18 September 2023
LAWRENCE (KSNT)- Mark Francis is in his 25th season as the head coach of KU women’s soccer.
Some things have changed.
“The first groups that I coached when I was here, they didn’t have cell phones,” Francis said.”
Some things have not changed.
“I don’t think our style of play has changed in 25 years,” Francis said. “In fact, we had a player get inducted into the [KU Athletics] Hall of Fame a few weeks ago. She hadn’t been here in nine years and she came and watched our game. It was funny, she said ‘Coach, team still plays the same way.'”
He also says their culture continues to be excellent, something he has valued since starting in Lawrence.
Francis sat down with 27 Sports Director Glenn Kinley for a K-Nation exclusive interview.
There are a number of reasons Coach Francis has opted to call KU home for a quarter of a century now. That list of reasons goes beyond soccer.
“The group of coaches we have here [and] the administrations fantastic,” he said. “Everybody’s concerned about everybody else, everybody is checking in on you… It’s like a big family atmosphere.”
He says recruiting is one area specifically that he takes advice from other coaches in the building.
KU soccer is 3-1-5 so far in the 2023 fall season and began Big 12 play with a comeback draw against Oklahoma on Thursday.
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