Stephen Kinsey (born 2 January 1963) is an English former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who began his career in 1979 with

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

before moving to the United States in 1986. He then played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League and others before retiring in 1997.

Career

Kinsey played for

between 1979 and 1986. He played 101 times for the team in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

and scored 15 goals, including one at Wembley against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

in the first

Full Members Cup The Full Members' Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992. The ...

Final, before transferring to

Minnesota Strikers The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/St. Paul metropoli ...

in the United States to play indoor football. On 30 October 1986, the

of the Major Indoor Soccer League signed Kinsey. He came into the league after

Alan Merrick Alan Ronald Merrick (born 20 June 1950) is a retired English-American Association football defender who played professionally in England, the North American Soccer League and the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the Unit ...

, coach of the Strikers saw Kinsey playing in England during the summer of 1986. He was named the 1986–1987 Newcomer of the Year. At the completion of the 1988 MISL playoffs in May, Kinsey signed with the outdoor

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

of the American Soccer League. The Strikers went to the ASL championship game where they fell to the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. Arm ...

. However, Kinsey did not play as he had torn a groin muscle in the semi-finals. In late October 1988, Kinsey signed with the

Los Angeles Lazers The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989. History Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Strings of Tea ...

of MISL for the 1988–89 indoor season. The nagging groin injury limited Kinsey to nineteen games with the Lazers. In March 1989, he signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for the upcoming outdoor season. Leg injuries continued to hamper Kinsey, leading him to lose six regular season games. The Strikers would go on to win the league championship. When the Los Angeles Lazers folded during the summer, the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

of MISL claimed Kinsey in the 12 July dispersal draft. After the Wings failed to tender an offer to Kinsey, he signed with the Dallas Sidekicks as a free agent. After the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996), a soccer team in the North American Soccer League *San Diego Sockers (2001–2004), a soccer team in the World Indoor Soccer League and second Major Indoor Soccer League *San Diego S ...

eliminated the Sidekicks from the playoffs, Kinsey signed with the

Miami Freedom The Miami Sharks were an inaugural franchise of the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team was renamed the Miami Freedom and joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Soc ...

of the

American Professional Soccer League The American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was a professional men's soccer league with teams from the United States and later Canada. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the third American Soccer League with the Western Soccer League. It ...

. In the fall of 1990, Kinsey again returned to the MISL, this time with the Tacoma Stars. On 7 June 1991, he signed with the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

of the APSL, but delayed joining the team as his wife was close to delivering a baby in Tacoma. In August 1991, the Rowdies released Kinsey after he failed to score in five games, then spent another seven on the bench. Kinsey then returned to the UK where he played for three teams in quick succession during the 1991–92 season:

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

, St Mirren and

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...

. In May 1992, Kinsey returned to the United States where he signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. He rediscovered his scoring touch, bagging goal in his first game and totalling seven in eleven games. Kinsey returned to Europe where he played for

Molde FK Molde Fotballklubb () is a professional football club based in Molde, Norway, that competes in Eliteserien, the top flight of Norwegian football. Founded on 19 June 1911, the club was originally known as International and changed its name to ...

in the

Norwegian Premier League Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

. In February 1994, Kinsey signed with the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. Limits on foreign players prevented the Wave from fielding Kinsey, but he was available in the event of injuries to any other players. The team released him at the end of the season. The

Detroit Neon The Detroit Safari (founded as the Detroit Neon) was a member of the Continental Indoor Soccer League that played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their owners, the Palace Sports Group were awarded a franchise on November 4, 1993. Their star player ...

of the

Continental Indoor Soccer League The Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) was a professional indoor soccer league that played from 1993 to 1997. History In the summer of 1989 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and California Sports, told his executive Vice Pre ...

then drafted Kinsey in April 1994. He played two summer indoor seasons with the Neon. In January 1996, Kinsey signed with the

Tampa Bay Terror The Tampa Bay Terror is the name of an indoor soccer team based in the Tampa Bay, Florida area that competed in the defunct National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The team existed for two seasons before folding: 1995–1996 and 1996–1997. ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. In March 1996, he signed with the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. In the fall of 1997, Kinsey signed a series of 15-day contracts with the

Buffalo Blizzard The Buffalo Blizzard was a soccer club that existed from 1992 to 2001 in Buffalo, New York. History The team was originally owned by the Knox brothers who owned the Buffalo Sabres at the time, and additionally by the Riches who owned the minor l ...

before signing for the remainder of the season in December 1997.NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE FINAL OFFICIAL STATISTICS – 1996–1997
Kinsey has run a summer soccer camp for children in Florida. He splits his time between the US and the UK

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinsey, Steve 1963 births Living people Footballers from Manchester American Professional Soccer League players American Soccer League (1988–89) players Buffalo Blizzard players Chester City F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Continental Indoor Soccer League players Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players Detroit Neon players English footballers English Football League players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Los Angeles Lazers players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Manchester City F.C. players Miami Freedom players Milwaukee Wave players Minnesota Strikers (MISL) players Molde FK players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Richmond Kickers players Rochdale A.F.C. players St Mirren F.C. players Scottish Football League players Tacoma Stars players Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players USISL players Eliteserien players Association football forwards English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States English expatriate footballers Association football midfielders