruitment agent for American universities.[12]
References
- ^ "Have you been pronouncing these Melbourne City players' names correctly?! 🎙️ 👀". A-Leagues. 27 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Ninja_A-League_2025-26_Season_Guide-1.pdf" (PDF). A-Leagues Media Centre. 31 October 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2025. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Ayana Aoyagi". Florida Tech Panthers.
- ^ "FNQ FC Academy - FNQ FC Heat". fnqfc.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ayana Aoyagi". Tyler Apaches.
- ^ "Ayana Aoyagi". Creighton Bluejays.
- ^ "Ayana Aoyagi signs with South Melbourne FC". Florida Tech Panthers. 18 March 2025.
- ^ "Heidelberg United 1–5 South Melbourne". Sofascore. 5 April 2025.
- ^ "South Melbourne 1–1 Spring Hills FC". Sofascore. 3 May 2025.
- ^ "South Melbourne 1–0 Bentleigh Greens". Sofascore. 15 June 2025.
- ^ "City strengthens Women's squad with next generation of talent". Melbourne City. 25 September 2025.
- ^ Aoyagi, Ayana (14 October 2025). "Season 4, Episode 1: A New Beginning… 🩵 🤍". Instagram.