Kwame Ampadu

Kwame Ampadu
Personal information
Full name Patrick Kwame Ampadu[1]
Date of birth (1970-12-20) 20 December 1970 (age 53)
Place of birth Bradford, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Sherrard United
Belvedere
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Arsenal 2 (0)
1990 → Plymouth Argyle (loan) 6 (1)
1991–1994 West Bromwich Albion 49 (4)
1994–1998 Swansea City 144 (12)
1998–2000 Leyton Orient 72 (1)
2000–2005 Exeter City 162 (1)
2005 Newport County 8 (0)
2005–2006 Tiverton Town 30 (0)
Total 473 (19)
International career
1989–1992 Republic of Ireland U21 4 (0)
Managerial career
2008–2012 Exeter City U18
2012–2016 Arsenal Youth
2016–2018 Arsenal U18
2018–2020 Monaco (assistant)
2020–2022 CF Montréal (assistant)
2023– Columbus Crew (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Patrick Kwame Ampadu (born 20 December 1970) is an Irish football coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Columbus Crew under Wilfried Nancy. He previously was an assistant coach for Monaco.[3][4][5] A midfielder, Ampadu featured for clubs Arsenal, Swansea City, Leyton Orient and Exeter City in his playing career. He also played for the Republic of Ireland U21 national team.[6][7]

Early life

Ampadu was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, to an Irish mother and Ghanaian father. Ampadu subsequently moved with his parents to Dublin, Ireland, where he was raised. He undertook his primary and secondary education at O'Connell's School in Dublin where his schoolmates included future footballer Jeff Kenna. At a young age he took up the sport of hurling but thereafter found himself to be quite proficient at football as well.[8]

Playing career

Ampadu first played in Irish youth football for Sherrard United and Belvedere before joining Arsenal in July 1988.[4] His debut came in a 3–1 win away to Derby County on 24 March 1990. He went on to have loan spells at Plymouth Argyle and West Bromwich Albion the following season, before making a permanent move to the latter in June 1991.[4][9]

Ampadu spent three years at West Bromwich Albion before moving to Swansea City in February 1994. He played in Swansea City's 1994 Football League Trophy win at Wembley.[4] He also reached the 1997 Football League Third Division play-off final with the Swans. He moved to Leyton Orient in May 1998 making 72 league appearances in two seasons but missing the Third Division play-offs in 1998–99 through injury.[10] He then had a spell at Exeter City where he scored twice against Swindon Town in the League Cup[11] and Dagenham & Redbridge in the league.[12] In January 2005 he played in Exeter's memorable 0–0 draw at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.[13] Ampadu then had stints with Newport County and Tiverton Town where his playing days eventually came to an end in 2006.[9]

Managerial career

Ampadu returned to Exeter to be a part of the club's coaching outfit. He took up the role in July 2008 within the club's academy, to be at the helm of the Grecians Under 18 side. He moved to Arsenal in 2012 to become the Under 14s coach at the London side's Hale End Academy.[3]

Personal life

Ampadu's son Ethan is a footballer who plays for Leeds United and Wales. The younger Ampadu, at the age of 15 years and 10 months, made his debut for Exeter City in a League Cup tie against Brentford on 9 August 2016, breaking an 87-year-old record set by Cliff Bastin.[14]

Honours

Player

Swansea City[4]

Managerial

Arsenal[16]

References

  1. ^ Cowdery, Rick & Curno, Mike (2009). Plymouth Argyle: Miscellany. Durrington: Pitch Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-905411-40-5.
  2. ^ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack (1999). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1999–2000. London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 471. ISBN 0-7472-7627-7.
  3. ^ a b "Under 18s coach to make Gunners switch". Exeter City FC. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Kwame Ampadu: Profile". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Inside the Arsenal Academy: A scholar's first day". Arsenal.com.
  6. ^ "Where are they now? Kwame Ampadu". Swansea City FC.
  7. ^ "Kwame Ampadu". www.arsenal.com. Arsenal Media Group. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Accent on his Dublin roots". Independent.ie. Retrieved 16 January 2005.
  9. ^ a b "Where are they now? Kwame Ampadu". Swansea City.net. 23 November 2016.
  10. ^ Kaufman, Neilson N; Ravenhill, Alan E (2002). The Men Who Made Leyton Orient Football Club. Tempus Publishing. pp. 16–17. ISBN 0752424122.
  11. ^ "Carling Cup: For the Record". Swindon Town FC. 22 August 2000. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  12. ^ "Exeter 1–1 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  13. ^ "Man Utd 0-0 Exeter". BBC. 8 January 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Ethan Ampadu: Exeter City 15-year-old gets first-team chance while on school holiday". BBC Sport. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  15. ^ Fox, Norman (25 May 1997). "Football: Swansea run over by Frain". The Independent. Independent Digital News & Media. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  16. ^ "REPORT – MALEN SCORES BUT ARSENAL U18S ARE HELD BY WEST HAM IN ENTHRALLING DRAW". Wordpress.com. 13 May 2017.