Bouwman began playing football at DSS and later also played for Kon. HFC, a partner club of Ajax. At the age of eleven, Ajax came into his life. It proved to be a step with significant impact, as the right-footed defender already explained in an interview last summer.
At De Toekomst, the young Bouwman was quickly converted from striker to defender. "I can’t really remember what I thought at the time, but I think it was something like: shit, this is a bit of a setback. Defending is very different from scoring goals."
With the benefit of hindsight, however, it turned out to be the right move. "If you look at where I’ve ended up, they were right, and it was a good step."
In the 2024 calendar year, Bouwman made giant strides. At the beginning of April, he won the prestigious Future Cup with Ajax U17, and later that month, he also made his professional debut. In the home match of Ajax U23 against Roda JC, he came on in the closing stages to replace Olaf Gorter.
After the 2024/2025 season, Francesco Farioli was appointed head coach of Ajax, and under the Italian, the then sixteen-year-old Bouwman joined the first team squad. In July, he made his unofficial debut. Bouwman enjoyed a strong pre-season, but an official appearance for the first team ultimately did not follow that season.
When we spoke to Bouwman in Zeist during the summer, that was his main goal. "My season will be a success if I make my debut for Ajax 1. In addition, I want to play a lot for Ajax U23. Hopefully, I can play ninety minutes every week and gradually link up with Ajax 1 during the season. But playing regularly is the most important thing."
Seen in that light, Bouwman has more than lived up to his own expectations. He was named in the starting line-up straight away for the season opener against Telstar (2–0) and was also included in the starting eleven for the following four matches. All of those games ended in victories, allowing Ajax to cautiously find an upward trajectory.
For Bouwman, who turned eighteen in August, that upward trend has been clearly visible for some time. The right-back was definitively added to the first-team squad at the beginning of September and, with his new contract, will remain in Amsterdam for years to come.
