Gordon Fode

Gordon Fode (born 5 August 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Early life
Fode was a talented athlete in several sports, athletics, tennis, & junior soccer, played for Sandringham JSC, until age 13. When he turned 14, was asked to join U19 St. Kilda FC, Recruiting Officer John Beverage, asked him to come down to trial, & was selected in U19 Squad, with teammate Robert Harvey, Brett Bowey, Brad Pearce, Jason Daniels and the great Shane Warne.

St Kilda (1988–1995)
Fode made his debut, just turned 17-year-old, in the last round of the 1988 VFL season youngest debutant in that year. He was then Selected to represent Victorian U15 All Schoolboys Championships, & Victorian U17 Teal Cup squad, with making All U17 Australian Team. 1989 He went on to play all 22 games the following season, before hamstring injuries restricted him to only 4 games in the next two seasons. Coach - Ken Sheldon, moves Fode into a forward Line, off defence during the 1993 AFL season saw him kick 17 goals from 11 matches, and he was part of a 4 pronged attaching forward line.

Hawthorn (1996)
After only nine games in 1994, and 5 in 1995, he left St Kilda, and joined Hawthorn drafted Fode with the 5th selection in the 1996 Pre-season draft, played in reserves all year 1996 AFL Centenary, and only managed a few senior games, AFL pre-season, but never managed senior game for AFL, at Hawthorn.

He retired young, aged 27, from the VFL/AFL at the end of the 1996 AFL season and attempted to go back to play soccer, scoring goals playing for Chelsea Hajduk (Croatian team) & then trying out for the NSL league Melbourne Knights but he was overlooked for a contract with the Melbourne Knights.

Career highlights
Athletics:
 * U-15 Victorian Schoolboys Champion Long Jump 1985 [ 6.15m ]

Tennis:
 * U-15 Brighton Dendy Park Tennis Club Champion 1985

VFL/AFL Football:
 * U-15 Victorian Schoolboys Squad 1986
 * U-17 Victorian Teal Cup Squad 1987
 * All Australian U-17 Squad 1988

Personal life
Fode's father, Marko Fode was a goalkeeper for NSL League [A League] today, and still holds National Soccer League/A-League Men record for the most consecutive games keeping a clean sheet. Fode's father, went onto to play for two clubs Footscray J.U.S.T FC, where we won national league Cup titles, and South Melbourne FC, winning the Dockerty Cup 4 times, alongside great players Jimmy Armstrong, Steve Kennedy & Walker. Marko Fode was inducted into South Melbourne FC Hall of Fame. He also representative Victoria as a goalkeeper.

Fode's mother, Georgina Fode, was a great swimmer, and coached by the great former St. Kilda FC player, Neil Roberts, at school college days.