Aylesbury FC: Jon Franklin vows to build a 'community club'
Aylesbury FC is pushing its role as a 'community club'- and one man in particular will be working behind the scenes to make sure it is just that.
Jon Franklin, one of the more successful Ducks managers of recent times, will be overseeing football development at Aylesbury FC, in a role not dissimilar to that of a 'director of football'.
Franklin was a coach at Oxford City last season and he says they offer a great model for what a community club should be. "It is an enormously well run club from the youth team to the senior side," he said. "They have also got a disabled team, things like that.
"Once we are up and running we will be looking at what we have got in terms of teams. My initial remit will be to steady the ship with the first, reserve team and youth teams and then I want to look at the youth structure and see if it can be developed further through all the age groups.
"The goal is to develop football in the local area. To see a steady flow of youth through a club and develop them as they get older and more senior." He said having young players go on to play for professional clubs would be a good indicator of his success.
Franklin also wants to attracy children to the senior side's games. "We will be sitting down and talking about what we can do to encourage youth teams to be there, whether that means training sessions with the first team and then encouraging them to stay on for the match, or half time competitons. Obviously off the back of that you are encouraging adults to be there and boosting attendance."
Franklin will also have a role in recommending first team players for areas which need strenghening- although he says he will not interfere with team selection or tactics which is the responsibility of Mark Eaton.
But he added: "I am 44 years old and have been around in football for a long time and so I hope I can offer advice and if I see things going wrong I will offer that advice. The bottom line is it is the manager's decision and all managers get praised by their results or fall on the sword because of them.
"The only time I will step into the dugout is when for any reason Mark Eaton has to go away, for example because he is on business."
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Weather for Aylesbury
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
