Stijn Francis

Stijn Francis (born 18 December 1982) is a Belgian former football player who played for Westerlo, Oud-Heverlee Leuven and Verbroedering Geel. He is now active as a football agent.

Stijn Francis
Personal information
Date of birth (1982-12-18) 18 December 1982
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Lierse
KTH Diest
Westerlo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2002 Westerlo 1 (0)
2002–2004 Geel
2005–2008 OH Leuven 56 (6)
2008–2012 Overijse
2012–2013 Lubbeek
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Players' career

Francis started his career with Westerlo at the highest level of Belgian football but played only one match in the Belgian 1st division with the first team when he was a late substitute in a 1–4 win away to Beveren on the penultimate matchday of the 2000–01 Belgian First Division. He also played European football with Westerlo in the so-called Intertoto Cup. At the end of that season, he moved to Belgian Second Division team Verbroedering Geel, where he stayed two seasons. In the winter of the 2004–2005 season, he signed for Oud-Heverlee Leuven and played three more season in the Second Division.[1] Thereafter he moved to lower divisions, playing for Tempo Overijse from 2008 to 2012, before he moved to SMS Lubbeek as he could no longer combine football with his main profession as a lawyer.[2]

Professional career

After a career as a business lawyer at the law firms of Clifford Chance and Nelissen Grade, Francis founded Stirr Associates in 2014. Stirr Associates is a football agency and has been involved in transfers of players such as Dries Mertens, Toby Alderweireld and Zinho Vanheusden. Francis is considered to be one of the leading football agents in Belgium.[3][4] Francis is also active as arbitrator in the Belgian Court of Arbitration of Sports and lectures at the International Football Business Institute.[5]

Francis is also the author of the Bankrupt Footballer, a book on the business side of a footballer's career.[6]

References
  1. "Stijn Francis". Ohl.be (in Dutch). 2005-04-04.
  2. "Stijn Francis wants playoff round as leaving gift". Nieuwsblad.be (in Dutch). 2012-03-27.
  3. "Stirr, the one football agency that puts you in control of your career". Stirrassociates.com. July 19, 2018.
  4. "Na dé transferzomer van de eeuw: een topmakelaar vertelt ons hoe het er achter de schermen van de voetbalwereld aan toe gaat". Nieuwsblad.be.
  6. Francis, Stijn. De failliete voetballer: 50 vuistregels om controle te hebben over de zakelijke kant van je voetbalcarrière – via Amazon.co.uk.


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