Mick Francis holds centre court after the Swannies’ first ever international, the Hanoi Invitational Cup, Hanoi, November 2003.

On 11 November 2012, the Vietnam Swans Hall of Fame was launched. Three outstanding Swannies were inducted. Inductee No.1 was Michael Francis.

The  Swannies have been playing footy for nine years. But the Pied Piper of Hanoi, Mick Francis, has been playing his footy tune in Hanoi for close to eleven.

Initially, Mick, the entrepreneur, had a problem: Mick had to work at Pepperonis Pizza Bar in Hanoi when the AFL was being telecast on Friday nights.

“I was trying to sell some pizzas and wanted to watch the footy while I was working”, he explained last year during a popular segment on this website, Five minutes with the Flyer.

“I got a few boys around (where I offered pizzas, beer and footy) and there it was; footy on a Friday!”

And the beginnings of the Hanoi Swans Football Club began to take root.

With the Swannies, Mick has had a lot of firsts. One of them was being the Hanoi Swans’ inaugural President.

Reflecting upon the Hanoi Swans’ first international, the Hanoi Invitational Cup in November 2003, Mick said, “The lead up was amazing. Everyone was pumped for it. All we wanted was to be the greatest hosts possible. We wanted the visiting teams to love us and to love coming to Hanoi.”

The desire to be great hosts still very much permeates the Swannies’ thinking. We treat hosting very seriously. While we play to win, we also recognise that we are also playing for and within the ‘spirit of Asian footy’ where the overriding priority is that all teams, spectators and sponsors have a great weekend and want to return. And that means being excellent hosts. That philosophy is proven to deliver us better times and more games the following year.

The social beginnings of the Club are interwoven into the Club’s fabric – and this has underpinned the Swannies’ impressive growth. For example, every new person to the Club is still generously welcomed by everyone, just as they were when Mick was offering pizzas, beer and footy. Mick say that you know you have done well when the new arrival says, “You had me at hello”.

Micky Francis – 1st Swannies win (2006, pictured left); first Melbourne golf day (2005) and first Swing to Swim Charity Golf Day, Hoi An (2011 pictured right) where he was also auctioneer and $25,000 was raised for Swim Vietnam.

Another first by Mick was to have Jaac’s (now known as Jaspas which is a club sponsor) in Hanoi, host a function for the AFL Grand Party.

Initially, the Swannies were not the hosts but in 2005 when we attended the Jaac’s Grand Final Party, a whisper went around that Mick Francis had somehow organised for an article, Swans soar for their Marx to be published the previous day in the Herald Sun newspaper! What the??

It was a crystallising moment. The exotic appeal of playing Aussie Rules in Vietnam suddenly seemed a whole lot more apparent. The article Mick organised gave the Swannies confidence that what we had was special. And that we could do more of the same, but bigger and better.

And why wouldn’t the Hanoi Swans footy club host our own Grand Final Party in conjunction with Jaac’s? Why are we only guests at a Grand Final Party?

Since then, there have been many articles about the Swannies in newspapers in Australia and Vietnam. There have also been radio and TV interviews. Vietnam Swans’ Official AFL Grand Final Parties are now run in both Hanoi and Saigon.

Other firsts for Mick include being:

• A member of the first Swannies’ international tour (to Malaysia in 2005)
• Part of the first Swannies’ Golf Classic in Melbourne (now known as the Ryan Jeffery Golf Classic which is in its 8th year)
• A member of our first ever international victory (against Jakarta in Hanoi, 2006)
• A member of the Swannies’ team that made its first appearance at the Asian Champs (2007)
• A member of the Swannies team at the inaugural Indochina Cup (Hanoi, 2007).
• A member and auctioneer at the inaugural Swing to Swim Charity Golf Day in 2011 at which nearly $25,000 was raised.

The Herald Sun reports on the Hanoi Swans in 2005 – the first article.

It’s easy to follow; it’s challenging to improve and it’s difficult to build something from nothing. Mick has been there since the very beginning and has laid an amazing foundation for this Club. Work commitments at the Vietnam Backpackers Hostel, as well as family commitments, mean that Mick is no longer as actively involved in the Club as he would like.

However, Mick continues to run a very supportive and encouraging eye over the Club as the rest of us develop and improve what he started.

And, the Pied Piper is still always there when it matters – usually with a crowd in tow.

Mick’s legacy is strong. He gave us a beginning. He gave us the confidence to build something bigger and the freedom to sculpt.

Mick, congratulations on being inducted into the Vietnam Swans Hall of Fame. Not surprisingly, you are the Swannies’ first inductee! Deservedly so.

Still to come: Profiles on fellow inductees, Dave Kainey and Scott Stacey.
Tomorrow: Dave O’Shea previews Saturday’s Grand Final Blockbuster in Saigon between the Reds and the Whites.