POLKINGHORNE Clare

1 Feb 1989
32
Female
1.71/5'7''
BRISBANE, QLD
 
Australia

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
FBL Football Women 4

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Tokyo Stadium
AUS
Australia
2
NZL
New Zealand
1
Finished
Saitama Stadium
SWE
Sweden
4
AUS
Australia
2
Finished
Ibaraki Kashima Stadium
USA
United States
0
AUS
Australia
0
Finished
Ibaraki Kashima Stadium
GBR
Great Britain
3
AUS
Australia
4
AET
Finished
International Stadium Yokohama
AUS
Australia
0
SWE
Sweden
1
Finished
Ibaraki Kashima Stadium
AUS
Australia
3
USA
United States
4
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
Olympic Games
RankEventYearLocation
7Senior2016Rio de Janeiro, BRA

FIFA Women's World Cup
RankEventYearLocation
6Senior2007People's Republic of China
7Senior2015Canada
8Senior2011Germany
9Senior2019France

AFC Women's Asian Cup
RankEventYearLocation
2Senior2018Jordan
:
Athlete, Student
:
Psychology - Griffith University, Australia
:
English
:
Vittsjo GIK [Sweden] since 2021
:
Thomas Martensson [club], SWE; Tony Gustavsson [national], SWE
:
Defender (myfootball.com.au, 15 Dec 2020)
:
2006 for Australia Against People's Republic of China, Friendly Match in Shanghai, People's Republic of China (matildas.com.au, 01 Nov 2020)
:
She missed two of Australia's four matches at the 2019 World Cup in France due to a hamstring injury. She returned to the team as a substitute during Australia's loss to Norway in the round of 16. (reuters.com, 18 Jun 2019)

She suffered a knee injury in mid-2015, ruling her out of the build-up to the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Despite recovering in time, she was not chosen to play in any of the World Cup matches. (couriermail.com.au, 17 Oct 2015)

A quad injury ended her 2013/14 W-League season early. (couriermail.com.au, 05 Apr 2014)
:
Damallsvenskan [SWE] (aftonbladet.se, 23 Mar 2021)
:
She began playing football at age five with her older brother Liam at Wynnum Wolves in Brisbane, QLD, Australia. (footballqueensland.com.au, 07 Jun 2019; theaustralian.com.au, 01 Jun 2019)
:
She was inspired to take up football after watching her brother play the sport. "All I wanted to do was join in. I joined a boys' team, the Wynnum Wolves, and have played ever since." (footballqueensland.com.au, 07 Jun 2019; theaustralian.com.au, 01 Jun 2019)
:
To compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. (Instagram profile, 12 Mar 2020; news.griffith.edu.au, 15 Dec 2020)
:
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer. (sportsocratic.com, 09 Feb 2017)
:
Queensland Academy of Sport coach Mike Mulvey. "He instilled in me from a young age what it took to compete at the highest level and taught me many of the attributes that elite athletes need to succeed. I believe those early years really shaped who I am today." (theaustralian.com.au, 01 Jun 2019)
:
She won the Julie Dolan Medal, which is presented to the W-league player of the season, in 2012/13 and 2017/18. (footballqueensland.com.au, 07 Jun 2019)

General Interest

General
CLUB JOURNEY
She began her professional career at Brisbane Roar, making her first appearance for the club in 2008. She spent the next 13 season at the club, but had a number of spells at clubs outside Australia during the W-League off-season. She played for Japanese club INAC Kobe Leonessa in the 2014 Japan Women's Football League season, Portland Thorns in the 2015 National Women's Soccer League [NWSL] season, Houston Dash in the 2018 and 2019 NWSL seasons, and Norway's Avaldsnes in the 2020 Toppserien season. She left Brisbane Roar at the end of the 2020/21 W-League season in order to join Vittsjo GIK ahead of the 2021 Damallsvenskan season in Sweden. (brisbaneroar.com.au, 01 Sep 2016; matildas.com.au, 21 Aug 2014; timbers.com, 29 Jan 2015; w-league.com.au, 22 Aug 2019; brisbaneroar.com.au, 15 Dec 2020; theworldgame.sbs.com.au, 19 Mar 2021)

FURTHER STUDIES
After graduating from Griffith University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in psychological science, she enrolled in a master's degree in criminology and criminal justice at the same university in 2015. In 2020 she received a sporting scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport to allow her continue her studies. "You need to have that drive in you to make sure you are doing everything you need to be doing in both study and sport arenas. I always thought I would join the police force. But at the moment, my master's thesis research is looking at police mental health, which is a perfect blend of my psychology and criminology degrees. Police mental health is such an important yet under-researched area that demands more attention, not only in Australia but internationally. It's definitely something I would be interested in pursuing." (news.griffith.edu.au, 15 Dec 2020; LinkedIn profile, 26 Jan 2021)

Legend
:
Gold Medal Event
:
Silver Medal Event
:
Bronze Medal Event
AET:
After Extra Time
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