Clarke Carlisle
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Clarke James Carlisle (born 14 October 1979) is an English former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a defender and was chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association. Born in Preston, he began playing football at a young age, taking inspiration from his father who played semi-professionally. Carlisle represented his home county of
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
at youth level. The start of his professional career was his
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
debut for
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in September 1997. He moved to
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
in May 2000. In the same year, Carlisle won three
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for the England under-21 national team. He missed a number of matches for Queens Park Rangers due to a posterior cruciate ligament injury which at one stage led doctors to believe that his career was over. He then missed one month of the 2003–04 season because of an alcohol-related problem, and left Queens Park Rangers at the end of that season. In the summer of 2004, he joined
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
on a free transfer. Carlisle spent just one season with Leeds United before signing for
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
in August 2005. In the 2005–06 season, his first with Watford, the team finished third in the division and achieved promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. However, a thigh injury caused Carlisle to miss the majority of the team's season in the top flight. In March 2007 he had a one-month loan spell at
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
. In August 2007,
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Steve Cotterill bought Carlisle from Watford for a transfer fee of £200,000. In the 2008–09 season he played over 40 matches as Burnley reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and finished fifth in the league, earning a place in the play-offs. Carlisle was named
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
for his performance in the play-off final as Burnley beat Sheffield United 1–0 to return to the top tier of English football for the first time in 33 years. An imposing figure in the centre of defence thanks to his stature, Carlisle also provided an attacking threat from set pieces. He is a practising
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
and regularly attends church. He attended Balshaw's Church of England High School where he attained 10 A-grades at
GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...
and studied mathematics and politics at
A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
, and in 2002 was awarded the title of "Britain's Brainiest Footballer" in a TV game show. He has been an ambassador for the Kick It Out campaign and is a former chairman of the management committee of the Professional Footballers' Association. Carlisle has suffered from recurring problems with alcohol and depression.


Early life and education

Carlisle was born in
Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...
. He grew up in the city with his parents, Mervin and Rose (née Edgar). He went on to study
A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
mathematics and politics at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College while he was unable to play football due to an injury. Carlisle has a degree in Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting from Staffordshire University, and has expressed interest in taking up teaching work following his football career.


Club career


Early career

Carlisle was inspired to become a footballer by his father, Mervin, who played semi-professionally for
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
and
Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
. Carlisle started playing at a young age and represented
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
at under-15 level, before being signed by
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
where he became a trainee with the youth team. Carlisle signed a professional contract with the club on 13 August 1997 and moved into the first-team squad. On 2 September 1997, he made his debut for Blackpool in the team's 4–3 victory over
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...
in the Second Division. He scored his first
goal A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to ...
as a professional footballer with the 90th-minute winner in the following match, a 2–1 win against Carlisle United at Blackpool's home ground,
Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a association football, football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C., Blackpool Football Club since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two be ...
. He was shown the first
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of his career in Blackpool's 1–0 victory against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
in the quarter-final of the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
on 27 January 1998. He played 12 matches in his first season, scoring two goals. The following season, he played 43 matches as Blackpool achieved a 14th-placed finish in the Second Division. His single goal of the campaign came in a 3–1 victory over Stoke City at the
Victoria Ground The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City from 1878 until 1997, when the club relocated to the Britannia Stadium after 119 years. At the time of its demolition it was the oldest operational ground in the Football League. Histor ...
. In the 1999–2000 season, he played 51 times and scored five goals as Blackpool finished 22nd and were
relegated Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
to the Third Division. He scored on his 93rd and final league appearance for the club in a 1–1 draw with
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
at
Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...
. Despite the team's relegation, Carlisle's strong defensive performances during his three years at Blackpool attracted the attention of Iain Dowie, who at the time was a
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
for
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
.


Queens Park Rangers

Dowie recommended Carlisle to Queens Park Rangers
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Gerry Francis, who paid a transfer fee of £250,000 to sign him on 25 May 2000. He played his first match for the team on 12 August 2000 in the 0–0 draw with
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
. He made a further 31 appearances in the 2000–01 season and scored three times, earning himself a call-up to the England national under-21 team. However, his season was cut short on 31 January 2001, when he suffered his first major injury after a tackle by Rufus Brevett during the 2–0 defeat to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. It was found that Carlisle had torn his posterior cruciate ligament, an injury which kept him sidelined for a year and caused doctors to believe that his career might be over. While he was out of action, Queens Park Rangers suffered relegation to the Second Division after finishing 23rd in the league. Soon after the injury he attempted suicide, and years later was diagnosed with
major depressive disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive depression (mood), low mood, low self-esteem, and anhedonia, loss of interest or pleasure in normally ...
. Upon his return to football, Carlisle was injured again in a reserve-team match against Bristol City, sparking fears that he had aggravated his previous injury. The damage proved not to be particularly severe, although it delayed his return to training by a further month. After missing the entire 2001–02 campaign, Carlisle returned to competitive football on 7 September 2002 in Queens Park Rangers' 4–0 victory over
Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
. He scored two goals in 41 matches in the 2002–03 season, helping the team to a fourth-placed finish and a spot in the Second Division play-offs. The club reached the 2003 Second Division play-off final, but were defeated 1–0 by Cardiff City at the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
on 25 May 2003. During the following season, Carlisle developed personal problems, including an alcohol addiction, although he continued to play for a number of months. He subsequently missed one month of the season after being admitted to Sporting Chance, a clinic run by former England international footballer Tony Adams, for 28 days for treatment for alcohol-related problems. Upon his return to the team, Carlisle won the Second Division Player of the Month award for November 2003. He scored one goal in 39 matches in 2003–04 as Queens Park Rangers finished as runners-up in the league, achieving promotion to the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
. Carlisle's contract with Queens Park Rangers ended at the conclusion of the 2003–04 campaign.


Leeds United

In June 2004, Carlisle agreed to join recently relegated Championship club
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
on a free transfer. He was offered a new contract by Queens Park Rangers, but he was keen to return to northern England and cut short his summer holiday in
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
to sign for the West Yorkshire club on a two-year contract. His contract with Leeds began on 1 July 2004, and he made his debut for the club in the 1–1 draw with
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
on 21 August. He scored his first goal for Leeds two matches later, netting the first goal in the team's 3–0 victory against Coventry City. He was a regular in the team during the first half of the season, playing in every match from the start of September until the end of November. However, he then experienced another major injury set-back, tearing his ankle ligaments during the 1–0 defeat to Rotherham United on 29 November 2004, an injury which left him out of action for a number of weeks. When fit again, Carlisle found it difficult to break into the first team as his place in the centre of defence had been taken by Matthew Kilgallon. His return came on 28 December 2004, when he was brought on as an 80th-minute substitute for Frazer Richardson in the 2–1 win against Plymouth Argyle. He started the next league match, against Coventry City, but was shown a red card late on in the 2–1 victory at Highfield Road. After his return from suspension, he was dropped from the team, making just a handful of substitute appearances in the following two months. Carlisle regained his place in the team towards the end of the season, starting in each of the final four matches of the campaign. He left Leeds in the summer of 2005, having spent one season at the club, playing 38 matches and scoring four times for the team as they reached the
third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...
of the League Cup and attained a 14th-placed finish in the league. At the end of the 2004–05 campaign it was revealed that two clubs,
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
and Stoke City, were both competing to sign Carlisle. Leeds United accepted bids of £100,000 from both clubs but Carlisle chose to sign for Watford, and he agreed a three-year contract with the club on 5 August 2005. The deal taking him to Vicarage Road included a clause in his contract stipulating that he would not be played against Leeds in the following season.


Watford and Luton Town

Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd, who had been a coach at Leeds during the previous season, was pleased with the signing, stating that Carlisle was "exactly the type of defender I wanted". Carlisle was placed straight into Watford's starting line-up and played his first match for his new club on 6 August 2005, but he could not prevent the team losing 2–1 to Preston North End at Vicarage Road. On 29 August 2005, Carlisle scored his first goal for the club, claiming the winning header in a 2–1 victory over Derby County at Pride Park. Soon after, Carlisle scored two goals in a competitive match for the first time in his career, grabbing both in Watford's 2–1 win against
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
in the
second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
of the League Cup. On 4 November 2005, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager
Glenn Hoddle Glenn Hoddle (born 27 October 1957) is an English former football player and manager. He currently works as a television pundit and commentator for ITV Sport and TNT Sports. He played as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, Monaco, Chelsea and ...
accused Carlisle of stamping on goalkeeper Michael Oakes in the match the previous weekend, and threatened to report him to
the Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
. However, the referee did not show Carlisle a red or yellow card during the match, and no further action was taken against the player. During the 2005–06 campaign, Carlisle made 35 appearances and scored five goals, helping Watford to achieve a place in the play-offs after finishing third in the Championship. However, towards the end of the season he suffered yet another injury, being forced off the pitch in Watford's penultimate league match away at Queens Park Rangers. The thigh problem caused him to be unavailable for the
play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
s as Watford defeated Leeds 3–0 at the Millennium Stadium to win promotion to the
FA Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football ...
. The injury forced Carlisle to miss the first eight months of the 2006–07 Premier League season, and he eventually returned to full training in February 2007. He played in two reserve team matches for Watford in order to regain some fitness, hoping to break into the first team and make his Premier League debut. On 2 March 2007, Carlisle joined local rivals
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
on a one-month emergency
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
deal in an attempt to return to full match fitness. He made his debut for Luton the following day in the 3–2 away defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship, coming on as a substitute for Matthew Spring, who had himself joined the club from Watford earlier in the season after failing to break into the first team. Carlisle went on to play five matches for Luton. He made his final appearance on 31 March 2007, in a 0–0 draw with
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
, before returning to Watford on 2 April 2007. He finally played his first Premier League match on 9 April 2007, starting in the 4–2 victory over
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. He was selected to play in the team's following match, an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
semi-final against
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, but despite being named
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
for his performance, Watford were defeated 4–1 at
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. Carlisle went on to play in Watford's following three league matches of the season as their relegation back to the Championship was confirmed after a 1–1 draw with
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
at Vicarage Road.


Burnley and loan spells

On 14 August 2007, Steve Cotterill, manager of fellow Championship club Burnley, made an offer of £200,000 for Carlisle, who signed a three-year contract at
Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...
two days later. Helped along by the club captain Steven Caldwell, Carlisle settled in well at Burnley. Two days after signing, he made his debut for his new club in the 2–0 defeat away to Scunthorpe United. Carlisle scored his first goal for Burnley on 22 September 2007, netting a stoppage time minute equaliser with an overhead kick in the 2–2 draw with Bristol City at Ashton Gate. On 28 September 2007, the day before a Championship match, he was involved in a serious car crash after spinning and crashing into a ditch causing his car to be written off. Steve Cotterill praised Carlisle's character for playing the next day in the 1–1 draw with Crystal Palace. He and Caldwell formed a solid defensive partnership and played most matches of the season together. Carlisle was named in the official Team of the Week for his performance in Burnley's 3–1 away win at Charlton Athletic. His partnership with Caldwell was broken towards the end of the campaign as Carlisle was given suspensions after being sent off twice in his last four matches of the season, first in the 1–2 loss to Preston and then in the last match of the season, a 0–5 defeat at Crystal Palace. Carlisle ended the 2007–08 season with two goals in 35 appearances. The 2008–09 campaign was Burnley's first full season with
Owen Coyle Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Indian Super League club Chennaiyin. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made one appearanc ...
as manager. Carlisle managed to keep his place in the team under the new regime and was a regular fixture in the team for the first six months of the season. However, he was dropped from the team for the match against Charlton on 31 January 2009 due to a lack of form. He remained out of the team for the whole of February 2009. He made his return to action on 3 March 2009, starting in the centre of defence in the 1–0 win over his old team, Blackpool, at Bloomfield Road. On his next league appearance he scored Burnley's first goal in a 4–2 victory against Crystal Palace at Turf Moor. He went on to score three further goals in the last two months of the season, getting his name on the scoresheet against
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
,
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
and his former team, Queens Park Rangers. His goals helped Burnley to a fifth-placed finish in the Championship, and a place in the play-offs. He played in both legs of the semi-final against
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
as the team won 3–0 on aggregate to secure a place in the play-off final at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
. Carlisle was handed the man of the match award for his performance as Burnley triumphed 1–0 against Sheffield United to earn promotion to the Premier League for the 2009–10 season. Prior to the start of the campaign, Carlisle stated his belief that Burnley could avoid relegation back to the Championship. He was selected in the team to play Burnley's first top-flight match in 33 years on 15 August 2009, when the team were defeated 2–0 by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. He also played in the following match as Burnley recorded their first ever Premier League victory, a 1–0 win over reigning champions Manchester United at Turf Moor. During the early part of the season, he formed a defensive pairing with new signing André Bikey. He was reunited with Caldwell in the centre of defence for the 2–1 victory over Birmingham on 3 October 2009. In the away loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 20 December 2009, Carlisle suffered a groin injury which kept him sidelined over the Christmas period. After over a month out of the Burnley team with the injury, he made his first start under new manager
Brian Laws Brian Laws (born 14 October 1961) is an English former professional footballer and manager. Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of ...
in the 1–0 defeat to
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
on 26 January 2010. Although the team was relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season, Carlisle was one of several players offered a new contract, and he signed a two-year extension in May 2010. In the first away match of the 2010–11 season, he scored an injury-time equaliser against Ipswich Town; the goal was Burnley's first from a corner kick for 15 months. After serving a three-match suspension in October 2010 following a red card in the 1–1 draw away at Millwall, Carlisle returned to the team for the League Cup tie against
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
and scored an 89th-minute equaliser to take the match to extra time. He made 41 appearances during the campaign but was not deemed a first-choice player by new manager
Eddie Howe Edward John Frank Howe (born 29 November 1977) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Premier League club Newcastle United. A centre-back during his playing career, Howe spent most of his playing ...
, and in July 2011 he joined his hometown club Preston North End on loan for the duration of the 2011–12 season. Carlisle made his Preston debut in the opening match of the campaign, a 4–2 home defeat against Colchester on 6 August 2011. Three matches later, he scored his first goal for the club, netting the opening goal from a corner kick in the 2–0 away win over Chesterfield. He was a regular starter for Preston during the opening months of the season and also played in the cup competitions as the team reached the
third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...
of the League Cup before being eliminated by Southampton and progressed to the same stage of the Football League Trophy with
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
victories over Morecambe and
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
. He was handed a one-match ban after receiving his fifth yellow card of the campaign in the FA Cup
first round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
defeat to Southend United on 22 November 2011. Preston manager Phil Brown brought in Jamie McCombe on loan as cover for Carlisle, and the
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
loanee kept his place in the starting line-up throughout December 2011. Carlisle returned to the Preston team for the visit to Rochdale on 2 January 2012, when he was selected to play alongside Craig Morgan by caretaker managers Graham Alexander and David Unsworth. He played five times during that month, scoring on his 27th and final appearance for the club in the 1–2 loss to Yeovil Town. Following the appointment of Graham Westley as Preston manager, Carlisle struggled to fit the new training regime in with his commitments as chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association and his loan deal was cancelled by mutual consent on 31 January 2012. Later the same day, Carlisle signed for League Two club
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
, managed by former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd, on loan for the remainder of the season. He made his first start for Northampton in the 1–0 win over
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...
at the
Sixfields Stadium Sixfields Stadium is an 8,203-capacity all-seater sports stadium in the Sixfields area on the west side of Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town F.C., Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the ...
on 14 February 2012. Carlisle was appointed captain upon his arrival at the club and was a regular first team player, often playing alongside fellow centre-back Kelvin Langmead. He scored his first goal for the team in the 3–1 home defeat to Bradford City on 14 April 2012. Carlisle played 18 matches and scored one goal for Northampton during his three months with the club, making his final appearance in the final match of the campaign, a 1–1 draw away at Rotherham. He was released by Burnley in May 2012 after the expiry of his contract.


York City and Northampton Town return

Carlisle signed for newly promoted League Two club York City on 30 August 2012 on a contract lasting until January 2013, having previously turned down a contract offer from Northampton. He made his debut two days later in York's 3–1 victory at home to
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
. On 19 November 2012, Carlisle re-signed for Northampton on loan until January 2013, when he would sign permanently, having made 14 appearances for York. He made his second debut the following day in Northampton's 3–0 home win over
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England, on Morecambe Bay, part of the Irish Sea. In 2011 the parish had a population of 34,768. Name The first use of the name was by John Whit ...
. After making five appearances on loan, Carlisle completed his permanent move to Northampton on a one-and-a-half-year contract on 4 January 2013. He played for Northampton in their 3–0 defeat to Bradford in the 2013 League Two play-off final at Wembley Stadium on 18 May 2013. Five days later, Carlisle announced his retirement from playing.


International career

While playing for Queens Park Rangers, Carlisle was selected to play for the England national under-21 team on three occasions. He was called up to the squad by Howard Wilkinson, and made his debut for his country on 31 August 2000, coming on as a substitute in England's 6–1 friendly victory over
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
at the
Riverside Stadium The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since its opening in 1995. It has an all-seated capacity of 34,742, although provisional planning permission is in place to expan ...
in Middlesbrough. His second appearance for England, also from the substitutes' bench, came in a
2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2002 was the 13th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Switzerland between 16 and 28 May 2002. Czech Republic U-21s won the competition for the first time. Qu ...
qualifying match on 6 October 2000 in the 1–1 draw with
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
at Pride Park. He played his third and final match for England four days later, again coming on as a substitute in the 2–2 draw with
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
at the
Tehtaan kenttä Tehtaan kenttä (, Eng. lit. ''Factory's field'') is a 1934 opened football (soccer), football stadium in the 1st district of Valkeakoski, Finland, and the home of Veikkausliiga club FC Haka. The stadium holds an attendance capacity of 3,516. The r ...
stadium in
Valkeakoski Valkeakoski (; lit. "white rapids") is a town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is located south of Tampere, north of Hämeenlinna and north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa regions of Finland, region. The municipality has ...
. Despite playing well in the second half of the match, he was not selected for the under-21 team again.


Style of play

Carlisle's predominant playing position is as a
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
and he has been described as a "defensive lynchpin". He has stated that as a youngster, he modelled his style of play on defenders such as
Steve Bruce Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was a centre-back in a twenty-year playing career. He is currently the head coa ...
and Gary Pallister. However, he says that their style was too "ruthless" for modern football, and he now attempts to read the opponents' attacking plays. He is not known for his pace, and this has caused him some disciplinary problems as he has received eight red cards during his career. Former Leeds United teammate Michael Duberry described Carlisle as a "strong" defender. Carlisle is recognised as being a highly intelligent footballer, and is often seen as an imposing figure in the centre of the defence thanks to his 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) stature. He also looks to use his size to cause an attacking threat from set pieces such as free kicks and corner kicks, and scored 39 goals in his career.


PFA roles

Carlisle is an ambassador for the Kick It Out scheme, which campaigns for inclusion and equality in football. He was also on the Management Committee of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), and it was announced on 17 November 2010 that Carlisle would succeed Chris Powell as the chairman of the PFA. Carlisle was among those who criticised FIFA president
Sepp Blatter Joseph Sepp Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former association football, football administrator who served as the list of Presidents of FIFA, eighth president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participatin ...
following his comments in November 2011 that racism was no longer a problem in football. In February 2012, he was part of a PFA delegation that met with British prime minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
to discuss the issues of racism and homophobia in the sport.


Media work

In October 2009, Carlisle made his first appearance on the BBC television football programme ''
Match of the Day 2 ''Match of the Day 2'' is a Premier League football highlights programme. It is a companion show to ''Match of the Day'', usually broadcast on BBC One on Sunday evenings, thus facilitating coverage of the respective week's PL matches that were p ...
''. He has since appeared as a pundit for
Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
and
ITV Sport ITV Sport is the Broadcasting of sports events, sports department of ITV plc, which produces and presents sports programming for the ITV (TV network), ITV network and ITVX. The branding was originally introduced in 1985 as an umbrella title fo ...
during numerous televised football matches. Carlisle has made two appearances on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
panel debate show '' Question Time'', becoming the first footballer to appear on the programme. In July 2012, he presented a documentary on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
titled ''Is Football Racist?'', in which he interviewed former footballers Stan Collymore, Chris Hughton and
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...
about their experiences of racism during their careers, as well as investigating the history of racism in English football on the pitch and in the stands. He also presented a second documentary for BBC Three, ''Football's Suicide Secret'', on the issue of mental health in football on 9 July 2013. He published his autobiography, ''You Don't Know Me, But... A Footballer's Life'' in 2013.


Personal life

From an early age, Carlisle was encouraged to follow
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
by his parents. He adopted those beliefs, and became a regular churchgoer during his time at Watford. Carlisle was married to Gemma, whom he met just prior to his admission to the Sporting Chance clinic. The couple married on the island of Antigua, where some of Carlisle's family also resides. The couple lived in Ripponden, West Yorkshire with their son, born in 2007, and daughter, born 2010. Carlisle also has a daughter, born in 1999, from a previous relationship. He is close friends with Adebayo Akinfenwa, his former teammate at Northampton. On 30 January 2002, Carlisle was awarded the accolade of "Britain's Brainiest Footballer" in a television quiz. Carlisle appeared as a contestant on the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
game show '' Countdown'' on 24 February 2010, winning his first match against the defending champion to stay on the show for the following programme. Carlisle then won his second contest, achieving a larger score than the previous day to stay on for another match. In his third match on 26 February 2010, he was defeated by three points. He was banned from driving for one year and eight months and fined £2,365 after pleading guilty of drink driving at Bury Magistrates Court on 11 October 2011. On the morning of 22 December 2014, Carlisle was hit by a lorry on the A64 near
Bishopthorpe Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is ...
, North Yorkshire, and was airlifted to
Leeds General Infirmary Leeds General Infirmary, also known as the LGI, is a large teaching hospital based in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and is part of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Its previous name The General Infirmary at Leeds is still ...
having suffered cuts, bruises, internal bleeding, a broken rib and a shattered left knee. He had surgery soon after and his wife reported that he was "very poorly" but "alive and stable". Burnley and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
supporters performed a minute's applause in support of Carlisle starting in the fifth minute of their match on 26 December 2014, in reference to Carlisle wearing the number five
shirt A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...
for Burnley. On 30 December 2014, it was announced that Carlisle was charged with a drink-driving offence on 20 December 2014. He appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on 20 January 2015. In February 2015, after leaving hospital, Carlisle said that he had been trying to kill himself when he was hit by the lorry in December 2014. Carlisle and his wife Gemma separated in early 2015 over his depression and recent suicide attempt. On 14 May 2015, Clarke was banned from driving for three years, ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and pay £145 in costs. On 15 September 2017, Carlisle was reported missing, having last been seen earlier that day in Manchester city centre. That evening, Preston police reported that he had been found safe in Liverpool. He later explained that he was intent on taking his own life that day and was deciding how to do so. Some nearby people intervened and kept him from hurting himself. He and his wife Carrie (née Armstrong), a TV presenter and columnist, are mental health advocates.


Career statistics


Honours

Queens Park Rangers *
Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
runners-up: 2003–04 Burnley * Football League Championship play-offs: 2008–09


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlisle, Clarke 1979 births Living people Footballers from Preston, Lancashire English men's footballers England men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football defenders Blackpool F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Watford F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Burnley F.C. players Preston North End F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players York City F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players Alumni of Staffordshire University Black British sportsmen English Christians English sports executives and administrators Trade unionists from Preston, Lancashire People with mood disorders