Jade Close facts for kids

Jade Close was born on October 18, 1987. She is an Australian field hockey player. Jade plays for the NSW Arrows in the Australian Hockey League. She is also a member of the Hockeyroos, which is Australia's national women's team. She has played 87 games for them. Jade was chosen to play for Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

About Jade Close

Jade Close was born in Wagga Wagga, Australia. Her nickname is Ruby. She grew up in Penrith, New South Wales. Jade lives in Perth, Western Australia. This is where the national field hockey team trains. When she is not training, she visits her family in Penrith.

Jade had an exciting experience when she was younger. She was a ball girl at the 2000 Summer Olympics. This was during the Hockeyroos' gold medal match. Today, Jade works as the Assistant Pathways Manager for Hockey NSW.

Playing Field Hockey

Jade Close plays as a striker in field hockey. She started playing the sport because her sister's team needed an extra player. She plays for the NSW Arrows team. This team is part of the Australian Hockey League. Jade wears jersey number 4 for her team. Companies like Mazon (Just Hockey) and Lawrence & Hanson sponsor her.

National Team Career

Jade Close first played for the Australian national team in 2010. This was during a tour in Europe. In January 2011, the Hockeyroos got a new coach, Adam Commens. Jade was one of four players chosen to help build up the national team. By June 2012, she had played 87 games for the Australian women's national field hockey team.

In June 2012, Jade played in the Investec London Cup. She played in a game where Australia lost 1–4 to the Netherlands.

Jade was selected to join the Australian women's national field hockey squad. This team competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was 24 years old when she made her Olympic debut. To get ready for the Games, she trained for four weeks in Perth. This training camp happened in June and July 2012. Jade and her teammates left for the London Games on July 17.