Early years
Stubbins is from Hull, England, migrating to Australia in 1988. After schoolboy beginnings with his hometown club Hull City AFC, Stubbins also played top flight Football in Australia for both Heidelberg United and South Melbourne FC, as well as fulfilling further playing opportunities within South East Asia.
Leaving Australian football altogether for a period in 1993, he pursued interests onto the Australasian PGA Golf Tour.
His golfing ambitions failed however, lured back to football as player/manager of Westvale Olympic FC in 1994.
He spent the next few years fulfilling a coaching/playing role until retiring from playing altogether in 2001.
Coaching career
Westvale Olympic FC
Stubbins first stint into club management was with Westvale Olympic. Together with the club he successfully travelled through the State leagues of Victorian football by claiming a championship in each of the years 94, 95, 96, 98.
Whittlesea Stallions FC
Whittlesea Stallions FC became a newly formed member of the Victorian State League in 2000. Stubbins coached the youthful Stallions to two championships in their first two campaigns before moving on in 2004.
Heidelberg United FC
As a former player of the club, Stubbins returned as coach to Heidelberg United in 2004. His first year in charge was again to prove fruitful, as the club were crowned champions of the Victorian State League, 1st division. The club finished Runner/up in the Victorian Premier League the following season and also attained a grand final berth against eventual winners Green Gully FC.
Richmond FC
Joining the German backed outfit in last position on the Victorian Premier League table as their Manager, Stubbins successfully helped steer the club away from relegation and finish a respectable mid-table.
Coach of the Year
Stubbins was named Victorian, Coach of the Year in 2005/6 and was appointed Head Coach of the Victorian State team. During this time the representative team won the Mayor's Cup tournament in China by overcoming Tianjin Teda FC in the Final.
Adelaide United
In 2007 Stubbins joined Adelaide United of the Australian A-League as first team Coach with Aurelio Vidmar, as manager. Together they experienced many successful occasions during their Asian Champions League forays and a place in the prestigious World Club Cup in 2008.
They also held a place in the A-League Grand Final of 2009, losing 1–0 to Melbourne Victory.
Australian Institute of Sport
Stubbins spent a year with the Men's football program in Canberra. The institute is a facility for Sports Science and Best Practice.
Thailand
In 2012 Stubbins further expanded on his football experiences by taking an offer to work in South East Asia and the Thai Premier League, in particular.
He spent a year with Police United FC as their Technical Director before moving over to Bangkok Glass FC with (7) games remaining of their campaign as Manager/Head Coach. Stubbins concluded the campaign as 'Coach of the Month' for Thailand. However, both parties agreed on a split before the season got under way in March 2013.
In September 2013 Stubbins accepted a mid-season offer to join Ayutthaya FC of Thailand. The 1st division club ultimately going on to consolidate an 8th-place finish in the league after undertaking a twelve-game unbeaten run under Stubbins guidance.
Newcastle Jets
Stubbins signed as Head Coach of the Australian A-League club the Newcastle Jets on 5 May 2014.
This proved a difficult time for Stubbins, as the club continued its struggles to find finals football for the fifth straight season despite the change of management. [2]
Prince Alfred College
In October 2015, Stubbins joined the Prince Alfred College as Head of Football.
Campbelltown City SC
In September 2019 Phil Stubbins was appointed Head Coach with Campbelltown City SC, after serving a year as assistant coach. The club were crowned National Premier league Champions of South Australia in 2019 and 2020.
Adelaide Croatia Raiders
Operating with a strong emphasis on youth development, the Adelaide Croatia Raiders narrowly missed securing promotion during the 2022 season's finals series.
Adelaide University SC
Despite being appointed as head coach of the Adelaide University SC State League team shortly before the season began, Phil successfully built a team that reached the 2023 season's finals series. Due to the successful 2023 campaign, Phil's contract as head coach was extended for the 2024 season.
