Busija’s appointment to the role was made public on Friday night, with the 31-year-old confirming he will remain as the Vikings’ state league senior coach.

“I’ll carry on business as usual there,” Busija said.

Busija will work with the Red Devils’ junior arm – which includes six underage teams – in developing players and helping make the transition to senior soccer as smooth as possible.

He is not expecting to have any direct involvement with the senior section of the club, but will communicate closely with head coach James Robinson.

Robinson was reappointed to the senior coaching position last month after quitting the role in November 2015.

In a statement published on the Red Devils’ Facebook page, Busija thanked the board for his appointment and said he was excited to work alongside “committed and passionate individuals to develop Ballarat's talented junior footballers throughout their career”.

“In the coming weeks I intend to sit down, alongside our club, to discuss plans for the coming season with players, parents, supporters and the greater Ballarat football community,” Busija said.

Busija said a critical commitment is to provide greater transparency and inclusiveness in the club’s processes.

“I thank players and parents for their patience in what has been a very testing time and hope you will support me, and the club, as we endeavor to provide the elite football environment that our junior players deserve,” he said.

Busija said it was important that the Red Devils worked with and gave back to the region’s other soccer clubs. He said the club wants to be representative of the region.

Ballarat fields junior boys sides in the under-12, under-13, under-14, under-15, under-16 and under-18 National Premier Leagues Victoria competitions.

The Reds’ junior teams kick-off with round one matches on March 13.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils senior side had an intra-club hit out at Morshead Park on Saturday as it prepares for the NPLV2 season.

That match followed a 3-0 loss to St Albans Saints in a practice game last weekend.

The Reds begin their campaign with a home game against Moreland Zebras on February 20.

Sebastopol Vikings commence the state league four season with an away fixture against Point Cook on April 2.