Sports the big winners in five-year plan for Ballarat

SPORTING CHANCE: The redevelopment of Eureka Stadium is still a distant prospect for Ballarat, but the big winner will be the Regional Soccer Facility.

The Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility could be completed in time for the 2015 Asian Cup but the redevelopment of Eureka Stadium remains a distant prospect.

The City of Ballarat’s draft budget locks in Ballarat’s sport and recreation priorities with a $21 million, five-year plan.

Soccer would claim a big win, with $5.6 million allocated in 2013-14 to bring the $11 million Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility to completion – with or without the aid of federal government funding.

The Hollioake tennis precinct at Wendouree has also been singled out to receive upgrades in the budget and a master plan would be created for its future development.

Mayor John Burt said the commitment to the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility would enable Ballarat to host international teams training for the 2015 Asian Cup.

“The facility down there is of the highest standard we can have in a regional city,” Cr Burt said.

The second stage of the facility will include the construction of the main show pitch, a synthetic pitch and small sided soccer pitches, as well as construction of the major grandstand, pavilion seating and fitting out of a community space.

Delivering a “major new indoor sports facility for Ballarat” would be a feature of the five-year plan, and city chief executive officer Anthony Schinck said the Eureka Stadium remained a priority for the council.

But the $80 million project would require substantial funding from other levels of government.

Another element of the five-year plan would be to provide certainty to clubs and organisations about when redevelopments at their facilities would occur.

The $21 million budget would include “extensive” developments at each of the city’s major sport precincts with works undertaken on surfaces, pavilions and landscaping.

Equal access to sporting facilities is another priority of the plan, with the development of six change facilities across the city.

rachel.afflick@fairfaxmedia.com.au

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1498826/sports-the-big-winners-in-five-year-plan-for-ballarat/?cs=62

Vikings remain in race for top
By TIM O'CONNOR May 13, 2013, 10 p.m.

A SECOND-HALF strike from former Socceroo Joe Spiteri meant Vikings had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Point Cook in Football Federation Victoria state league five on Saturday.

The result, however, kept the Sebastopol-based Vikings’ unbeaten start to the season intact, leaving them in third place on the ladder after round five.

Vikings took the lead early in the contest after Jye Cartledge headed into the net from a corner, but the home side was left only with a point after Spiteri’s brilliant long-range effort shortly after the break.

Coach Michael Busija said it was a game the Vikings should have won, particularly as they controlled significant periods of the match.

“All in all I was pleased with 95 per cent of the game but disappointed for the players as much as anything that they couldn’t turn their domination into reward,” he said.

“I’m not disappointed in them, more disappointed for them.

“I felt we should have won.”

A serious wrist injury to Viking Matt Jamieson was a sour note from the weekend’s fixture, with the midfielder likely to spend the next month on the sidelines.

“It’s a blow for us because he’s certainly one of our top two or three players, but at the same time it’s an opportunity for someone else,” Busija said.

“I think we have got the depth to cover him.”

The Vikings, just two points behind ladder-leader Melton Phoenix, travel to take on the Sunshine Heights Western Tigers this Saturday.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1498864/vikings-remain-in-race-for-top/?cs=63

A RED card and no points.


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This has become an all-too-familiar scenario for the Haymes Ballarat Red Devils in Football Federation Victoria state league two this season.

The Reds again came up empty-handed after losing a player early, being defeated by Moreland City 6-2.

Moreland City put the game away with three goals in the last 15 minutes of each half.

Ballarat lined up without five regular players, but despite this it made a bright start at Trekardo Park.

Harley Bosher had an opportunity to score in the opening three minutes on the end of a Laurance Gogorossis cross, but could not convert. Bolish Salvatore hit the post and Michael Trigger then put a shot over the bar – all in 11 minutes.

But the game changed complexion on 19 minutes when Rhyse Crowe received his second yellow card and with it his marching orders.

This was just the opening Moreland City needed, and with the game opening up it took a three-goal advantage to the half-time break.

Ballarat fought back, though.

Santo Victor had an easy tap in at the far post and three minutes later Ballarat was within one of Moreland City.

Trigger and Ian Nolan exchanged passes, Trigger cut the ball back to Bosher at the top of the box and his first-time left shoot flew into the top corner of the net.

The Reds could have levelled when a Nolan free kick found Josh Romein at the front post, only to see the shot off target. That was one of Ballarat’s last chances.

Moreland City dominated the run home with a sealer at 76 minutes and another two in the last six minutes of the match.

Reds coach Sinisa Cohadzic said being down a man, a structure change had been required at half-time against the best team in the league.


He said the game plan had worked brilliantly until the red card.

“The first 15 minutes were the level of soccer I want Ballarat to play,” Cohadzic said

The Reds will welcome back Stefan Nigro, Liam Harding, Simon Murphy and Shaya Almousa for Saturday’s away match with Brunswick City.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1498854/ballarat-red-devils-horror-run-continues/?cs=63

Strong Red Devils teams to look for first win

May 24, 2013, 9 p.m.
Liam Harding, left, is a welcome return to the Red Devils’ starting line-up.

BALLARAT Red Devils will field arguably its strongest team this year today in a bid to notch its first win of the season against fourth-placed Keilor Park.

The Reds are almost at full strength for the first time this season with no injuries, only one player out suspended and another unavailable.

Seasoned campaigner Adrian Curtain will miss with work commitments and Rhyse Crowe still has a week to serve on his suspension.

On a positive note, however, Liam Harding, Dom Swinton and Simon Murphy will all return to the Haymes Red Devils starting line-up.

Both Harding and Murphy came off the bench last week, with Murphy recovering from a hamstring injury and Harding fresh off the plane from overseas.

Coach Sinisa Cohadzic said having the duo back into the team was a start towards building stability, something that had been severely lacking in the early stages of the season.

“Having Liam, Simon and Dom back will be a positive for our young group,” he said.

“One thing we have not had this year is stability and have not had the same starting eleven two games in a row.

“I am hoping over the next couple of weeks we should get some stability with all our players back.”

Keilor Park knocked Ballarat out of the Victorian Cup earlier this season, winning 2-4 in Ballarat in a game that the Reds had many opportunities to actually win.

Still a very young side, Ballarat will look towards its experienced players to help steer it towards victory at Trekardo Park.

Ballarat could possibly play just three backs in a bid to be more attacking, pushing five players into the midfield.

“We know Keilor very well after playing them in the cup in a game where we made many mistakes,” Cohadzic said.

“This time around though the players have improved in every aspect of the game so I am expecting a better performance and that then should take care of the result.

“We are not far off and I believe with the players slowly coming back positive results are just around the corner.”

The team:

GK: Darryl Newby

Backs: Laurence Gogorossis, Josh Romein, Pietro Angeli

Midfield: Michael Trigger, Liam Harding, Stefan Nigro, Harley Boscher, Dom Swinton


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Forwards: Ian Nolan, Simon Murphy

Subs: Lawrence Tombe, Bolish Salvatore, Josh Antonelli

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1525607/strong-red-devils-teams-to-look-for-first-win/?cs=63

Soccer: Red Devils notch up first win of year

June 3, 2013, 8:30 p.m.

The Red Devils have finally broken their drought.

BALLARAT Red Devils broke its long-standing drought on Saturday, tasting victory for the first time of the year against Fitzroy City in Melbourne.

The Haymes Red Devils fielded easily its strongest team for the year in the Football Federation Victoria state league two season, eclipsing Fitzroy City 3-1 in a dominant display.

The margin could arguably have been even greater had the Reds been more clinical in front of goal, but it was nevertheless a win to savour.

Ballarat should have been ahead early when Simon Murphy was played in by Liam Harding, but he fired into the side netting.

Further shots from Dom Swinton, Michael Trigger and Harding all tested the City keeper, who was the busiest player on the pitch.

In contrast, Red Devils keeper Rick Janssen was a mere spectator and only caught the ball on one occasion in the opening 45 minutes, except for three goalkicks.

Ballarat almost took the lead on 39 minutes when Trigger’s shot on the turn was flicked on by Harding, but the ball hit the crossbar.

“I was delighted with the way we started the match,” said Reds coach Sinisa Cohadzic.

“Some of our passing was excellent considering the conditions, but we lacked a final pass in the opposition’s third, which was a little disappointing as we had so much of the ball.

“When we hit the bar I thought it might have been one of those days again.”

Ballarat again came out firing in the second half and was finally rewarded when Josh Romein fired home a penalty in the 50th minute.

Fitzroy responded immediately against the run of play through a goalmouth scramble, but it was Ballarat which got back on top on 72 minutes when Murphy put in a perfect cross to Trigger, who this time converted with a classy header from 10 yards.

Murphy then got on the scoreboard himself with a tap-in, with Trigger repaying the favour by setting up the easiest of goals in the 84th minute.

“I was very proud of the players today,” Cohadzic said.

“Again things weren’t going our way at different stages, but to their credit they continued to attack, fight for every ball and put more numbers in the box, which got the reward with us scoring three excellent goals.

“We deserved to win and I am happy for the young players to finally get the win on the board and deservedly so.”

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1546961/soccer-red-devils-notch-up-first-win-of-year/?cs=63

Dejan Kalinic, Omnisport

Red Devils aim high in Ballarat

Friday, 7 June 2013 9:59 AM


To say the Ballarat Red Devils are an ambitious club may be understating it.

The regional club, founded in the late 1960s, will soon have facilities comparable to Melbourne's two Hyundai A-League clubs.

It comes as no surprise the Red Devils, who are in State League Two North-West this season, are aiming to one day feature in Australia's top flight.

They are one of 44 to express an interest in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, which has caused controversy among some of the state's leading clubs.

Andrew Burgess, who is the chairman of the Red Devils' NPLV bid, said the club wanted to represent the region.

"What we are very excited about is the fact that it is an opportunity to have a team from regional Victoria, particularly western Victoria, come in and play in the National Premier League competition – to represent the whole of this region," he said.

"As a club we've been on this journey for the past 10 years, looking at the best way to move our club forward.

"We see ourselves as a representative club of not just the Ballarat Red Devils but also the wider region and very much western Victoria."

They may be the only club from the region to express an interest in the NPLV, while in the city, Victorian powerhouses Melbourne Knights and Green Gully have opted against doing so.

The Federal Government are providing $2.675million in funding to complete the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility, with the council matching that investment.

Synthetic and turf pitches and grandstands are all included.

It will be considered as a host for a team at the 2015 Asian Cup – to be held in Australia – and can host Hyundai A-League games.

"The idea with the region, with the club and with the facility is that outside AAMI Park and probably Etihad (Stadium), I would argue that this will be one of the best, if not the best, purpose built stadium in Victoria and one of the best in Australia," Burgess said.

With participation 'growing all the time', facilities – too often a problem in the past – will no longer be an issue.

Perhaps it will see locally developed players also take the step up, putting the potential problem of needing to attract top-class talent from the city behind them.

The Red Devils have come a long way since 2003, when they gained promotion from Victoria's sixth division.

And, with both Hyundai A-League clubs Melbourne-based, a regional team in the top-flight competition is not out of the question.

"As the years progress, we feel that as a standalone identity, the region itself has every opportunity of being able to go into that tier of competition," Burgess, who has been involved with the club for over 40 years, said.

"It certainly will need significant support, we'll need significant backing and we're a long way from it, but the overall vision is to see that the Ballarat Red Devils are a team out of the western region, based out of this complex, playing in the A-League."

And with their goals set and so regularly achieved, no-one can blame the Red Devils for being ambitious.

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/Red-Devils-aim-high-in-Ballarat/68589

Dejan Kalinic, Omnisport

Red Devils aim high in Ballarat

Friday, 7 June 2013 9:59 AM


To say the Ballarat Red Devils are an ambitious club may be understating it.

The regional club, founded in the late 1960s, will soon have facilities comparable to Melbourne's two Hyundai A-League clubs.

It comes as no surprise the Red Devils, who are in State League Two North-West this season, are aiming to one day feature in Australia's top flight.

They are one of 44 to express an interest in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, which has caused controversy among some of the state's leading clubs.

Andrew Burgess, who is the chairman of the Red Devils' NPLV bid, said the club wanted to represent the region.

"What we are very excited about is the fact that it is an opportunity to have a team from regional Victoria, particularly western Victoria, come in and play in the National Premier League competition – to represent the whole of this region," he said.

"As a club we've been on this journey for the past 10 years, looking at the best way to move our club forward.

"We see ourselves as a representative club of not just the Ballarat Red Devils but also the wider region and very much western Victoria."

They may be the only club from the region to express an interest in the NPLV, while in the city, Victorian powerhouses Melbourne Knights and Green Gully have opted against doing so.

The Federal Government are providing $2.675million in funding to complete the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility, with the council matching that investment.

Synthetic and turf pitches and grandstands are all included.

It will be considered as a host for a team at the 2015 Asian Cup – to be held in Australia – and can host Hyundai A-League games.

"The idea with the region, with the club and with the facility is that outside AAMI Park and probably Etihad (Stadium), I would argue that this will be one of the best, if not the best, purpose built stadium in Victoria and one of the best in Australia," Burgess said.

With participation 'growing all the time', facilities – too often a problem in the past – will no longer be an issue.

Perhaps it will see locally developed players also take the step up, putting the potential problem of needing to attract top-class talent from the city behind them.

The Red Devils have come a long way since 2003, when they gained promotion from Victoria's sixth division.

And, with both Hyundai A-League clubs Melbourne-based, a regional team in the top-flight competition is not out of the question.

"As the years progress, we feel that as a standalone identity, the region itself has every opportunity of being able to go into that tier of competition," Burgess, who has been involved with the club for over 40 years, said.

"It certainly will need significant support, we'll need significant backing and we're a long way from it, but the overall vision is to see that the Ballarat Red Devils are a team out of the western region, based out of this complex, playing in the A-League."

And with their goals set and so regularly achieved, no-one can blame the Red Devils for being ambitious.

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/Red-Devils-aim-high-in-Ballarat/68589

Ballarat Red Devils 2030 A-League bid, get on it!

Red Devils control much of game but still manage to lose
June 24, 2013, 9:30 p.m.

BALLARAT Red Devils have slumped to their eighth defeat from the past nine outings following a 2-0 loss to Sydenham Park on Saturday.


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The Haymes Red Devils fell to goals at the start and end of the match, leaving them second last on the Football Federation Victoria men’s state league two ladder.

The Reds started well and were giving the home side trouble at the back until a counterattack down the right side was converted with a smart finish to beat Rick Janssen at the front post.

From then until about half way through the second half this was almost the last time Janssen touched the ball as the Red Devils turned on the screws and controlled much of the match. But Ballarat went two goals behind on 83 minutes when Sydenham scored from a corner with an excellent header at the front post.

“We went into the game with a different playing style than normal as we were playing against an experienced, fast and physical side that is deservedly in the top three on the ladder,” Reds coach Sinisa Cohadzic said after the match.

“And to be honest, it worked throughout the 90 minutes except twice when our lack of concentration cost us the goals. It really was as simple as that.”

Cohadzic said he was pleased with the way his team followed instructions and were disciplined in their approach towards the game.

“I could not ask for more from them. We turn around and look towards the next couple of weeks where we play all the teams in the bottom part of the table around us,” he said.

Ballarat now prepares for a home fixture with seventh-placed Westgate on Saturday.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1594168/red-devils-control-much-of-game-but-still-manage-to-lose/?cs=12

8th in State Two...and they're going to be possibly a top flight club in Victoria. Well in FFV, you couldn't have planned it any better.

Edited by CL: 27/6/2013 08:51:03 AM

Adios Red Devils :-({|=

Red Devil Henry Wines walks among men

By PAT NOLAN July 10, 2013, 10 p.m.

TALENT: Young Red Devil Henry Wines made his senior debut for the Reds on Saturday.
HE might be the Ballarat Red Devils’ youngest ever player, but Henry Wines is walking tall among men.

The 14-year-old was all who stood between the Reds’ defenders and the back of the net on Saturday.

At 14 years and 359 days, Wines made his senior debut for the Reds on Saturday, hand-plucked from the under-15 BDSA squad.

He might have let through three goals in his side’s 3-3 draw, but there is no doubt the future is bright for the young keeper.

“It’s my birthday (today) and it was a great early present to get when Sasha (Red Devils coach Sinisa Cohadzic) told me at training during the week,” Wines said.

“I didn’t expect anything like this at the start of the season.

“I was just concentrating on keeping with the Red Devils Academy under-15s and doing my best there.”

Cohadzic said Wines “stood out like a beacon” when he was casting an eye over the junior training sessions.

“Every Tuesday I come along early to watch every single academy age group and see who has the potential to step up and this is how I spotted Henry Wines,” he said.


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“He just stood out like a beacon and is very confident and mature for his age.

“We decided that this was the right time and a great opportunity to give him a chance to shine.

“Credit to Henry – he took the chance and was very comfortable on the weekend, which shows what a bright future is in front of him.”


http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1630380/red-devil-henry-wines-walks-among-men/?cs=2439

Edited by Joffa: 14/1/2014 05:18:51 PM

Not sure if Ballarat thread.








Or Red Devils thread.

Victoria Park celebrates 30th anniversary

By MICHAEL POLLOCK Aug. 2, 2013, 10:29 p.m.

Victoria Park Football Club celebrating its 30th birthday. Players and life member Peter Jones wearing jerseys from various eras of the club.
VICTORIA Park Football Club is recognising the first major milestone of its history with its 30th anniversary this year.

Past and present players paid tribute to the Vultures’ first three decades of success by displaying a full array of the club’s guernseys at a training session on Thursday.

The club will also host a ball at the St Patrick’s College function room on August 16 in celebration of the milestone.

“There was talk of an anniversary at the 20-year mark, but it didn’t come to fruition,” Victoria Park Football Club president Jake Ellis said.

“An anniversary was something that I wanted to fulfil in my time as club president, and it’s great to see the club recognise this milestone.”

The club was formed in 1984 as part of an amalgamation of the Redan Kosciuszko Soccer Club and Golden Point Soccer Club.

“I think you could say it’s been a very happy marriage since the amalgamation,” life member Peter Jones said.

“It has become a very successful, family driven club – and its indicative of the increasing amount of soccer played in Ballarat.”

The Vultures now have 230 members, including 74 women, and at least one team in all divisions of the Ballarat District Soccer Association.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1680613/victoria-park-celebrates-30th-anniversary/?cs=2439

Red Devils appoint former A-League player James Robinson to lead club

By TIM O'CONNOR Jan. 13, 2014, 10 p.m.
Former A-League player James Robinson is the Red Devils' new player-manager

BALLARAT Red Devils have landed another major recruiting coup with the signing of an A-League championship player to lead the club into its new venture.

Former Melbourne Victory attacking midfielder James Robinson has been appointed as player-manager for the 2014 season, which the Red Devils hope will be their first in the soon-to-be-formed Victorian National Premier Leagues competition.


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Robinson’s signature follows hot on the heels of former Australia and Leeds United goalkeeper Danny Milosevic’s appointment as football director.

The 31-year-old Robinson has agreed to a one-year contract and will officially start in his role next Monday.

“I have known Danny (Milosevic) for five or six years now and when he called me about Ballarat it didn’t take any time at all to convince me that this was the place to be,” Robinson said.

“We will look at the squad over the next two to three weeks and see what is needed to make us really competitive in the NPLV and the cups this season.

“From what I hear, we might need to strengthen a couple of positions with some top players, but it will be very much a Ballarat team that will represent Ballarat.”

Robinson, born in Liverpool, started his career with Crewe Alexandra, progressing from a junior to playing 15 games in the English Championship over three years.

Following a few stints at other clubs in Europe, Robinson came to Australia and joined Richmond in the Victorian Premier League, where he scored 13 goals in only 19 games to attract the interest of Melbourne Victory.

Robinson played only seven times for Victory, but is best remembered for his critical semi-final goal that advanced the club to its first grand final in 2007, which it won 6-0 over Adelaide. Victory also won the premiership that season.

Robinson also had stints with Melbourne’s A-League rivals Perth Glory and North Queensland Fury.

Ballarat Red Devils chairman Duncan Smith said the club had been forced to move quickly with recent news of the National Premier Leagues competition starting in Victoria this season.

“With only some 10 weeks to go until the first match of the season, it has been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest. But we have now signed Danny Milosevic as our football director and are thrilled to have signed James this week,” he said.


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Smith said the club was on the verge of announcing the club’s general manager.

tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2021023/red-devils-appoint-former-a-league-player-james-robinson-to-lead-club/?cs=2439

Red Devils make submission to join Victorian National Premier League

Jan. 13, 2014, 8 p.m.
Red Devils chairman Duncan Smith

BALLARAT Red Devils have made their desire to join the Victorian National Premier Leagues competition official.

The club yesterday handed in its NPLV submission to Football Federation Victoria before the January 20 deadline.


“It has taken quite a bit of work but it is all now all complete and in the hands of the FFV,” Reds chairman Duncan Smith said.

“There were some big changes from the original submission that we submitted to the FFV back in September last year, with quite a few parts of the criteria changed and a few new parts added.”

Smith said FFV would consider the clubs’ youth development, finances and facilities with most weight, with coaching, operation and community support rated as of “medium” importance.

“I think that the FFV has it right in the criteria weightings. We will be putting a lot of work into our Youth Academy teams over the next few years and that is why I believe we have the best football director in Australia in Danny Milosevic here in Ballarat,” Smith said.

The new elite state-based competition looked as though it would not come to fruition this year, with an announcement late last year that it would not go ahead.


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But the backflip follows an agreement between FFV and its clubs on a model to be applied and agreement to stop proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria.

The successful NPLV clubs are expected to be announced on Friday, February 7.

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2020885/red-devils-make-submission-to-join-victorian-national-premier-league/?cs=63

I assume that's Ballarat's new 10,000 pax facility under construction there.

Who'll be going to Ballarat's first NPL game?

1   15/03/14 (Sat)   15:00   Kingston Heath Soccer Complex - Pitch 1           Bentleigh Greens SC   
2   29/03/14 (Sat)   15:00   McEwan Reserve - Pitch 1           Goulburn Valley Suns FC   
3   05/04/14 (Sat)   15:00   John Cain Memorial Park - Pitch 1           Northcote City FC       
4   13/04/14 (Sun)   18:00   Olympic Village - Pitch 1           Heidelberg United SC   
5   16/04/14 (Wed)   20:30   Lakeside Stadium - Pitch 1           South Melbourne FC   
6   26/04/14 (Sat)   15:00   Hosken Reserve - Pitch 1           Pascoe Vale SC   
7   03/05/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           South Melbourne FC   
8   10/05/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Port Melbourne Sharks SC   
9   17/05/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Green Gully SC   
10   24/05/14 (Sat)   19:00   George Andrews Reserve - Pitch 1           Dandenong Thunder SC   
11   31/05/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Hume City FC   
12   08/06/14 (Sun)   15:00   Knights Stadium - Pitch 1           Melbourne Knights FC   
13   14/06/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Oakleigh Cannons FC       
14   21/06/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Bentleigh Greens SC       
15   28/06/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Goulburn Valley Suns FC
16   05/07/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Northcote City FC
17   12/07/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Heidelberg United SC
18   19/07/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Pascoe Vale SC
19   26/07/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Werribee City FC
20   30/07/14 (Wed)   20:30   JL Muprhy Reserve - SS Anderson Oval - Pitch 1           Port Melbourne Sharks SC
21   02/08/14 (Sat)   15:00   Green Gully Reserve - Pitch 1           Green Gully SC
22   09/08/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Dandenong Thunder SC
23   15/08/14 (Fri)   15:00   Broadmeadows Valley Park - Pitch 1           Hume City FC
24   24/08/14 (Sun)   15:00   Galvin Park - Pitch 1           Werribee City FC
25   06/09/14 (Sat)   15:00   Morehead Park Stadium - Pitch 1           Melbourne Knights FC
26   14/09/14 (Sun)   15:00   Jack Edwards Reserve - Pitch 1           Oakleigh Cannons FC   

Playing with the big boys now!

Ballarat just beat Moreland Zebras 2-1 in a preseason friendly.

Red Devils went down 3-2 to the Heart youth team last weekend.

Will be keen to make my way to Morshead Park in May, pumped!

20's got destroyed in the second half to lose 5-3 though.

Red Devils enlist major on-field recruit Dane Milovanovic
By TIM O'CONNOR Feb. 20, 2014, 11:05 p.m

BALLARAT Red Devils have landed their second major on-field recruit with the signing of central midfielder Dane Milovanovic.

The 24-year-old joins the Reds on the back of A-League championship winner James Robinson, who arrived as player-manager last month.

Milovanovic is a former Australian junior, having represented the green and gold at under-17, under-20 and under-23 level.

After spending two years at the Australian Institute of Sport, Milovanovic moved to Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar in the A-League, where he played over 30 matches in the youth competition.

Milovanovic, who stands about 6’3”, has also played in the Indonesia Super League and the Hong Kong First Division, as well as in the last two Victorian Premier League grand finals with Oakleigh Cannons and the Bentleigh Greens.

“I am very pleased to have signed for Ballarat and I am looking forward to the challenge of being part of a club that takes on the best teams in Victoria,” he said.

“James (Robinson) has told me that football in Ballarat is just about to take off and I want to be part of it. I understand that there is a fantastic new stadium almost finished which will be the best in the Victorian National Premier Leagues and the training facilities are top class.”

Milovanovic is expected to arrive in Ballarat next Monday and step straight into training.

“I’m really looking forward to Monday and the first training session to meet all the players. James has told me that there is a lot of talented player there, so I can’t wait to get started,” he said.

The Reds will play their second pre-season match at Morshead Park on Saturday, taking on NPLV1 side Whittlesea Ranges from 1pm.

Injury blow for Red Devils By PAT NOLAN March 4, 2014, 8 p.m.

BALLARAT Red Devils have been dealt a major blow on the eve of their biggest season in history, with player-manager James Robinson going down with a knee injury.

The star recruit is expected to miss up to the first two months of the Victorian National Premier League season, requiring surgery for an injury sustained in an intra-club practice match.

He is expected to go under the knife in about 10 days, with the recovery process to take a minimum of six weeks.

Robinson is understood to have injured his meniscus in his knee and will require an operation.

Reds chairman Duncan Smith said it was far from the ideal start to what would be one of the toughest seasons the club has competed in.

However, he hinted at some further key signings as proof of the Reds’ progress, including one import expected to be announced this week that is rumoured to be the biggest name to ever pull on the Ballarat kit.

Competing in Victoria’s elite soccer league, Ballarat will be up against a raft of former National Soccer League clubs and traditionally powerful Melbourne-based sides.

“It’s very disappointing (to lose James), it makes it that much harder for us,” Smith said.

“We’re up against it enough without our best players going down before the season starts.”

With their new show pitch at the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility still months from completion, the Reds will not play a home game until May 3 – the seventh round of the season.

Smith said he had hoped Robinson would be available for the first home game of the year.

“He’s one of the marquee players of the league. Not having him out there definitely hurts,” he said.

“But you have to get on with it and hopefully he can be back as soon possible.”

Robinson, originally from Liverpool, played seven A-league games for Melbourne Victory, but is best remembered for his critical semi-final goal that advanced the club to its first grand final in 2007, which it won 6-0 over Adelaide.

Victory also won the premiership that season.

Robinson also had stints with Melbourne’s A-League rivals Perth Glory and North Queensland Fury.

Ballarat Red Devils opens its season on Saturday, March 15 under lights against Bentleigh Greens at the Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

Robinson was unable to be contacted by The Courier yesterday.

Big deal: Red Devils recruit Liverpool player Danny O'Donnell By PAT NOLAN March 10, 2014, 9:28 p.m.

BALLARAT Red Devils have landed the biggest signing in the club’s history, luring a former Liverpool player for the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season.

Danny O’Donnell, who once captained the Liverpool under-18 side, was expected to arrive in Ballarat early this morning.

The 28-year-old defender is not expected to line-up for the Reds in Saturday’s season opener against Bentleigh Greens, with official transfer papers still to be finalised.

However it is hoped he will be able to slot in as a centre-back as soon as possible.

Standing at 188-centimetres tall, the Englishman was at Liverpool between 2002 and 2007, was promoted to the senior list in 2005 and was also selected to tour with the club in the 2005 World Club World Championships in Japan.

Training with the likes of world-renowned superstars such as Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Harry Kewell and Xabi Alonso, O’Donnnell never managed to play an English Premier League match, although did play a handful of pre-season games.

He was released from Liverpool in 2007, having already spent a season on loan at third-tier club Crewe Alexander.

O’Donnell then spent time at Shrewsbury Town and Stockport County, most recently playing for Barrow in the sixth tier of the English league system, where he played as recently as Saturday.

He has signed on with the Reds for the season, which chairman Duncan Smith said was without doubt the biggest signing to ever come to the club.

The Liverpudlian fills the second visa spot allowed to each club, following last week’s announcement that former Scottish Professional Football League player Steven Thomson had signed on.

“He has played with one of the biggest clubs in the world and trained for many years with some of the best players in the world and very soon will be a Ballarat player,” Smith said.

“It doesn’t really get any bigger than that.

“He is a top quality player, a big defender and someone who will give great leadership to the team.”

The Reds’ season gets underway under lights on Saturday against Bentleigh Greens at the Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

Red Devils’ biggest catch lands in Ballarat By PAT NOLAN March 12, 2014, 12:27 a.m

FOUR weeks ago, playing soccer in Australia had never crossed former Liverpool defender Danny O’Donnell’s mind.

Now he is a fully fledged Ballarat Red Devil and cannot wait to get out on the pitch for the biggest season in the club’s history.

O’Donnell, 28, arrived in Ballarat from the United Kingdom in the early hours of yesterday morning, and the Reds are trumpeting him as their biggest-ever recruit.

Lured from the other side of the world by new manager James Robinson, O’Donnell said he was genuinely excited about playing in the new National Premier League Victoria competition.

“I could just tell by speaking to the manager, in terms of the enthusiasm and the drive that he’s got and what people are setting up over here ... it is something I want to be a part of,” he said.

“It was only about four weeks ago I heard about it and only about three weeks ago it started becoming serious.

“In a way, it’s better it was such a rush because there’s less time to think about it. The sooner I get myself out on the pitch the better. It’s been a real whirlwind.”

The club captain of his former team in England, Barrow, as well as a junior coach at Everton, O’Donnell said coming to Ballarat was a difficult decision, but one he could not pass up.

“On the face of it I was jumping at the opportunity to get out here, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty and everyday existence back home, everything adds up and it makes it that bit harder,” he said.

O’Donnell said he had been to Australia once before, when he toured with the Liverpool youth squad as a 16-year-old.

He also played two first-team matches for Liverpool in the pre-season in 2006, one against Crewe Alexander, where he was eventually signed, going on to play almost 150 matches in the Championship and League One.

“The enthusiasm for the game when I came over a few years ago was brilliant and if there is still that level of interest around then it is going to be a great place to come,” he said.

It is unlikely the centre-back will be able to play in the season opener against Bentleigh Greens on Saturday night, with final transfer papers yet to be officially signed. However, he hopes to be playing as soon as

possible.

First ever NPLV game, against Bentleigh Greens at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex at 7pm Saturday 15th.

It's a tight turnaround for the Victory away game in Perth starting at 9:30pm, but I'll be there!

Edited by paladisious: 13/3/2014 11:49:14 PM

That's a good result, didn't know about that game.

How does it feel when your NPL team has better facilities than your A-League team? ;)

Edited by paladisious: 14/3/2014 12:54:44 AM