Andy Kiwomya

Andy was born in Huddersfield on 1st October 1967.

He started out playing for his grammar school team, St Bede’s, in Bradford.

He signed for Barnsley F.C. after leaving school in 1985, by which time he was an England youth international alongside Barnsley team mate David Hirst.

The following season he made the move to Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls had hoped to get him on a free transfer, but Barnsley wanted £25,000 (plus £75,000 if he made over 40 appearances.) The tribunal decision was £5,000 (plus £25,000 after 25 appearances.)

Andy received the worst news any professional can receive, when he injured his spine in a training accident, which entailed four days in traction and four weeks in hospital. After a long spell of rehabilitation he was passed fit, and was playing in the reserves. However, he felt that he couldn’t continue, retiring from the sport being his only option.

Kiwomya went to court, pursuing damages of £500,000 with a personal injury claim, and received £125,000 from the Football League. He was registered as “permanently and totally disabled” (PTD) by the Football League in December 1988, also receiving £2,250 from the PTD insurance.

New horizons opened up, and Andy completed a leisure management course at college, and went to the United States to take up a coaching role.

By the early 1990’s he was playing for non-league Frickley Athletic, situated in West Yorkshire.

An opportunity of moving to Scotland to play for Dundee F.C. arose in September 1992, when Simon Stainrod offered him a fortnight trial, before signing him until the end of the season.

Players registered as PTD were unable to play in either the English or Scottish F.A.’s, but due to Andy’s records being lost in the switch over to the Premier League the deal was allowed to go ahead.

Mike Foster, of the English F.A. said “He (Andy) has been given permission to play when he shouldn’t have. What this case has taught us is there is a need to update our records.” He went on to say that Kiwomya would have to repay the £2,250, but “if he does that he will be free to play on, even in the English leagues.”

After playing one match, in the reserves, Andy was reported as saying “It is said in England that the Scottish league isn’t as good as its counterpart south of the border but that’s a fallacy. Based on what I’ve seen the standard here is better than I was led to believe.”

Simon Stainrod was of the opinion that “Andy’s pace could be a real asset.”

By October Kiwomya had settled into the team, with a run of good form and some battling displays.

It wasn’t until February 1993 that Andy scored his first, and only, goal for the Dark Blues in a 3-1 away win against Hibernian.

He hoped that he had done enough to be kept on for the 1993-94 season. It had been harder than he had expected, after his extended break from the game.

Andy said “I have felt under incredible pressure.” He wasn’t sure how his body would hold up, or if his pace, the biggest part of his game, would return, “Because without my pace I’d be an ordinary player.”

He played his last game for Dundee against Celtic on 15^th May 1993, which Dundee lost 2-0.

After leaving Dundee F.C. Andy played for a succession of clubs up and down the length of England, before finishing his playing career with Stocksbridge Park Steel in 2004.

Kiwomya made the transition into coaching and management, becoming Huddersfield Town performance coach in 2010. He became manager of Sheffield F.C. (not to be confused with Sheffield United) in 2015. He later made the move to Leeds United as coach for their Development Hub, after spells with Manchester City and Nottingham Forrest. Another move in 2021, saw him become head of club performance at Bradford City.

Over a period of many years Andy has spoken about the racism he faced during his career, and has been involved with charities trying to educate, and change opinions, along with fellow ex-professionals.

He also worked for Radio Leeds, as a sports summariser, and found time to get a Master of Science degree in Advanced Sport Coaching Practice.