Claude Clough
St Kilda
AFL career
23 games8 goals
- Debut
- R1 1900 v MEL5 May 1900
- Most recent
- SR2 1901 v MEL17 Aug 1901
Stats
Bio
Claude Clough holds the unique distinction of being the youngest player in the history of the VFL/AFL, a record established in 1900 but only officially recognised over a century later due to a long-standing historical error regarding his birth date. Selected as a 15-year-old schoolboy, he made his debut in a landmark match that eventually delivered St Kilda's first-ever league victory, albeit after a protest overturned the original drawn result against Melbourne. Operating primarily as a half-forward, Clough managed to boot eight goals during his brief tenure, holding his own against hardened senior bodies despite his slight frame and extreme youth. He stepped away from top-level football at the end of 1901 while still only 16, leaving a legacy defined by his extraordinary age and his role in breaking the Saints' early competitive drought.
Profile
- Full name
- Claude L. Clough
- Born
- 08 Oct 1884
- Died
- 23 Feb 1922 (aged 37y 138d)
- Birthplace
- St Kilda, VIC
- Deathplace
- St Kilda, VIC
Teams
Bio
1 revisionClaude Clough holds the unique distinction of being the youngest player in the history of the VFL/AFL, a record established in 1900 but only officially recognised over a century later due to a long-standing historical error regarding his birth date. Selected as a 15-year-old schoolboy, he made his debut in a landmark match that eventually delivered St Kilda's first-ever league victory, albeit after a protest overturned the original drawn result against Melbourne. Operating primarily as a half-forward, Clough managed to boot eight goals during his brief tenure, holding his own against hardened senior bodies despite his slight frame and extreme youth. He stepped away from top-level football at the end of 1901 while still only 16, leaving a legacy defined by his extraordinary age and his role in breaking the Saints' early competitive drought.