45 Facts About Alastair Clarkson

Alastair Thomas Clarkson was born on 27 April 1968 and is an Australian rules football coach and former player.

Alastair Clarkson is currently the head coach of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League and was previously head coach of the Hawthorn Football Club from 2005 to 2021, where he won four premierships.

Alastair Clarkson played 134 games in total, playing either in the midfield or on the half-forward flanks.

Alastair Clarkson was appointed senior coach of Hawthorn at the end of the 2004 season, in which the club had placed second-last.

From 2012 to 2015, Alastair Clarkson cemented his place in club history by coaching Hawthorn to four consecutive grand finals.

Alastair Clarkson is one of the few men to have coached four premiership teams and is widely considered among the most innovative and successful coaches in AFL history.

Alastair Clarkson grew up in the small rural town of Kaniva, Victoria.

Alastair Clarkson moved to Ballarat at the age of 14 to board at Ballarat Clarendon College, where he played in the school cricket and football teams.

Alastair Clarkson was recruited by the North Melbourne Football Club, where he made his Victorian Football League debut in round 15 of the 1987 season against Melbourne, kicking the winning goal after the siren.

Alastair Clarkson was 19 and at the end of his first season with North Melbourne when the Kangaroos met Carlton in October 1987 in the controversial "Battle of Britain", an exhibition match at The Oval in London.

Several players from both teams were suspended after a spiteful game, with Alastair Clarkson receiving a four-match penalty for coward punching Ian Aitken from behind being the longest.

Alastair Clarkson played 93 games with the Kangaroos for 61 goals in his nine seasons until 1995.

Alastair Clarkson was a solid player and averaged 23.5 disposals in 22 games that year.

Alastair Clarkson played 19 games in 1997, taking his tally with the Demons to 41 games, before retiring at the end of the season.

Alastair Clarkson served as a runner with the Melbourne Football Club in 1998.

Alastair Clarkson was an assistant coach under senior coach Tim Watson at the St Kilda Football Club in 1999.

Alastair Clarkson took over as head coach at Werribee in the VFL in 2000.

Alastair Clarkson moved to Central District in South Australia, where he was the premiership coach in his debut year in 2001.

In 2002, Alastair Clarkson guided Central District to the SANFL minor premiership and guided them to their second successive SANFL Grand Final.

In 2003, Alastair Clarkson became an assistant coach in the position of midfield coach at Port Adelaide Football Club under senior coach Mark Williams and was part of their coaching team in the club's 2004 premiership.

Alastair Clarkson was appointed to his first senior Australian Football League coaching role for the 2005 season when the Hawks appointed him to lead their rebuilding phase.

Alastair Clarkson replaced Hawthorn Football Club caretaker senior coach Donald McDonald, who replaced Peter Schwab during the 2004 season, after Schwab quit during the season when the Hawks were struggling and eventually finished in second-last placed position on the ladder at the end of the 2004 season.

Alastair Clarkson was prepared to delist older players and introduce a youth policy.

Hawthorn under Alastair Clarkson had five wins in Alastair Clarkson's debut season as senior coach of the Hawthorn Football Club in the 2005 season.

Alastair Clarkson brought to the club delisted players Brent Guerra and Stephen Gilham whom he knew from his time at Port Adelaide.

The Hawks under Alastair Clarkson continued to improve in the 2007 season, winning 13 games and finishing fifth on the premiership table.

Alastair Clarkson went against his own policy on draft day 2007 when, in addition to youngster Cyril Rioli, he recruited the recently retired Stuart Dew, whom he knew from his time at Port Adelaide.

Alastair Clarkson introduced a new style of play that became known as the "Clarkson cluster".

Early dominance in the 2008 season led Hawthorn to announce that Alastair Clarkson had signed a contract until the end of 2011.

In 2013, Alastair Clarkson became only the third man behind John Kennedy, Sr.

Alastair Clarkson is the only man to coach the club in 200 consecutive games.

Alastair Clarkson has been coach of the Australian team in the International Rules Series in 2014 and 2015.

However, on 30 July 2021, it was announced that Alastair Clarkson would leave Hawthorn at the conclusion of the 2021 AFL season, with Mitchell immediately succeeding him.

Alastair Clarkson coached Hawthorn Football Club from 2005 until 2021, for a total of 17 seasons, with a record of 390 games with 228 wins, 158 losses and 4 draws with a winning percentage of 60 percent.

Alastair Clarkson coached the club to a total of four premierships in 2008,2013,2014 and 2015 as well as when the club finished as runners-up in 2012.

In May 2023, just before the start of Round 10, Alastair Clarkson announced that he would step away from his role as North Melbourne senior coach indefinitely, citing mental health as a result of the investigation into alleged historical racism during his time at Hawthorn.

Alastair Clarkson would have coached his 400th game that weekend against the Sydney Swans.

Alastair Clarkson resumed his role as senior coach of North Melbourne in Round 21,2023 against Melbourne.

In Round 22,2009, against Essendon, Alastair Clarkson was fined $15,000 for confronting and threatening Matthew Lloyd after Lloyd had flattened Hawthorn's Brad Sewell and started a brawl at the start of the third quarter of the match, and for abusing an interchange steward who attempted to intervene in the incident.

In July 2012, while serving as the runner for his son's team in a South Metro Junior Football League under-9s match, Alastair Clarkson was reported for abusing 19-year-old umpires' adviser Thomas Grundy; he was suspended for four SMJFL matches for the incident.

In May 2013, Alastair Clarkson again created controversy after calling AFL Media journalist Matt Thompson a "cockhead".

Unlike his previous incidents, Alastair Clarkson received almost unanimous support within the football industry, as well as from the general public over his actions.

In 2024 during the AFL pre-season, Alastair Clarkson was fined $25,000 and given a 2-match suspended sentence for approaching Jimmy Webster for his bump on Jy Simpkin, reportedly calling Webster a "cocksucker".

In May 2024, Alastair Clarkson was investigated for, and ultimately cleared of, verbally abusing umpires during North Melbourne's loss to Port Adelaide.

Alastair Clarkson holds a Master of Business Administration from Monash University, and a Bachelor of Sports Science.