RANGERS Football Club can today confirm the signing of Shu Ohba on a one-year deal, subject to international clearance.
The goalkeeper joins the Gers as a free agent, having most recently featured for Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the top-flight of her home country of Japan.
Born in Fujisawa, Kanagawa, the 24-year-old began playing football at eight, attending Fukushima Prefectural Futaba Future Senior High School before featuring for JFA Academy Fukushima during her youth career.
She started studying over in the United States, as she played college football for a year with East Tennessee State Buccaneers, featuring for the team on 16 occasions overall. Her performances earned her the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honours, as well as a spot on the All-Conference first team.
During that year, Ohba was named Southern Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year, once again making the All-Conference first team squad before transferring to the University of Mississippi, playing 15 times for Ole Miss Rebels.
Her professional football career then began back over in her home country of Japan in 2025, as she signed for Tokyo Verdy Beleza on September 5.
They feature in the top-flight over in Asia, and most recently came third in the WE League table last season.
A full Japanese international, Ohba firstly represented her nation at Under-16s level and was part of their third-place finish at the 2017 AFC Women’s Championship, which subsequently led to her playing in the FIFA Under-17s World Cup, for which she made the final squad.
She then featured for her country at further youth levels, at the 2019 AFC Under-19s Women’s Championships, which they would go on to win and in the 2022 FIFA Under-20s World Cup. Starting all four of their matches in a second-placed finish.
Her first call-up for the senior national team was during the 2022 Asian Games and also further down the line at the 2024 SheBelieves Cup held in the USA. Ohba then earned her first minutes for Japan in a friendly outing against New Zealand in May 2024, and was also named an alternate for the Olympic Games two years ago.
She now makes the move over to Scotland and strengthens Leanne Crichton’s goalkeeping department ahead of the competitive action returning in the coming weeks, and will wear the number 18 jersey.
Speaking after signing for Rangers, Ohba said: “I am really excited to be here.
“Rangers is such a historic club with an amazing fanbase, so I am really excited.
“From the conversations that I had with the club, I felt like this was the right place for me to improve.
“I was just happy to get to play here and get this opportunity.”
Women’s Head Coach, Leanne Crichton, also said: “We're delighted to welcome Shu to Rangers. She is a player we've followed closely and her abilities as well as willingness to learn really stood out throughout the recruitment process.
“She has gained valuable experience in a competitive environment with Tokyo Verdy in Japan’s top-flight last season, and we believe she has all the attributes to make a positive impact here. Shu has ambitions to keep developing her game, and we believe she will provide real competition within the goalkeeping department.
“Just as importantly, she is someone whose character fits the culture we're continuing to build within this squad. We're excited to work with her and help her settle quickly into a new country as we prepare for the challenges and season ahead.”
Women’s and Girls’ Managing Director Donald Gillies added: “We are pleased to welcome Shu to Rangers and to add another exciting talent to our squad ahead of the new season.
“Our recruitment strategy is focused on identifying players with the quality, ambition and character to thrive in this environment, and Shu is someone we believe embodies those qualities. Her experience with Tokyo Verdy has provided her with an excellent foundation in her first steps in the professional game, and we are excited to see how she continues to develop in Scotland.
“As we continue to strengthen every area of our women's programme, attracting players from different footballing cultures reflects the ambition we have for this team. We believe Shu will add a different dimension to the squad in the goalkeeping department, and we're looking forward to supporting her as she begins this next chapter of her career with Rangers.”
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