| Clare Wheeler | |
| Fullname: | Clare May Wheeler[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1998 1, df=yes[2] |
| Birth Place: | Coffs Harbour, Australia |
| Height: | 1.62m |
| Position: | Defensive midfielder[3] |
| Currentclub: | Everton |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Years1: | 2013–2020 |
| Clubs1: | Newcastle Jets |
| Caps1: | 67 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2020–2021 |
| Clubs2: | Sydney FC |
| Caps2: | 12 |
| Goals2: | 4 |
| Years3: | 2021–2023 |
| Clubs3: | Fortuna Hjørring |
| Caps3: | 21 |
| Goals3: | 2 |
| Years4: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs4: | → Everton (loan) |
| Caps4: | 4 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2023– |
| Clubs5: | Everton |
| Caps5: | 35 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2015 |
| Nationalteam1: | Australia U20 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 10 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam2: | Australia |
| Nationalcaps2: | 21 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 2 |
| Club-Update: | 18 May 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 3 June 2024 |
Clare May Wheeler (born 14 January 1998) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Everton and the Australia women's national team. She has represented Australia on the under-20 team.[4]
Wheeler began playing soccer at age ten for a local club, the Adamstown Rosebud.[5] At the age of 13, she was selected for the state youth league, Northern NSW.[5] She was later selected for the Emerging Jets Program.[5]
In 2013 at the age of 15, Wheeler was selected to play for the Newcastle Jets for the 2013–14 Newcastle Jets W-League season.[5] [6] She made six appearances for the club playing primarily as a defender.[7] The Jets finished in last place during the regular season with a record.[8] During the 2014 season, Wheeler made five appearances. The Jets finished in fifth place with a record.[9] [10]
During the 2015-16 season, Wheeler made 11 appearances for the Jets. The club finished in sixth place with a record.[11] Returning to the Jets for the 2016-17 season, Wheeler made appearances in 11 of the 12 regular season matches. The Jets finished the season in fifth place with a record.[12]
Wheeler left Newcastle Jets to join Sydney FC ahead of the 2020–21 W-League season.[13]
In June 2021, Wheeler left Australia to join Danish champions Fortuna Hjørring.[14]
In August 2022, Wheeler was loaned to English club Everton.[15] In January 2023, at the end of her loan, she was signed by the club on a permanent basis.[16]
In 2015, Wheeler was selected for the Young Matildas (under-20 national team) to compete at the 2015 AFC U-19 Women's Championship tournament in China.[17] [18]
In 2021, Wheeler made her debut for the senior team in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland.[19] Wheeler scored her first international goal for the Matildas against the Philippines in an Olympic qualifying match on 29 October 2023.
On 4 June 2024, Wheeler was named in the Matildas team which qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics, her debut Olympics selection.[20]
Wheeler graduated high school with an ATAR of 90, and graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Commerce, and worked in financial assistance at Macquarie Group after completing her university studies.[21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Newcastle Jets | 2013–14 | A-League | 6 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | A-League | 5 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | A-League | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | A-League | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18 | A-League | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | A-League | 12 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | A-League | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 67 | 0 | — | — | 67 | 0 | |||||
| Sydney FC | 2020–21 | A-League | 12 | 4 | — | — | 12 | 4 | |||
| Fortuna Hjørring | 2021–22 | Kvindeligaen | 21 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| Everton | 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Women's Super League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 121 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 131 | 6 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Total | 16 | 1 | ||
Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wheeler goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 October 2023 | Perth Stadium, Perth, Australia | 8–0 | 8–0 | 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament | ||
| 2 | 3 June 2024 | Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |