Jade Close

Jade Close
Personal information
NicknameRuby
NationalityAustralian
Born (1987-10-18) 18 October 1987 (age 37)
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Sport
SportField hockey
EventWomen's team
TeamRetired
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals2012
Updated on 25 June 2012

Jade Close (born 18 October 1987) is an Australian field hockey player. She plays club hockey for the NSW Arrows in the Australian Hockey League. She is a member of the Hockeyroos and has had 87 caps for the team. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Personal

Close, nicknamed Ruby, was born on 18 October 1987 in Wagga Wagga.[1][2] She is from Penrith,[1] New South Wales.[3] She lives in Perth, Western Australia because the national team trains there. When not training with them, she stays at home with family in Penrith.[1] She was a ball girl at the 2000 Summer Olympics during the Hockeyroos' gold medal match.[1]

Close is currently the Assistant Pathways Manager for Hockey NSW. [4]

Field hockey

Close is a striker,[1][2] who started playing the sport because her sister's team needed an extra player.[2] She plays for the NSW Arrows in the Australian Hockey League, wearing jersey number 4.[2] Her hockey sponsors include Mazon (Just Hockey) and Lawrence & Hanson.[2]

National team

Close made her national team debut at the European Tour 2010.[2] When the Hockeyroos got new coach Adam Commens in January 2011, she was one of four players identified to aid in developing the national side.[5] As of 21 June 2012, she had 87 caps with the Australia women's national field hockey team.[1]

In June 2012, Close played in the Investec London Cup.[6] She played in Australia's 1–4 loss to the Netherlands.[7][8][9][10]

Close was named to the Australia women's national field hockey squad that will compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics,[1][3][11][12][13][14] making her debut as a twenty-four-year-old.[1] In preparation for the Games, she participated in a four-week Perth-based training camp in June and July 2012.[1] She and her team-mates were scheduled to leave for the London Games on 17 July.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Georgakopoulos, Chris (21 June 2012). "Jade Close off to London Olympics". Penrith Press. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Jade Close". Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Hockeyroos name London squad - ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  4. ^ "Staff".
  5. ^ "Commens fast-tracks hopefuls for Games - The West Australian". Yahoo! News. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Australia & Germany win at Investec London Cup". England Hockey. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Hockeyroos beaten 4-1 in final of London Cup". The Courier-Mail. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Netherlands edge Hockeyroos 2-1 in London Cup opener". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. Australian Associated Press. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Hockeyroos fall to the Dutch - London 2012 Olympic Games (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  10. ^ Broad, Ben (11 June 2012). "Find out what you missed overnight in our Monday morning Sports Fix". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Canberra's Anna Flanagan headed to London". The Canberra Times. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  12. ^ "New-look Hockeyroos out to give some stick". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia. Australian Associated Press. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Hockeyroos' new-look squad". The Australian. Melbourne, Australia. Australian Associated Press. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  14. ^ "Hockeyroos to blend youth with experience". Nine MSN. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.