Newark look to the future
Newark Football Club have announced Francois Zoko has re-signed for the new season and becomes Head of Academy
Chairman Gary Clark told us “Francois Zoko becomes the latest player to re-sign for Newark Football Club. The Ivory Coast born player has extended his stay at Lowfields for the 2020/2019 season. He will take on the duties and role of player and coach for the first team and has already had a significant impact on the delivery of coaching at the football club. Indeed, in this regard Francois has been fundamental in establishing the foundations for and defining the structure and framework of the Newark Football Club’s Academy which it is hoped will begin full operations from the beginning of August.
Francois’s former clubs include French sides Nancy and Laval and Belgian sides Mons and KV Oostende, and English clubs Carlisle United, Notts County, Stevenage, Blackpool, Bradford City, Yeovil Town and Grantham Town. He represented Ivory Coast at Under-20 and Under 23 levels, represented his country at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. With 538 league and cup appearances and 127 goals, the experience and class this grounded and humble player are obvious to all and is already seen asintegral to the football club’s plans and progression.
The academy will offer 16 to 19-year-old students the opportunity to attain BTEC Levels 1 to 3 in sport, ultimately leading to a Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science, on-site at Lowfields. In parallel structured football coaching will be delivered by Francois, together with the opportunity of playing for the acad82318886emy’s football team. Francois, is a Football Association (FA) level 3 coach, having attained his UEFA B License and will be working to integrate the existing junior and youth football teams into a clear and structured player improvement programme.
The vision for the academy is to enable young people to gain a meaningful qualification and allow their personal progression and to provide a clear pathway for young players to transition from junior and youth football, to senior football, and to challenge for a Newark Football Club first team start”.
The application process is already open via academy@newarkfootball.club, with interviews and trials being arranged over the course of the next few weeks, once the lockdown restrictions permit.