Ray Stubbs

Ray Stubbs was born in 1957 in Wallasey, Merseyside, England. He began his career in professional football, playing as a left-back for Tranmere Rovers from 1973 to 1978 after leaving Calday Grange Grammar School. Although he did not make any senior appearances for Tranmere Rovers, he continued to play for Bangor City between 1978 and 1980, and later for Oswestry Town. Following his playing career, Stubbs remained with Tranmere Rovers in an administrative capacity, serving as Commercial Director. In this role, he secured the club’s first-ever shirt sponsorship deal with Storeton Motor Company in October 1979, and a subsequent deal with Cathedral Tours two years later.

Stubbs transitioned into broadcasting, spending three years as a reporter and presenter for BBC Radio Merseyside. In 1986, he joined BBC Manchester as an assistant producer, working on various sports such as snooker, darts, and bowls, as well as the quiz show ‘A Question of Sport’. He also produced, reported, and presented for BBC Two’s investigative sports series ‘On The Line’, which included a reporting assignment in Italy for the 1990 World Cup. Later that year, Stubbs became a reporter for ‘Grandstand’, ‘Match of the Day’, and ‘Sportsnight’. He covered major international football tournaments extensively, reporting from the Irish camp during the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the England camp during Euro 96 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He co-presented at subsequent major international tournaments from 2000 to 2008, as well as the 1998 Winter Olympics and 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Over his 26-year tenure at the BBC, Stubbs presented and reported on numerous sports, including football, darts, and snooker. He fronted ‘Football Focus’ from 1999 to 2004, subsequently becoming the presenter for ‘Score’ on BBC Red Button and ‘Final Score’ on BBC One. He also served as a stand-in presenter for ‘Match of the Day’ and ‘Match of the Day 2’ and became the BBC’s England reporter in 2007. In 2009, Stubbs moved from the BBC to ESPN, citing the opportunity to join a leading sports broadcaster. At ESPN, he presented live coverage of the FA Cup finals in 2011, 2012, and 2013. After ESPN UK’s rebranding, Stubbs joined BT Sport as its lead reporter, remaining there until 2016 before joining Talksport and later Talksport 2. He continues to cover events such as the World Seniors Darts Championship for the BBC and Snooker for Channel 5.