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Collapse Issue 300 - 17 Sep 2012Issue 300 - 17 Sep 2012
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Medal named after Umina player

A former Umina soccer player has had a Player of the Match award named after him.

The Andrew French Medal will be presented annually in the CountryNet Mens Premier League First Grade Grand Final.

The award will recognise the outstanding contribution by one of the Central Coast's most talented, durable and highly-respected footballers.

Born in Sydney in 1972, Andrew moved with is family to Killcare when he was two years old.

He first played football at the age of eight with the Umina club before graduating to representative level, initially with the Central Coast Under-11 and Under-12 teams in 1983 and 1984.

The family then moved to Goulburn where Andrew's father was involved in the relocation of the NSW Police Academy.

Andrew continued to play representative football while in Goulburn and was selected in the 1985 NSW U13 Country team.

In 1986, he travelled from Goulburn to Campbelltown to play in the Sydney Youth League.

The following year, the French family returned to the Central Coast where, in his busiest season to date, Andrew played club football with Umina, represented with the Coasties and then won selection in the NSW Under-14 team which took out that year's National Championships.

In 1988, he travelled to Sydney to play in the Sydney Croatia Under-15 team and was again selected in the NSW State team which retained its national title.

The highlight of Andrew's representative career came in 1989 when he was selected in the Australian Joeys (Under-17) team where he played alongside future Socceroos including Mark Schwarzer, Tony Popovic, Stan Lazaridis and Zelco Kalac in the 1989 Junior World Cup in Scotland.

Between 1988 and 1990 he played professionally in First Grade with Sydney Croatia in the National Soccer League competition, helping the club win the State Championships in 1988 and 1989.

By 1991, Andrew had set up his own business on the Central Coast and made the tough decision to step back from professional football to concentrate on his business.

His final season of representative football was with the Central Coast Coasties in 1991.

The following season, still aged 20, he returned to Umina where he was to play in that club's first grade team for the next 20 years, more than any other player in the history of the local First Division-Premier League competition.

During his period with Umina, he was a major factor in the club winning six league championships and four premierships from seven grand final appearances.

Despite playing the majority of his career as a midfielder or defender, Andrew was sent off just once in his entire career, and has never been suspended.

He is also a three-time winner (1993, 1999 and 2000) of the prestigious Central Coast First Grade Player of the Year award, the only player to have done so.

Andrew stepped down from First Grade following Umina's success in last year's Grand Final to spend more time with his family, wife Peta, sons Oliver (nine) and Noah (seven) and one-year old daughter Lara.

He has "resisted the temptation to hang up his boots", and has just finished his 21st straight season in Premier League with the Umina Reserve Grade team.

He also has plans to resume a junior coaching role with Umina.

The inaugural Andrew French Medal was presented by Andrew at this season's CountryNet First Grade Grand Final played at Pluim Park on Saturday, September 15.



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