Calem Nieuwenhof

Calem Nieuwenhof (born 17 February 2001), is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Heart of Midlothian. Raised in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Nieuwenhof started his professional career with Sydney FC, for whom he made his debut in the AFC Champions League 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 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. Nieuwenhof was born in North Curl Curl, the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. He was interested in football from a young age due to his father and grew up supporting Sydney FC. 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. Nieuwenhof is a lifelong Sydney FC 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 and Sydney FC youth squads. He is also close friends with professional cricketer Ollie Davies who both grew up together in Northern Beaches. 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 and Luke Brattan 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 which has a partnership with Sydney FC, allowing him to study and play football simultaneously.