Tampa Bay Rowdies

Malcolm Phillips, originally from Southampton, England, has worked as a “kit man” in MLS since its inception in 1996. He got his start as a volunteer with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996, when Rowdies president and general manager Farrukh Quraishi and head coach Thomas Rongen held the same positions with the Mutiny.

Phillips worked for the Mutiny for four years before joining the San Jose Earthquakes, where he was part of an MLS Cup-winning team in 2003. Phillips spent the past eight years with Toronto FC, a club he joined in 2007 in its inaugural season.

Phillips started volunteering for the Mutiny on game days in 1996 and eventually worked his way up the chain to full-time equipment manager in 1998.

Returning to Tampa Bay to reunite with Quraishi and Rongen is like a homecoming for Phillips. He was vacationing at home in Southampton, where he is a Southampton FC season ticket holder, when he got a call from a number he didn’t recognize.