Sporting Kansas City has welcomed Kurt Andrews to the club’s technical staff to serve as Director of Sports Medicine.
Andrews, a Michigan native, arrives in Kansas City after six seasons as the LA Galaxy’s assistant athletic trainer during which time he was part of two MLS Cup championship teams. He has participated in Major League Soccer’s annual Medical Symposium each of the past seven years, while also completing U.S. Soccer’s Recognize 2 Recover concussion awareness program.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a Masters of Athletic Training, in addition to certifications from the National Athletic Trainers Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine and EXOS among other national organizations. As a member of the Professional Soccer Athletic Trainers Society, Andrews has assumed leadership positions as a Western Conference Senator and representative on the MLS Research Committee and Continuing Education Committee. He is also an author for the BOC Blog as a member of their writing committee.
Andrews will oversee the team’s staff of sports medicine experts, which includes the following individuals responsible for the daily health and well-being of Sporting Kansas City players:
Jake Brownback, assistant athletic trainer
Amy Dirks, nutritionist
Khalid Jones, massage therapist
Satoshi Iida, assistant athletic trainer
Chris Wolbert, team physical therapist
In addition, Andrews will work directly with Scott Luallin (chief medical officer), Neal Erickson (physician), Kirk McCullough (orthopedic surgeon), Mike Khadavi (physician) and David Black (chiropractor) for the comprehensive medical care of players on the rosters of Sporting Kansas City, Swope Park Rangers and Sporting KC Academy.
Andrews will be based at Pinnacle, Sporting Kansas City’s new world-class training facility, where he will be closely integrated with longtime club employee Chet North in his role as Director of the Sports Performance Lab and Medical Research, as well as the team of professionals inside the Children’s Mercy Sports Medicine Center.
