A newly elected Ballarat Red Devils Football Club board of management has launched an immediate search for a new head senior coach.
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The board, which met after being voted in at special meeting of club members attended by 150 people at Morshead Park on Thursday night, agreed to advertise the position without delay.
The board told The Courier that it wanted to make an appointment promptly, with the Reds scheduled to open their National Premier Leagues 2 West season with a home game against Moreland Zebras on Saturday, February 20.
James Robinson resigned as head coach in November after two seasons at the helm.
Savas Saglam, who attended the special meeting, was appointed to fill the vacancy in December.
However, his appointment was not supported by the Red Devils’ existing player group, who chose to training independently while waiting the outcome of the special meeting.
The new board’s first meeting confirmed it did not recognise Saglam’s appointment, with the previous committee of management having just two members – less than required to make the decision.
Last season’s Red devils under-20 coach Jonathan Davey will act as interim head coach until an appointment is made.,
John Livingston will initially lead Ballarat Red Devils Football Club’s new administration.
He has been elected chairman on a short-term basis, with the new board planning to rotate the role during an interim period and then a long-term appointment made.
The club has been without a chairman and operation board since the annual meeting in November last year.
Livingston was part of a three-man working group with Michael Bardsley and Andrew Burgess which led the calling of the special meeting and election of a new board.
Livingston, Bardsley, Burgess, Tony Irish and Michael Smith were elected by the meeting to the board – filling five of six board positions which must be elected by club members.
Herman Bogers and Yogan Moodley also join the 11-person board as the Ballarat District Soccer Association representatives.
Ballarat Red Devils Investments, which under the club’s constitution is entitled to have three representatives on the board, has two members on the new-look administration – Wayne Sandford and Graeme Smith.
Until Thursday night’s meeting, Sandford and Smith, were the only two remaining board members.