Dean Francolini was many things to many people. He was a family man, a husband, a dad, son and brother and to many of us a huge part of Orpington Football Club. Dean joined OFC when Freddie began training at the Soccer School back in 2017 and soon after Dean agreed to be Manager of the team.

It was clear from the outset that Dean was one of those people who gave 110% to everything he did. His team had training sessions that kept the young players engaged. He always encouraged them to work on and develop technique and he got his team playing real football. It's no surprise to anyone at the Club that the children in Dean's Team have been extremely successful and become good players, good friends and good people as a result of knowing him.

Dean was also an integral part of the VET's Team at OFC, both as a player and as a personality. He was one of the first to get involved with team banter, always quick to make a joke out of all situations and he loved dishing out nicknames to all the players. In the first season as a League Team, Dean was voted Player's Player of the Year. This was a fitting reflection of how much he meant to all the players involved in the VET's Team. During his last season, when injury ruled him out of playing, he would always be there to support the Team with Freddie and the other players.

The Francolini family will always be part of OFC and as a Club we will celebrate the life of a much loved friend. Dean gave so much to this Club and the Francolini family have been extremely generous in asking all money raised by this page to be donated to OFC which provided Dean and his family with so many happy memories. Their amazing gesture will continue to help hundreds of current and future young players in the years to come.