Western United keeper earns J.League transfer to the home of a former A-Leagues coach

Western United goalkeeper Tom Heward-Belle has left the Isuzu UTE A-League club for Montedio Yamagata in Japan’s second tier.

Heward-Belle makes the move to the J2 League outfit, effectively immediately, after amassing 22 A-Leagues appearances and 26 across all competitions for Western following his arrival from Sydney FC in 2023-24.

The 27-year-old Australian shot-stopper joins Montedio, where former A-Leagues coach and current Malaysia head coach Peter Cklamovski.

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Ange Postecoglou’s former assistant, Cklamovski turned the club from relegation candidates in 2021 to promotion hopefuls, despite a limited budget. In 2022, they fell agonisingly short in their bid to return to the top flight for the first time since 2015.

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“It was an honour to be part of an historic period at Western United and I am grateful for the opportunities this Club gave me in the past two seasons,” Heward-Belle said.

“I would like to thank the coaches, staff, my teammates and the fans for making this a special place to be at.

“I wish the club every success in the future, and I know the boys will be rewarded for all the hard work they put in every single day.”

After Montedio confirmed his arrival, he said: “I am very excited to join Montedio Yamagata. Playing in Japan has been one of my dreams and I am really happy that this dream has come true. I can’t wait to meet my new teammates, start training together soon and do my best to lead the club to promotion to J1.

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“I learned a lot from my experience in Australia. Montedio Yamagata has come very close to promotion in recent years, so I will do my best to have a positive impact on the club with my play and help them achieve promotion to J1.

“I am really looking forward to meeting all the fans, and I want to experience the culture and charm of Yamagata to the fullest. I will do my best for the club, show the fans exciting plays in the games, and do my best so that they will be proud to support us.”

Heward-Belle started all 22 of his league appearances last term, however, the former Sydney shot-stopper did not feature in 2024-25 after an injury opened the door for Matt Sutton to make the position his own.

John Aloisi’s Western are flying high this season, fourth in the standings and just three points off top spot.

“On behalf of everyone at Western United, I would like to thank Tom for his contribution to our club and wish him all the very best in the future,” said Western United general manager of Football Mal Impiombato.

“Tom has been a fantastic member of our squad both on and off the park and we look forward to watching on from afar as he continues his footballing journey.”