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Clare Polkinghorne: 21 years old
Position: Midfielder
Team: Brisbane Roar; Captain
Matildas: 41 caps
Off the field I am a uni student, studying Psychology/Criminology at Griffith University. I live in Brisbane with my mum, dad and two brothers. On the field I am just a girl who has a passion for the game, playing for the same reasons as any other girl who plays football. A game that offers so much, presenting opportunities that would not otherwise be presented. So how did the journey start?
I first began playing football at the age of 5 in my older brothers team. Back then it was rare to see girls playing football. At that time I was unable to register for a team because I was too young but I would go along to watch my brother and would always be my dad (who was the team manager) to put me on for the last 5 minutes of the game. From my first 5 minutes as a 5-year-old girl, I fell in love with the sport. I continued to play club and eventually played through primary and high school. I represented Met East in the schools competition and made my first QLD state team in Year 6.
Dreams became a reality when I made my debut for the Young Matildas (U20’s) and eventually the Westfields Matildas on June 19, 2006. I was the 140th woman to put on the green and gold and represent the Matildas. My first international competition was the FIFA U20 Women’s World Championships 2006, held in Russia. As a 17 year old, competing in a world event only fuelled the fire for bigger and better things. The next year, 2007, I was shocked but ecstatic to be selected in the Matildas World Cup squad for the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in China. This experience is one that I will never forget, as I was a part of Australia’s first ever win at a Women’s World Cup as well as the Matildas most successful World Cup, reaching the quarter finals, losing to Brazil.
Another memorable moment as part of the Westfield Matildas came at this year’s Asian Cup in China, where we won Australia’s first piece of silverware for football, by winning the Asian Cup and qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany 2011. This result has seen our ranking reach number 11 in the world, with the Top 10 in our sights. The recent success of the Westfield Matildas can be greatly attributed to the Westfields W-League, a national competition giving women the opportunity to show their skill and passion for the game on a weekly basis.
The resurgence of a women’s national league in Australia has seen the Westfields W-League become one of the most exciting new prospects for Women's sport in Australia. To be apart of the W-League since its first season is something that many of the girls are extremely proud of and we are happy that we have the opportunity to promote the women’s game in our own backyard and encourage all those young girls to pursue their dreams.
With the third season of the Westfield W-League season under way, I will take you behind the scenes of the Brisbane Roar team – how we prepare for games, our training week, our thoughts on the previous weeks game as well as insight into us women off the pitch.
Clare is a girl with a strong passion for football and the womens game in particular. Captain of W-League side Brisbane Roar, Clare is also a current Matilda. Catch the W-League every week at your local ground, or if you cant make the game live on ABC1. To read Clare's other columns for The Football Sack, click here!