Stephen Cluxton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stephen Cluxton

Cluxton taking a kick-out against Mayo during the 2012 All-Ireland SFC semi-final
Personal information
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Goalkeeper
Born	(1981-12-17) 17 December 1981 (age 43) Coolock, Dublin, Ireland
Nickname	Clucko Stevo
Occupation	Secondary school teacher
Club(s)
Years	Club
2000–	Parnells
Club titles
Dublin titles	0
Colleges(s)
Years	College
2002–2006	Dublin City University
College titles
Sigerson titles	1
Inter-county(ies)*
Years	County	Apps (scores)
2001–2020, 2023–	Dublin	125 (0–48)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	18
All-Irelands	9
NFL	5
All Stars	7
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 00:20, 2 June 2025 (UTC+1).

Stephen Cluxton, born on December 17, 1981, is a famous Irish Gaelic footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for the Dublin county team.

Cluxton first played for Dublin's senior team in the 2001 Championship. Since then, he has become Dublin's main goalkeeper. He holds a record with Mick Fitzsimons and James McCarthy. They have won the most All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, with nine each. These wins include 2011, 2013, and six in a row from 2015 to 2020.

Stephen Cluxton is the only player in history to captain a team to seven championship titles. He has also won a record 18 Leinster medals. Plus, he has five National Football League medals and six All Stars awards.

Stephen Cluxton's Early Life

Stephen Cluxton grew up in Coolock, Dublin. His family loved association football (soccer). His father, Pat, won many medals playing for Postal Celtic. Stephen also played soccer for St David's Primary School and Tolka Rovers.

Stephen Cluxton's Football Journey

Playing in College

Cluxton first played Gaelic football at St David's CBS in Artane. He preferred soccer at first. He thought Gaelic football was "too rough." But he was convinced to join the St David's Gaelic football team. He started as a corner-forward because he could kick the ball well. Later, he moved to corner-back. When the school's main goalkeepers were unavailable, Cluxton stepped in as goalkeeper.

Playing at University

While studying at Dublin City University, Cluxton joined the college's senior Gaelic football team. On February 25, 2006, he won a Sigerson Cup medal as goalkeeper. His team, DCU, beat Queen's University Belfast 0–11 to 1–04 in the final.

Playing for His Club

Cluxton joined the Parnells club when he was young. He played at all levels as he grew up. He was known for stopping shots and being quick. Some people thought he was "a little small for a goalkeeper." They also questioned his ability to catch high balls. Cluxton worked hard on these areas to improve his game. He also plays midfield for his club team.

Playing for His County

Minor and Under-21 Teams

Cluxton first played for Dublin at minor level when he was 17. On August 7, 1999, he was the goalkeeper when Dublin beat Wexford. They won 2–13 to 1–12 in the Leinster final replay.

Later, Cluxton joined the Dublin under-21 team. His first game was on February 18, 2001. Dublin beat Longford in a Leinster quarter-final.

After a tough first season, Cluxton won a Leinster Championship medal in 2002. Dublin beat Wicklow 1–17 to 2–04 in the final. On October 6, 2002, Cluxton was in goal for Dublin. They lost to Galway 0–15 to 0–07 in the All-Ireland final.

Senior Team Highlights

2001–2005 Seasons

Cluxton made his senior championship debut for Dublin on May 27, 2001. It was a Leinster Championship game against Longford. He played in two games before Davy Byrne, the regular goalkeeper, returned from injury.

When Byrne retired in February 2002, Cluxton became Dublin's first-choice goalkeeper. He played his first National Football League game against Donegal in 2002. On July 14, 2002, Dublin won their first Leinster Championship in seven years. Cluxton was in goal as they beat Kildare 2–13 to 2–11. He won his first All Star Award that year. He was also named RTÉ/Hibernian Young Personality of the Year.

On July 5, 2003, Cluxton was sent off during a game against Armagh. Dublin's manager, Tommy Lyons, said Cluxton's dismissal "turned the whole game." Cluxton was banned for one month. He thought about leaving Gaelic football. Some professional soccer clubs even offered him contracts. But he decided to stay with Dublin.

On July 17, 2005, Cluxton won his second Leinster Championship medal. Dublin beat Laois 0–14 to 0–13 in the final.

2006–2012 Seasons

Cluxton won his third Leinster Championship medal on July 16, 2006. Dublin beat Offaly 1–15 to 0–09. He also won his second All Star Award that year.

On July 15, 2007, Cluxton won his fourth Leinster Championship medal. Dublin won their third title in a row, beating Laois 3–14 to 1–14. He received his third All Star Award.

Cluxton won his fifth Leinster Championship medal on July 20, 2008. Dublin won their fourth title in a row, beating Wexford 3–23 to 0–09.

On July 12, 2009, Cluxton was in goal for Dublin's fifth Leinster Championship win in a row. They beat Kildare 2–15 to 0–18.

Dublin lost their title to Meath in 2010. Cluxton won his seventh Leinster Championship medal the next year. Dublin beat Wexford 2–12 to 1–12. On September 18, 2011, Cluxton played in his first All-Ireland final against Kerry. In the last minutes, with the score tied, he scored a free kick. This secured a 1–12 to 1–11 victory for Dublin. It was Dublin's first All-Ireland title in 16 years. Cluxton won his fourth All Star Award that season.

On July 22, 2012, Cluxton won his eighth Leinster Championship medal. Dublin beat Meath 2–13 to 1–13. Jim Gavin became Dublin's manager in October 2012. Cluxton was chosen as the team captain.

2013–2020 Seasons

Cluxton taking a kick-out against Mayo during the 2012 All-Ireland SFC semi-final

On April 28, 2013, Cluxton won his first trophy as captain. Dublin beat Tyrone 0–18 to 0–17 to win the National Football League title. This was their first league title in 20 years. He then won his ninth Leinster Championship medal. Dublin beat Meath 2–15 to 0–14. On September 22, 2013, Cluxton captained Dublin in an All-Ireland final for the first time. He scored two points from frees. Dublin beat Mayo 2–12 to 1–14. Cluxton won his fifth All Star Award that year.

On April 27, 2014, Cluxton won a second National League medal as captain. Dublin beat Derry 3–19 to 1–10. He then won his 10th Leinster Championship medal. Dublin beat Meath 3–20 to 1–10.

Cluxton captained Dublin to a third National League title in a row on April 26, 2015. They beat Cork 1–12 to 2–07. Later that season, Dublin won the Leinster Championship again. Cluxton won his 11th provincial medal as captain. Dublin beat Westmeath 2–13 to 0–06. On September 20, 2015, he became the first goalkeeper to score in three All-Ireland finals. He captained Dublin to a 0–12 to 0–09 win over Kerry. This was his third All-Ireland medal.

Cluxton led Dublin to the All-Ireland Final in 2016 against Mayo. The first game was a draw. Dublin won the replay 1–15 to 1–14.

In 2017, Dublin lost the National League final to Kerry by one point. But Dublin then won a record seven Leinster titles in a row. On September 17, Cluxton captained Dublin to a historic third All-Ireland title in a row. They beat Mayo 1–17 to 1–16 in a thrilling game.

Cluxton played in six of Dublin's games during the 2018 National League. He made his 100th league appearance. On April 1, 2018, he captained Dublin to their fifth league title in seven seasons. They beat Galway 0–18 to 0–14. During a Leinster semi-final, Cluxton got a back injury. He missed his first championship game since 2004. But he won his 14th Leinster medal as a substitute. On September 2, 2018, Cluxton played his 200th game for Dublin. He captained the team to a record-equalling fourth All-Ireland title in a row. They beat Tyrone 2–17 to 1–14. This was his fifth time captaining the team to the title. It was his sixth All-Ireland medal overall.

Cluxton became Dublin's most capped player on October 17, 2020. He passed Johnny McDonnell's record. On December 19, 2020, Cluxton won his eighth All-Ireland senior title. It was his seventh as captain. Dublin beat Mayo in the 2020 All-Ireland Final.

2021–2023 Seasons

Cluxton was not with the Dublin team in 2021. Dublin shared the Allianz Division 1 Football League title with Kerry. They lost their first Championship match since 2014 against Mayo. This ended their goal for seven All-Irelands in a row. It also ended a very successful time for Dublin Gaelic football.

His absence was talked about a lot. Some wondered if it was because he liked to keep a low profile. Others thought there might have been a disagreement. On January 8, 2022, Dublin manager Dessie Farrell said Cluxton would not return for the upcoming season. This seemed to confirm Cluxton's retirement.

However, Cluxton made a surprising return in March 2023. He was named as a substitute for Dublin's game against Louth. This was a big surprise because of earlier talks about a disagreement.

On July 30, 2023, Cluxton was part of the Dublin team that won the 2023 All-Ireland football final.

International Rules Series

Cluxton first played for Ireland in the International Rules Series in 2002. Australia won that series. He was part of the winning Irish team in the 2004 International Rules Series. He won the Irish player of the tournament award.

Cluxton was goalkeeper for Ireland in the 2010 International Rules Series in Limerick. He did not let any goals in. Cluxton captained Ireland during the 2011 International Rules Series in Australia. Ireland won the Series.

An injury kept him from playing in the 2013 International Rules Series. Paddy O'Rourke played as goalkeeper instead.

Stephen Cluxton's Life Outside Football

As of 2012, Stephen Cluxton works as a secondary school teacher. He teaches Biology at St. Vincent's C.B.S. in Glasnevin.

Charity Work

In April 2011, Cluxton played in a charity soccer match. It was between Darndale F.C. and Liverpool/Manchester United Legends. The game raised money for Autism Ireland. During the match, Cluxton had a disagreement with former Republic of Ireland national football team player Jason McAteer. Both Cluxton and McAteer were sent off the field.

Career Statistics

Honours and Awards

Team Awards

Dublin City University

• Sigerson Cup (1): 2006

Dublin

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (9): 2011, 2013 (c), 2015 (c), 2016 (c), 2017 (c), 2018 (c), 2019 (c), 2020 (c), 2023
• Leinster Senior Football Championship (18): 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 (c), 2014 (c), 2015 (c), 2016 (c), 2017 (c), 2018 (c), 2019 (c), 2020 (c), 2023, 2024
• National Football League (5): 2013 (c), 2014 (c), 2015 (c), 2016 (c), 2018 (c)
• O'Byrne Cup (1): 2007
• Leinster Under-21 Football Championship (1): 2002
• Leinster Minor Football Championship (1): 1999

Ireland

• International Rules Series (2): 2004, 2011 (c)

Individual Awards

• GAA-GPA All Stars Awards (7): 2002, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2023
• GPA Gaelic Team of the Year (2): 2006, 2007
• GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year (1): 2019
• The Sunday Game Team of the Year (1): 2023
• In May 2020, a public poll by RTÉ.ie named Cluxton as goalkeeper in a team of All-Star footballers.
• Also in May 2020, the Irish Independent ranked Cluxton at number four in its "Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years."