Red Devils pull out of running for B-League
By GAV MCGRATH Aug. 25, 2012, 1:21 a.m.

THE Ballarat Red Devils have officially pulled out of the running to secure a place in a new elite level statewide soccer league that is expected begin in 2014.

The club this week voted not to pursue a licence to compete in what is being touted as a “B-League” competition that will sit under the A-League as part of Football Federation Australia’s national competition review.

The decision opens the door for a consortium, likely to be made up of people from across the Ballarat soccer community and business people, to set up a club virtually from scratch to represent Ballarat in the future competition.

“The board meeting this week has made a formal decision that the Red Devils will not pursue an NCR (national competition review) or B-League licence,” Haymes Red Devils president Andrew Burgess said yesterday.

“The main thrust of our decision was the club would have had to dissolve 40-plus years of history and alienate the community football side of the club, which is the heart of the club.

“It would have meant the Junior Devils and 300 players would no longer be part of the Ballarat Red Devils.

“We would have become an elite club only, rather than the club formed from its community roots.

“That would have been an unacceptable outcome.”

Burgess said the board was unanimous, however, that it would support a licence for the region and saw that as mandatory for soccer in the region moving forward.

He said the Red Devils would not run in competition with any new entity from the region that would apply for the NCR B-Licence.

“The Red Devils board will conduct a review of the club’s structure over the coming weeks, with a decision about its future direction to be made as quickly as possible,” Burgess said.

“The board has reaffirmed its commitment to the existing playing group for 2013 and is pushing full steam ahead for promotion (into Football Federation Victoria state league one).”