Kelvin's big day

Wanganui City's Kelvin Francis with just some of the many players he mentors at Wembley Park.

It was a phone conversation from NZ Football that nearly made the jaw of Wanganui City's Kelvin Francis hit the floor.

The hard working club man and coach of four City junior teams from 7th to 10th grade was preparing for a couple of busy weekends, including the club's junior prizegiving, when he was told he had been named the regional winner of the 2016 McDonald's Junior Coach of the Year award.

Francis received his prize at the junior's end-of-season ceremony at the clubrooms on Saturday.

"I was shocked actually. Very unexpected," Francis said.

"To be selected from the Central region was a massive surprise."

The players from his four teams were "pretty excited" for him - knowing their boss was judged the best coach of youngsters anywhere in the vast Central zone from up to Gisborne and down to Palmerston North and then across to New Plymouth.

After 15 years of service, Francis said it was great to get the recognition, although that had never been a motivation for him.

"I do what I do because I love the game."

He thank his teams as well as the many people who volunteer to help look after them, as coaching four sides every Saturday means the super coach cannot be everywhere at once.