Frans de Munck

Goes

At the age of eight, De Munck often watched practice sessions of local club VV Goes, where he was often invited to be a goalkeeper, for the first-team players to do shooting practice. Due to a knee injury, he was unable to realise his dream of becoming a forward. It turned out to be a golden opportunity to continue as a goalkeeper. He developed into a talented goalkeeper, and made his debut in the first team as a 15-year-old in 1937, against TSC Oosterhout.

Sittardse Boys

During World War II, De Munck was given the opportunity to play for German club TuRU Düsseldorf through a German officer. Because he refused, he had to work in a German arms factory. After a promotional match against Goes, Sittardse Boys offered him an opportunity to move to a higher level as a way out of working at the factory. As a goalkeeper for Goes, he had excelled in such a way that he could get a paid contract with Sittardse Boys in 1944, as result of a deal with a sponsor at the club, who thereby prevented him from being employed as a forced laborer in Germany. In Sittard, an Ausweis was arranged for him, and after the war he began working at the local police department as an officer. He then also played for the Dutch police team. At Sittardse Boys, De Munck played in the Eredivisie, the top division of football in the Netherlands. In 1947, he received an offer from FC Barcelona to become a professional in Catalonia, but te turned down the offer as not to jeopardise his chance…

In 1949, De Munck represented Oranje twice; his first two international matches. In the friendly against France on 23 April 1949, he made his debut as a replacement of regular goalkeeper Piet Kraak, where he was only able to concede a goal to Jean Baratte in the third minute in the 4–1 win. In the 2–1 win in the next match in and against Denmark, De Munck was once again between the posts. Because of his subsequent suspension because of his payment as a professional at Sittardse Boys and during his time as a professional at 1. FC Köln, he was no longer allowed to compete for the national team. However, one month after the North Sea flood of 1953, which had struck large parts of the Netherlands, he took part in a selection of Dutch foreign professionals in a benefit game in front of 40,000 spectators in the Parc des Princes against France. This game went down in history as the Watersnoodwedstrijd, a prelude to professional football in the Netherlands. A year later, De Munck made his comeback for the new professional national team – again against Denmark – and remained the starting goalkeeper until 1960. Only six times did De Munck fail to concede a goal in his international matches; the biggest defeat was in 1957, a 1–5 loss to Spain in Madrid, in which Alfredo Di Stéfano scored three times against the Dutchman. He made his last international appearance for Oranje on 24 April 1960, exactly eleven years and one day after his debut, in a 1–2 defeat in Antwerp against Belgium.

De Munck's managerial career got off to a slow start. As was the case with his difficult international career, the KNVB disallowed him to pursue coaching, as they were of the opinion that De Munck did not have the correct papers. Therefore, he started a coaching course at the Sporthochschule in Cologne. The KNVB initially did not recognise the validity of his diploma, but was still willing to admit him as a manager after the intervention of Prince Bernhard, with whom he had a friendship. De Munck started his coaching career in 1966 at Vitesse, when he himself was still active as a player. He succeeded Joseph Gruber as head coach, after the latter had been dismissed. After his coaching stint in Arnhem, De Munck became a head coach in Belgium. First at Club Brugge, with whom he won the Belgian Cup in 1970; then at Lierse. In 1972, he returned to Vitesse as head coach. He stayed there until 1974. After his second period at Vitesse, De Munck also coached amateur clubs Minerva and Arnhemse Boys. He ended his coaching career as a youth coach at FC Dordrecht.

Frans de Munck was the son of Frans de Munck Sr., a son of a Belgian inland skipper. De Munck Sr. worked as a stoker at a gas company in Goes, Zeeland, where he met Johanna Maria Labeur, a widow from Kattendijke. She had two children from her first marriage, and the couple settled on the Westerstraat in Goes. De Munck Jr. later had a half-brother from his father's marriage to Labeur, Pieter de Munck, who was seven years younger. His biological mother is unknown. As a youngster, De Munck did a lot of sports. In addition to association football, he also did cycling, athletics, korfball and handball. He particularly excelled in athletics, including winning the Zeeland championship in javelin throw and handball.