James Nieuwenhuizen

Niewenhuizen’s rise from the Goulburn Valley Suns talent factory to A-League club Melbourne City is much like his induction into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame under the Junior Honour Roll category: a waiting game.

But it’s one he’s played to perfection.

Nieuwenhuizen sat patiently on the pine at City for four years before making his senior debut in 2024, and though he’s played at the elite level for Australia’s Joeys side, the young shot stopper’s temperament is ice-cold.

His tale began at St Brendan’s Primary School, much like fellow Hall of Fame inductees Alou and Garang Kuol, where schoolyard matches became a lit fuse for the next generation of Goulburn Valley guns to fire.

Nieuwenhuizen later joined GV Suns, where the next five years were spent honing his craft as goalkeeper.

The odd outfield cameo came and went before he locked himself in as a bona-fide shot stopper, guarding goals from post to post.

And from then on, footballs — and call-ups to representative sides — started flying Nieuwenhuizen’s way thick and fast.

His breakthrough game came at the 2018 National Championships in Coffs Harbour while playing for Victoria Country, where a blinding performance against Brisbane Roar academy soon thrust him in A-League clubs’ line of sight.

And the following year, Melbourne City came a-knocking.

Nieuwenhuizen was recruited to the three-time A-League premiership winners’ academy, giving him the springboard he needed to refine his game in a professional environment.

Another red letter moment arrived for Nieuwenhuizen in 2019, when he was given his first taste of international football.

He was named in the Australian Joeys side contesting the ASEAN Football Federation Under-15 Championships in Vietnam, playing alongside the country’s best emerging talent.

The Shepparton product would return to the international stage again, donning the green and gold in 2022 and 2023 as part of the under-20s squad.

Those campaigns took him to Spain, Kuwait, and Uzbekistan — experiences that, while intimidating, only sharpened his focus.

For a teenager from the Goulburn Valley, it was a whirlwind.

One minute he was juggling school and club commitments, the next he was facing elite strikers on the other side of the world.

But through it all, Nieuwenhuizen remained grounded — still the same hard-working keeper who once threw himself around at McEwen Reserve on cold Shepparton mornings.

Those who know him best speak not only of his shot-stopping ability, but of his mental steel.

It’s that resilience that’s served him well during his ongoing stint with Melbourne City.

For four seasons, he waited for his first team debut.

Not once did he complain, waver, or take his eye off the ball.

And in 2024, patience was rewarded.

Nieuwenhuizen finally made his senior A-League debut for City — a long-awaited breakthrough that came after years of grinding behind the scenes.

It was a proud moment for his family, coaches, and the wider Shepparton footballing community who had followed his rise from day one.

Yet even while playing professionally, he hasn’t put all his eggs in one basket, as Nieuwenhuizen is also studying Law and Commerce at Monash University.

Earlier this year, a knee injury forced him to the sidelines, a temporary setback in what has otherwise been a steady ascent.

But those close to him know his determination remains unwavering.

The dream is clear: to one day represent the Socceroos on the senior stage and play at a FIFA World Cup.

And given his trajectory so far, you wouldn’t bet against him.

For now, however, the induction into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Junior Honour Roll offers a well-earned milestone — a recognition of a career already brimming with highlights, but also symbolic of what lies ahead.