Ballarat City's new senior men's coach Jonathan Davey said the 2020 season presented an opportunity like no other.
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As clubs grapple with the impacts of COVID-19, Davey said Ballarat City might be in a position to seize the advantage. He said given the club's stable foundation, a winning season wasn't impossible.
"I reckon for any semi-professional sport in Australia this season is going to be most interesting," he said.
"You don't know what will happen. Some teams might deal with the crisis badly, others might deal with it well and take advantage of it."
Davey assumed the role as coach following the departure long-time boss James Robinson in May. After serving as an assistant under Robinson for two seasons, Davey said it was exciting to step into the top job.
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"I didn't expect it, it happened a bit sooner than what I thought it would," he said.
"Obviously COVID has happened, it's a crisis but that can bring opportunity."
Davey joined the club five years ago after beginning his coaching career at North Geelong FC. He has coached under-20, under-18 and under-12 teams as well as senior programs.
He said he had inherited a fantastic group of players at Ballarat City.
"We have a good mixture of older boys and younger boys. James built a fantastic environment last year and it was good to be in that environment and I'm happy to take over from that," he said.
The first-year boss will lead the club when it takes the field in the newly-formed National Premier League three competition.
Under a proposed target date, Ballarat City might be back on the pitch in July, however a date is yet to be finalised.
When play does return, Football Victoria confirmed relegation would be removed from senior football so that clubs severely impacted from COVID-19 wouldn't lose their place in football's hierarchy.
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Promotion however, has been retained, meaning that should Ballarat finish on top of the ladder, it will reap the rewards for the 2021 season.
Davey said that would be something for the club to strive for.
"I think you should always go for promotion in any season. If you get there fantastic, if you don't you'll learn something on the way," he said.
In the meantime, Davey said the group was holding non-contact training sessions three times a week. FV confirmed full contact would be permitted on July 13.
"It's about getting the boys motivated and prepared for the season," Davey said.
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