Jamilla Rankin
Australian soccer player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jamilla Sofia Rankin (born 9 May 2003) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for TSG Hoffenheim in the Frauen-Bundesliga and the Australia national team (the Matildas). She previously played for Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in the A-League Women.[2]
|
Rankin with TSG Hoffenheim in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jamilla Sofia Rankin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | TSG Hoffenheim | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Eureka | |||
| Liverpool Academy | |||
| Brisbane Roar NTC | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | Brisbane Roar NTC | ||
| 2019–2023 | Brisbane Roar | 45 | (1) |
| 2020, 2021 | Football NSW | ||
| 2021 | Gold Coast United | ||
| 2022 | Blacktown Spartans | ||
| 2023–2024 | Melbourne Victory | 23 | (0) |
| 2024– | TSG Hoffenheim | 32 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2020 | Australia U17 | 6 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Australia U23 | 5 | (0) |
| 2022– | Australia | 7 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 8 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 March 2026 | |||
Early life
Rankin was born in 2003 and grew up in Lismore, New South Wales.[1][3][4] She attended Rosebank Public School (years K-6), Trinity Catholic College, Lismore (years 7–9) and Cavendish Road State High School, Brisbane.[3] While attending Rosebank, she competed in athletics as well as soccer.[5] As a junior she played soccer for Eureka in Football Far North Coast (FFNC) league.[3][6] In 2016, while with FFNC, Rankin was selected to represent Northern New South Wales Football's 13 Girls team at the national Youth Championships for Girls.[7] At 14 years old, while at Cavendish Road, she attended their academy, which is part of QAS NTC (Queensland Academy of Sport National Training Centre) and is aligned with Brisbane Roar Juniors; the combination is referred to as Brisbane Roar NTC.
Club career
In 2019 Rankin, as a defender, graduated from Brisbane Roar NTC to Football Queensland NTC seniors, which compete in the National Premier Leagues Queensland (NPL Qld).[6] In March 2020, Rankin made her W-League (later known as A-League Women) debut for Brisbane Roar seniors during their 2019–20 season,[2][8] in a 3–1 loss to Melbourne City.[6] During the W-League 2020 off-season (mid-year) the defender played for Football NSW Institute in the National Premier Leagues NSW Women's (NPL NSW Women's).[6]
In 2021, Rankin received a Young Footballer of the Year nomination in February, due to her successful season in the 2020–21 W-League.[9] She kicked her maiden goal in Brisbane Roar's 4–1 defeat of Sydney in February 2021.[2] Initially playing as a left-back defender, during that year she became a centre-back.[10] In August, Rankin re-signed with her team.[11] Her performances in the first two seasons in the W-League earned favourable comparisons with fellow Australian defenders Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter.[12] By the end of Brisbane's 2022-23 season she had played 45 matches and delivered one goal.[2][6]
In August 2023, Rankin joined Melbourne Victory for their 2023–24 season.[13] She appeared 23 times during the season,[2] and the team finished fourth on the Premiership ladder and lost a penalty shoot-out (2–4), upon drawing 0–0 after extra-time, against Central Coast Mariners in the Championship elimination final.[14]
Rankin signed with German club TSG Hoffenheim in August 2024 on a three-year contract.[15] In the 2024–25 Frauen-Bundesliga she played 18 matches and helped TSG to finish sixth on the league table.[16][17] During the related 2024–25 DFB-Pokal Frauen, Rankin kicked a goal in their 0–7 victory against SV Hegnach.[18]
International career
Rankin was a part of the Australia women's national under-17 soccer team (Junior Matildas) during the 2019 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification and final tournament. She featured during two matches of qualification as well as in four games in the final tournament, playing 360 minutes, starting each game she played in.[19][20]
On 21 November 2020, Rankin was called up for the first ever Women's Talent Identification Camp which was held in Canberra from 22 – 26 of November 2020.[21][22] She was selected for the Australia women's national under-23 soccer team (U23 Matildas) squad for the 2022 AFF Women's Championship held in the Philippines in July.[23] They competed against senior teams from ASEAN Football Federation, finishing third in their group and being eliminated.[23] Rankin returned to the U23 Matildas at the Four Nations invitational under-23 tournament held in Växjö, Sweden from 30 May to 4 June 2024.[24][25] Her team lost against Sweden and Germany, but won against Poland.[26][27]
Rankin made her debut for the Australia women's national soccer team (Matildas) on 25 June 2022 in a 7–0 defeat by Spain in Huelva, Spain.[28]
