Clare Polkinghorne

Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne (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".

Early life and education Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne was born on 1 February 1989 in Brisbane, Queensland.

Club career INAC Kobe Leonessa For the 2014 season, Polkinghorne was loaned to INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan.

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

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. In December 2020, Polkinghorne re-signed with Brisbane Roar after spending the off-season at Avaldsnes.

Houston Dash (2018–2019) On 7 June 2018, Polkinghorne signed with the Houston Dash.

Vittsjö GIK (2021–2023) Polkinghorne signed for Swedish Damallsvenskan club Vittsjö GIK on 19 March 2021.

Kristianstads DFF (2024–present) On 25 December 2023, Polkinghorne joined Kristianstads DFF for the 2024 Damallsvenskan season.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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. At this date, she is Australia's most capped footballer, with 169 appearances during her career. In the next month she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours for "service to football".

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. 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 given three points, the second-best awarded two points, and third-best one 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.

Brisbane Roar W-League Premiership: 2008–09, 2012–13 W-League Championship: 2008–09, 2010–11

Australia AFF Women's Championship: 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup: 2010 AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016 Tournament of Nations: 2017 FFA Cup of Nations: 2019

Individual 2012–13 Julie Dolan Medal: Best player in the 2012–13 W-League 2017–18 Julie Dolan Medal: Best player in the 2017–18 W-League (jointly with Sam Kerr) 2025 Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours for "service to football".