Clare Polkinghorne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Full name Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne
Date of birth (1989-02-01) 1 February 1989 (age 37)
Place of birth Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Clare Polkinghorne
OAM
Polkinghorne playing for Australia at the 2017 Algarve Cup
Personal information
Full name Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne
Date of birth (1989-02-01) 1 February 1989 (age 37)
Place of birth Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Defender
Youth career
Wynnum Wolves
Capalaba Bulldogs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003 Brisbane Toro
2004 Queensland Lions
2004–2008 Queensland Academy of Sport
2008–2021 Brisbane Roar 139 (17)
2014 → INAC Kobe Leonessa (loan)
2015 Portland Thorns 9 (0)
2018–2019 Houston Dash 18 (0)
2020 Avaldsnes IL 15 (1)
2021–2023 Vittsjö GIK 56 (7)
2024 Kristianstads DFF 26 (2)
Total 263 (27)
International career‡
2006–2007 Australia U-20 14 (0)
2006–2024 Australia 169 (16)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 December 2024

Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne OAM (born 1 February 1989) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender. On 2 October 2024 she announced her retirement from international football, and played her last game for the Matildas in a friendly against Chinese Taipei on 7 December 2024. She became Australia's most capped footballer in February 2023, and as of her final game, she extended this record with 169 appearances since her debut in 2006. She retired at Damallsvenskan club Kristianstads DFF. Polkinghorne was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2025 Australia Day Honours for "service to football".

Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 1 February 1989.[1]

Club career

INAC Kobe Leonessa

For the 2014 season, Polkinghorne was loaned to INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan.[2]

Portland Thorns

Polkinghorne signed for Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League after the 2015 World Cup.[3] Portland Thorns waived Polkinghorne in February 2016.[4]

Brisbane Roar

On 7 January 2017, Polkinghorne become the first player to play 100 club games in the W-League, all of which have been played for Brisbane Roar.[5] In December 2020, Polkinghorne re-signed with Brisbane Roar after spending the off-season at Avaldsnes.[6]

Houston Dash (2018–2019)

On 7 June 2018, Polkinghorne signed with the Houston Dash.[7]

Vittsjö GIK (2021–2023)

Polkinghorne signed for Swedish Damallsvenskan club Vittsjö GIK on 19 March 2021.[8]

Kristianstads DFF (2024–present)

On 25 December 2023, Polkinghorne joined Kristianstads DFF for the 2024 Damallsvenskan season.[9]

International career

Polkinghorne first represented the Australia national team in 2006 and has played more than 160 matches, scoring 16 goals. She played in both the 2007 World Cup[10][11] and 2011 World Cup and was an unused squad member during the 2015 World Cup.

Polkinghorne was selected for the Australian Matildas football team which qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Matildas advanced to the quarter-finals with one victory and a draw in the group play. In the quarter-finals they beat Great Britain 4–3 after extra time. However, they lost 1–0 to Sweden in the semi-final and were then beaten 4–3 in the bronze medal playoff by USA.[12]

In February 2023, Polkinghorne became the most capped Matilda ever with her 152nd appearance, after surpassing the previous record set by Cheryl Salisbury. She scored a goal against the Czech Republic in the game.[13]

On 4 June 2024, Polkinghorne was named in the Matildas team which qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics, her third Olympic games selection.[14]

Retirement

Polkinghorne announced her retirement from international football on 2 October 2024, effective in December, after the Matildas play Brazil in her hometown of Brisbane. She will continue her club career at Kristianstads, at the same time working towards attaining a coaching licence.[15]

Polkinghorne played her second last game for the Matildas in a friendly against Brazil at Lang Park in Brisbane on 28 November 2024, which they lost 3–1 (the goal scored by Caitlin Foord). Polkinghorne's last game for Australia occurred on 7 December, in a 6–0 win against Chinese Taipei held in Geelong.[16] At this date, she is Australia's most capped footballer, with 169 appearances during her career.[16][17] In the next month she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours for "service to football".[18]

Personal life

Polkinghorne is in a lesbian relationship with Swedish Hyrox coach Louise Persson. On 29 September 2025, Polkinghorne and Persson announced that they were expecting their first child.[19]

Clare Polkinghorne Medal

On 23 December 2025, the A-League broadcast partner Network 10 announced that they would launch the Clare Polkinghorne Medal, the first of which to be awarded at the 2026 A-League Women Grand Final.[20] The award mirrors the existing Alex Tobin Medal, where the winners are selected by the league's broadcaster. Points are awarded after each regular season game, with the best player on the pitch is given 3 points, the second-best is given 2 points, and third-best is given 1 point. At the end of the season, the points are tallied and the player with the most points overall is awarded the Clare Polkinghorne Medal. The winner receives a cash prize, and also nominates a junior club to also receive prizes from the league sponsors.[20]

Career statistics

International goals


Goal		 Date Location Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 5 March 2008 Stockland Park, Sunshine Coast, Australia  New Zealand

4–2

4–2

 Friendly
2. 2 June 2008 Thống Nhất Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam  Japan

1–3

1–3

 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup
3. 16 June 2013 Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia  New Zealand

1–0

1–1

 Friendly
4. 10 February 2015 Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland, New Zealand  North Korea

1–0

2–1

 Friendly
511 March 2015Paralimni Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus Czech Republic5–26–22015 Cyprus Cup
6. 2 March 2016 Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan  Vietnam

9–0

9–0

 2016 Olympics qualifying
7. 9 August 2016 Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil  Zimbabwe

2–0

6–1

 2016 Summer Olympics
8. 28 February 2018 Albufeira Municipal Stadium, Albufeira, Portugal  Norway

1–1

4–3

 2018 Algarve Cup
9. 9 October 2018 Craven Cottage, London, England  England

1–1

1–1

 Friendly
10. 6 March 2020 McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia  Vietnam

4–0

5–0

 2020 Olympics qualifying
11. 10 June 2021 CASA Arena, Horsens, Denmark  Denmark

2–3

2–3

 Friendly
12. 23 October 2021 CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia  Brazil

1–0

3–1

 Friendly
13. 26 October 2021 CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia  Brazil

1–0

2–2

 Friendly
14. 8 October 2022 Kingsmeadow, London, United Kingdom  South Africa

3–0

4–1

 Friendly
15. 16 February 2023 Industree Group Stadium, Gosford, Australia  Czech Republic

4–0

4–0

 2023 Cup of Nations
16. 19 February 2023 CommBank Stadium, Sydney, Australia  Spain

2–0

3–2

 2023 Cup of Nations

Honours

Queensland Sting

Brisbane Roar

Australia

Individual

See also

References

External links

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