Biography
Michel Kuipers, a former Dutch marine, spent a month on loan at Hull City in September 2003, filling in between the sticks ahead of Boaz Myhill’s signing.
Michel Kuipers was born in Amsterdam and came into English professional football through a less conventional route, serving in the Dutch Royal Marines before taking up the game in the late 1990s with the splendidly named Amsterdam-based amateur side AFC Door Wilskracht Sterk (Strong Through Willpower). He moved to England in January 1999 when he signed for League Division 2 side Bristol Rovers, making his senior debut March 1999 against Bournemouth. He spent the 2000/01 season at Bristol Rovers and also had a loan spell at Chester, but didn’t add to his tally of first team appearances.
In June 2000 Kuipers switched to League Division 3 side Brighton & Hove Albion, a move that would define his footballing career. He made his Seagulls debut in August 2000 against Southend United, suffering an injury that kept him out of the side for two months. He returned to Micky Adams’ side in October 2000 and was first choice goalkeeper for the rest of the 2000/01 season as Brighton won the League Division 3 title. Adams was replaced by Peter Taylor in the manager’s hotseat midway through the 2001/02 season but Kuipers retained his first team place and a second successive league title was secured. Brighton’s rollercoaster approach saw them relegated back to League Division 2 at the end of the 2002/03 season and Kuipers missed the second half of the season due to injury. It was during his recovery from injury that Peter Taylor, by then helming the Tigers, took Kuipers on loan in September 2003.
In November 2003 Michel suffered injuries in a car crash but he was able to resume his career a few months later as Brighton again won promotion to the second tier, now rebranded the Championship. Kuipers was restored to first choice keeper for the first half of 2004/05 season until injury again intervened, and Brighton narrowly avoided relegation. He was out of the first team picture at the start of the 2005/06 season and had two spells on loan at League Two side Boston United – the first in December 2005 yielded four appearances, the second between February and April 2006 added a further 11 appearances.
Brighton were once again relegated at the end of the 2005/06 season and over the next four seasons Kuipers was able to regain his position as first choice goalkeeper – he was ever-present in the 2007/08 season as the Seagulls narrowly missed out on the League One play-off spots. In February 2010 Kuipers made his last start for Brighton in a League One match against Norwich City, he left the club in the 2010 close season having made 287 senior apperances across ten seasons.
In July 2010 Kuipers joined Conference National side Crawley Town and in his first season that featured two red cards and an FA Cup tie against Manchester United he made 33 appearances as the Sussex side won promotion to Football League and reached the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. Elevated to League Two, Kuipers began the season in the first team but was quickly replaced and he ended the season with 15 senior appearances as Crawley won a second successive promotion to League One. Kuipers was not used by Crawley in the first half of the 2012/13 season and he left the club in January 2013. In March 2013 he signed a short term deal at League Two strugglers Barnet that yielded no appearances. He hung up his gloves during the 2013 close season.
Kuipers then returned to Holland and worked as a football agent, rising to become Chief Exceutive of a football agency company in December 2023.
Details
Nationality: Holland
Date/Place of Birth: 26 June 1974, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Hull City First Game: 8 September 2003, Doncaster Rovers A (League Division 3), 29 years, 74 days old
Hull City Final Game: 16 September 2003, Leyton Orient A (League Division 3), 29 years, 82 days old
Clubs
AFC Door Wilskracht Sterk (1996-1999), Bristol Rovers (1999-2000), Chester City (2000, loan), Brighton & Hove Albion (2000-2010), Hull City (2003, loan), Boston United (2005, loan), Boston United (2006, loan), Crawley Town (2010-2013), Barnet (2013)
Hull City Record
Career: 3 apps, 0 goals
Michel Kuipers| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003/04 | 3 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |