Photo: Ballarat Red Devils
The Ballarat Red Devils are no more as the regional NPL2 outfit formally disbanded with Ballarat City officially launched to fill the void.
The decision brings an end to 48 years of history for the club founded as Ballarat Soccer Club in 1968 and one who most recently competed in the top flight in 2014.
In its place, Ballarat City has been formed and will take up the NPL spot after officially being launched last Wednesday night with the strip and colours of the new side yet to be unveiled.
The new entity will replace the former Red Devils at senior and junior NPL levels as well as joining the local MiniRoos competition. The recent turn of events brings an end to a turbulent past 12 months at Morshead Park, with the club plagued by ownership issues in that period despite modest results on the park under the tutelage of former manager James Robinson who is now in charge of Brisbane Roar Youth.
The problems for the Red Devils have stemmed for a number of years but first surfaced publicly in November 2015 when Robinson initially resigned from his post.
The decision was attributed to governance issues within the club which included disagreements between the Members Club and Investment Group which jointly ran the club.
The tumultuous off-season saw Savas Saglam appointment as Robinson’s successor on Boxing Day by the Investment Company led by former chairman Duncan Smith.
The 2015 senior squad refused to acknowledge the appointment and did not train under Saglam who invited a number of Melbourne-based players to the club to fill the void.
An Extraordinary General Meeting followed in January where the members appointed a new board to run the club which also saw Saglam depart as Robinson returned with much of the existing senior squad who were predominantly based in Ballarat.
However the three seats held on the club’s board of management by Smith had not been filled since the election of the new board early this year.
In September, the FFV approved the proposed change by telling the board that it would transfer the NPLV licence to the new entity in the time for the upcoming 2017 season.
Speaking to the Ballarat Courier, Ballarat City FC chairman John Livingston and junior academy director Michael Bardsley said the launch of the new club was an exciting time for football in the region.
“Ballarat City FC is committed to the future growth of football in the region – building a strong pathway for footballers from regional Victoria to play at the highest level in the state,” he told the Courier’s David Brehaut.
“Ballarat is a great city and perfectly placed to be regional Victoria’s premier football destination. We are home to one of regional Victoria’s best football stadiums in Morshead Park and Ballarat City FC is a club Ballarat should be proud of and get behind.”
Junior academy director Bardsley reiterated such claims adding that “the club’s structure will finally allow much improved engagement with community stakeholders and its members.”
“The club’s philosophy of ‘One club, one city’ promotes teamwork and partnerships within the club and with its sponsors.”
It is understood that the forming of the new entity will have no major ramifications for members of the existing squad as well as new coach Danny Gnjidic who returned to Ballarat in October after being announced as Robinson’s successor having previously coached the Red Devils in the last decade.
Gnjidic’s first signing back in charge was that of former St Albans goalkeeper Alex Baird with the former Newcastle United goalkeeper joining Ballarat following the departure of first-choice Aaron Romein who is understood to be on a verge to an NPL club.