Feb. 26, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The defending Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara men's soccer program has hired Stuart Dobson as its new goalkeeper coach, head coach Tim Vom Steeg announced Monday. In addition to working with UCSB's keepers, Dobson will also serve as the goalkeeper director for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club.

"In Stuart we have found someone that has played and coached at both the collegiate and professional levels," Vom Steeg said. "He will be an excellent addition to our program and to our local soccer community."

Dobson comes to Santa Barbara after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach with FC Pennsylvania, one of the premiere club squads in the Philadelphia area. He is also the current goalkeeping coach for the New Jersey Ironmen of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), where he worked with former U.S. National Team captain and Major League Soccer MVP Tony Meola. In addition, Dobson currently serves as the Director of Goalkeeping at the Starfinder Soccer Academy in Philadelphia.

At the university level, Dobson spent five seasons as an assistant at Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J. from 2002-06. Prior to that he served as the Director of Soccer for the Cosmos Soccer Club in Salt Lake City from 1998-99 and was the goalkeeping coach for FC Portland for five seasons from 1992-96.

Dobson is presently the director of his own Dobson Professional Goalkeeper Camps in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is a staff coach at the Philadelphia Kixx Soccer Camps.

A native of Beverley, England, he has worked with some of the most accomplished and recognizable names in the history of soccer in this country. Dobson moved to the United States at the age of 21 to attend the University of Portland, where he succeeded eventual U.S. National Team goalkeeper Kasey Keller. While earning his degree in business management, he spent four seasons playing under former U.S. National Team assistant coach Clive Charles.

Dobson entertained a 15-year professional career as a goalkeeper playing both in the U.S. and England.

"Its an honor to join the coaching staff of one of the most successful programs in college soccer over the last several seasons," Dobson said. "I look forward to helping UCSB continue to be one of the top programs in the Division I ranks, as well as working with young goalkeepers in our community."