Ballarat Red Devils drop Leslie as new coach begins to rebuild

BY PAT NOLAN
27 Oct, 2011 12:21 AM

BALLARAT Red Devils defender Michael Leslie is on the move.

The English import has been told by the Reds he is no longer required.

He is one of several players expected to be moved on by new coach Brian Shelley as he looks to rebuild with new high-profile recruits to lift Ballarat into Football Federation Victoria state league one.

As well as his playing role, Leslie was also appointed caretaker coach late in 2010 after Dale Harris was sacked.

Joe Fedele was then appointed for the 2011 season, with Leslie returning to playing duties.

Leslie told The Courier that he had been surprised by the Reds’ decision to release him.

However, he said he held no ill-feelings.

“It was a bit of a shock to myself, I expected to be playing next year. I thought I had a reasonably good season,” Leslie said.

“They were very professional about it though, and handled it very well.”

Leslie, who won the 2010 coaches’ award and was named in the club’s best 50 players in history, said he had learnt a lot with the club and was grateful for the opportunities.

He has already fielded interest from clubs in Perth and Shepparton and other state league two clubs in Melbourne.

“There could possibly be a time when I run out on Trekardo Park wearing another top, which would be weird, but we will just have to see where I end up,” he said.

Leslie started at the club in 2009.

Meanwhile, 2011 Ballarat senior coach Joe Fedele will take a break from coaching next year. Fedele chose not to re-apply for the role with the Red Devils

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/sport/general/ballarat-red-devils-drop-leslie-as-new-coach-begins-to-rebuild/2337566.aspx

Brian Shelley new Red Devils coach
BY PAT NOLAN
25 Oct, 2011 11:46 PM
STAR international import Brian Shelley will coach the Ballarat Red Devils next year.
The Irish recruit was announced as the new senior coach yesterday after dominating for the club in his first season this year.

He has signed on for at least two years, as the Haymes Red Devils look to promotion from the State League Division Two.

Shelley said he fielded offers from other Irish and Melbourne clubs to be a player or coach but insisted the Red Devils was the standout choice.

He will be a playing coach, while technical director Paul Smalley will be the voice from the sidelines on game day.

With the hope of being promoted to the Victorian Premier League, Shelley said he was not afraid of making the tough calls.

The Red Devils must be promoted twice to reach the state’s top league.

“We really need to raise the bar, the club has been in this division for too long,” Shelley said.

“The main thing that has to change is the players. There are going to have to be some that are moved on, and fresh faces will have to come into the side.”

Shelley said he had always wanted to establish himself as a coach, and although it happened sooner than he expected, he was thrilled with the opportunity.

“It was no secret I came out here to get a good coaching position. It happened sooner than I imagined though,” he said.

“There are going to be lots of new things in place. It’s realistic to get promoted but we have to have a good structure in the team.

Shelley played 66 games with Carlisle United, helping them in a play-off win in the Football Conference. He has played eight European Cup (Champions League) matches and seven UEFA Cup matches.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/sport/football-soccer/brian-shelley-new-red-devils-coach/2335761.aspx

Red Devils herald new era of soccer

BY PAT NOLAN
22 Dec, 2011 11:59 PM

THE Ballarat Red Devils has developed what it believes will be the start of a new era of soccer in Ballarat.

Having already operated jointly with the Ballarat Junior Devils, the club has now taken the Ballarat Academy of Soccer under its wing.

All three levels will operate under the Red Devils banner.

The Junior Devils compete in the Ballarat and District Soccer Association and the academy of soccer focuses on junior development.

Under the new system, all three levels will now be part of the Red Devils, with the focus on developing grassroots soccer and attracting high quality players to the region.

The Red Devils will virtually be split into three strands of soccer – performance (senior football), youth development (academy) and community (junior devils).

Technical director Paul Smalley said the new structure was designed to gather all the expertise and skill that existed in the Ballarat region and combine it into the one club.

“We are looking at developing a structure that will compare with the best structures in the world. It’s not like it is going to be that good next year but that is what we are aiming at in the long-term,” he said.

The model, or “technical blueprint”, is the result of a comprehensive review that found there needed to be the one single model that included all levels of soccer.

“It’s an all-encompassing strategy,” said Smalley.

“They’ve (the different strands) have all worked outside the main vision previously and now we have brought all these entities together.”

It is hoped the new structure will not only give the Red Devils greater ability to enhance the development of its younger players, but also the opportunity to showcase its model to external recruits.

Smalley said that with a gathering of expertise in the region, Ballarat-based players would be able to flourish as they matured against the best players.

With soccer being played from a community level right through to top competition level, the Red Devils believe the model will help all players in the region reach their top potential.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/sport/football-soccer/red-devils-herald-new-era-of-soccer/2402345.aspx

Red Devils: Newbold to return to England

BY GAV MCGRATH
04 May, 2012 11:59 PM

ENGLISH import Adam Newbold will leave the Ballarat Red Devils before the end of the month.

The 22-year-old striker will return to England to accept an offer of full-time employment, and will sever ties with the Football Federation Victoria state league two club on May 16.

The former Nottingham Forest player will play two more games for the Haymes Red Devils, including today’s FFV state league two match against Brunswick City at Trekardo Park, before heading back to Nottingham to start his new career.

“Everything is fantastic out here but with a full-time job in England I’d be foolish to turn it down,” Newbold said.

“I’d have loved to see the season out. There is an exciting young squad so it would have been great to see how far we could go, but football is not going to be my career forever and it’s time to look at other things in my life.

“I just want to say I appreciate what (coach) Brian Shelley and (technical director) Paul Smalley have done for me in my time at the club.”

Newbold said he had no plans to play at any high level in England.

Red Devils playing coach Brian Shelley admitted the power forward’s departure would create a hole but, as an overseas import himself, he understands Newbold’s decision.

“It is nothing to do with the footballing point of view which is frustrating for us. We are sad to lose a player of his quality but we understand there are things that are important in life other than football,” Shelley said.

“He has been offered a full-time job back home. He would have had to go back at the end of the season, and the job might not have been there.

“Adam has been playing since he was 15 or 16 when he signed on at Nottingham Forest as an apprentice. He’s come to a point, even though he is young, where there are other things in his life.

“I understand it. I’ve been playing for a long time, and I’m looking at a career in management and coaching, and staying in football that way.

“Adam leaves on May 16, so we have him for two more games.

“He will be part of the squad until the day he goes.”

http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/sport/athletics/red-devils-newbold-to-return-to-england/2545441.aspx