Kana Kitahara
 Kitahara at the 2015 World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kana Kitahara | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | December 17, 1988[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Fujieda, Shizuoka, Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Albirex Jurong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Fujieda Junshin High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Kanto Gakuen University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Albirex Niigata | 93 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2022 | Mynavi Sendai | 45 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Albirex Jurong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Japan | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Albirex Niigata (S) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kana Kitahara (北原 佳奈, Kitahara Kana; born December 17, 1988) is a Japanese women's professional footballer who plays as defender. She has also played for the Japan national team. Kitahara is currently the player-coach for Albirex Jurong.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Kitahara was born in Fujieda on December 17, 1988. She graduated from Kanto Gakuen University.
Playing career
[edit]Club career
[edit]Kitahara joined Albirex Niigata in 2011. She played 93 games in L.League.
In 2016, she moved to Mynavi Vegalta Sendai.[3]
In July 2022, Kitahara joined the Albirex Niigata Singapore of the Women's Premier League.[4]
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.[2]
Now a playing-coach, Kitahara helped Albirex Niigata won their inaugural WPL title in the 2025 season.[5] She remained with the team for the following season, which renamed themselves as Albirex Jurong.
International career
[edit]On September 22, 2013, Kitahara debuted for the Japan national team against Nigeria. In 2014, she played at the 2014 Asian Games and Japan won second place. She was also played in the 2015 World Cup, in which Japan won second place.[2][6] She played nine games for Japan until 2015.
Coaching career
[edit]Kitahara has a Japan Football Association B Licence.[2]
While playing for Albirex Niigata, Kitahara was also the assistant coach of the U-17 Albirex men’s team.[2] She was also a coach of the Albirex Singapore Football Academy.[2]
In 2024, Kitahara became the head coach for Albirex Niigata Singapore Ladies team, taking over from Nahar Daud.[2]
National team statistics
[edit]| Japan national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 0 |
Honours
[edit]Individual
References
[edit]- ↑ "北原 佳奈" [Kana Kitahara]. Albirex Niigata Singapore Official website (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ganesan, Deepanraj (17 Jan 2024). "No experience? No problem, as Singapore's top two women's football teams hire rookie head coaches". The Straits Times.
- ↑ Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Archived 2017-07-17 at the Wayback Machine(in Japanese)
- ↑ Kwek, Kimberly (6 Jul 2022). "Football: Albirex strengthen women's team with former Japan international Kana Kitahara". The Straits Times.
- ↑ "Persistence pays off as Albirex seal maiden WPL crown after seasons of near misses". Football Association of Singapore. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- ↑ FIFA
- ↑ List of match in 2013 Archived 2018-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, 2014 Archived 2018-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, 2015 Archived 2018-08-11 at the Wayback Machine at Japan Football Association (in Japanese)
External links
[edit]- Kana Kitahara on Instagram
- Kana Kitahara – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Kana Kitahara at Soccerway
- Kana Kitahara at WorldFootball.net
- Japan Football Association
- Fox Soccer profile
- Eurosport profile
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| This biographical article related to a Japanese association football defender born in the 1980s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- 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 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
- Football people from Fujieda, Shizuoka
- Medalists at the 2009 Summer Universiade
- Japanese women's football managers
- 21st-century Japanese sportswomen
- Asian Games silver medalists in football
- Japanese women's football biography stubs
- Japanese football defender, 1980s birth stubs