Articles by Jim Evans

The season is approaching fast and we have achieved a huge amount as a club over the last few months. The Franklin United Youth Academy is merging its 13 and 14 grade teams (boys and girls) together with the South Auckland Elite Academy to build quality in preparation for competing in the new premier competitions at youth level – the NRFL Y divisions. As mentioned previously in…

The appointment of Mark Holt as Head Coach for the Senior Teams is an exciting one for Franklin United. Here is the statement I made in the club release last week; “Over the last year we have recognised the need to keep aligning our senior team activities, philosophies, culture with our academy operations and when he has been in NZ, Mark has contributed heavily to the academy. We…

Another season has passed, my 19th season of winter football in Franklin. Another year of progression – slowly but steady improvements that continue to drive the football talent space forward in our community. I was MC at last week’s prize giving and whilst writing a speech, it gives the chance to reflect. Firstly, thank you to the member clubs whom are doing a fantastic job in…

The 2019 season is nearly at an end and it has been a challenging yet rewarding season for many reasons. At the start of the year, we decided to focus 100% on local talent at first team and reserve level. For the last three years, we have been nurturing that talent, building their experience and their ability to play. This season they were ready to play in the NRFL Division 2,…