Alex Tobin
Australian soccer player (born 1965)
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Alexander Hugh Tobin OAM (born 3 November 1965) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a centre-back. He is the fifth-most capped player for the Australia national team with 87 'A' appearances, including 30 as captain. He made his international debut on 9 March 1988 in an Olympic qualifying match against Chinese Taipei (3–2) in Adelaide.[1]
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alexander Hugh Tobin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 November 1965 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WT Birkalla | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adelaide City | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–2000 | Adelaide City | 436 | (27) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Parramatta Power | 48 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Northern Spirit | 38 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 522 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985 | Australia U20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1998 | Australia | 87 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Central Coast Mariners Youth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Central Coast Mariners (Asst) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
Tobin spent his entire club career playing in Australia. He played most of his club career as a defender with Adelaide City in the National Soccer League. Alex left Adelaide City in 2000, after sixteen years with the club, to join Parramatta Power. He finished his career with Northern Spirit. Tobin played a total of 522 senior club games in Australia.
Tobin worked for the Central Coast Mariners as assistant first team coach.[2]
The Alex Tobin Medal
In 2008, the PFA Alex Tobin OAM Medal was inaugurated by the Professional Footballers Australia (PFA). It is to be awarded annually by the PFA to a current, or a former, player based on four attributes demonstrated by Alex Tobin throughout his career and which reflect the philosophy of the PFA: Leadership, achievement as a player, commitment to ones fellow professionals and service and dedication to the game. The first two medals were conferred on Joe Marston and, posthumously, Johnny Warren.[3]
Alex Tobin Medal (A-League)
Separately, the broadcaster's A-League Men player of the season award is also named the Alex Tobin Medal.[4] The medal winner is selected by a panel of experts from the league's broadcast partner (Network 10 as of 2026) by awarding points after each regular season game, with the best player on the pitch given 3 points, the second-best given 2 points, and third-best 1 point. At the end of the season, the points are tallied and the player with the most points overall is awarded the Alex Tobin Medal. The winner receives a cash prize, and also nominates a junior club to receive prizes from the league sponsors.[5][6]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | NSL Cup | Oceania | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Adelaide City | 1984 | National Soccer League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| 1985 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| 1986 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 1987 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| 1988 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | ||||
| 1989 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| 1989–90 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| 1990–91 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 1991–92 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 3 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 1993–94 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 4 | ||||
| 1994–95 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||||
| 1995–96 | 34 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 5 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 4 | ||||
| 1997–98 | 25 | 2 | — | — | — | 25 | 2 | |||||
| 1998–99 | 29 | 3 | — | — | — | 29 | 3 | |||||
| 1999–2000 | 31 | 0 | — | — | — | 31 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 436 | 27 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 454 | 27 | |||
| Parramatta Power | 2000–01 | National Soccer League | 26 | 2 | — | — | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2001–02 | 22 | 2 | — | — | — | 22 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 48 | 4 | — | — | — | 48 | 4 | |||||
| Northern Spirit | 2002–03 | National Soccer League | 32 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 38 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||||
| Career total | 522 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 540 | 31 | |||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1988 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 15 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 16 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 87 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Tobin goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 March 1988 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia |  Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1988 Olympics qualification |
| 2 | 21 September 1996 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa |  Kenya | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Adelaide City:
- NSL Championship: 1986, 1991–92, 1993–94
- NSL Cup: 1989, 1991–92
- Oceania Club Championship: 1987[9]
Australia
- FIFA Confederations Cup: runner-up, 1997[10]
- OFC Nations Cup: 1996;[11] runner-up, 1998[12]
Individual
- FFA Hall of Champions Inductee – 2007
- Joe Marston Medal: 1991–92, 1993–94 with Adelaide City
