Photo: David Mullins
Werribee City have announced a revamped coaching structure for the 2017 NPL2 campaign, with current head coach Sergio Sabbadini retained at the helm.
The re-shuffle sees current assistant coach John Waddell move into a Technical Director role at the club and relinquish his senior assistant coaching role.
The former Bulleen Lions coaching pair moved to Galvin Park in April of this year, where under their stewardship, the Bees picked up 32 of their total 33 points for the season, despite coming on board nine games into the season – taking control of a club that had lost eight games in a row.
The Bees ended up being one of the form teams of the second half of the year, as mid-season signings Shaun Weaver, Marko Stevanja, Steve Cudrig, Ben Mammone, Damien Peters and 18-year-old Zac Ahmad helped contribute to a much more competitive second half of the season for the Western Suburbs based club
They’ve also stuck true to their desire to give youth a chance with Werribee locals 16-year-old Ibrahim Mohamed and 15-year-old’s Yasin Nur and Dimitar Veljanoski all making senior debuts this season.
Both Sabbadini and Waddell spent time at the helm of the Bulleen Lions, where the former helped them to a respectable eighth placed finish in the 2011 State League One season.
Waddell then took charge of the Lions to lead them to a sixth and seventh placed finish in their 2012 and 2013 campaigns, before the inaugural NPL Victoria season in 2014, with Sabbadini spending time in the Technical Director role under his reign, with the roles ironically reversed at Werribee for next season.
“Next year we’ll be serious about getting a squad together that can challenge, that’s what it’s all about,” Sabbadini told The Corner Flag earlier in the season.
“We’ve given as much game time as possible to our young kids this season and we know we have some deficiencies in some areas we know now that we didn’t know 10 weeks ago.
“We’ll be in a better spot at the start of next season than we were this year.”
Club Chairman Giovanni Inserra was delighted to have secured the services of the manager, and was excited to work with the entire coaching staff in achieving their goals for next season.
“Werribee City Football Club is extremely pleased to announce that current senior coach Sergio Sabbadini will continue to coach the senior squad for season 2017 and continue the project which the club embarked on at the beginning of this season, which is based on developing and promoting local talented players from our zone” he said.
“The introduction of Sergio and his assistant coach John Waddell a third of the way through this season resulted in an almost instant turn around in performances from both our senior and U20 squads and the club is very excited by what season 2017 will bring.
“John Waddell will move into a permanent Technical Director role at the club and will be responsible for ensuring that the clubs vision of introducing young, local talent into our senior and U20 squads will continue next season and beyond.”
Furthermore, Werribee have also announced Craig Moore as the senior assistant coach for the upcoming NPL2 West season, with Nathan Rogers appointed as the Under 20’s coach, both of whom will liaise and work very closely with the senior coaching structure.
In other coaching news, Goran Lozanovski has departed the relegated Northcote City after earlier this season returning to the helm after the departure of Alex Gymnopoulos just seven rounds into the season.
The popular figure at Hercules was unable to lead City to NPL Victoria safety, despite galvanising the squad with a number of key signings and a spirit which saw them fall agonisingly close of surviving the drop.
“It’s no secret that I love Northcote, and it’s with an extremely heavy heart that I have to walk away,” Lozanovski said via Northcote City’s Facebook page yesterday morning.
“We made some huge improvements in a short time this season and I’m convinced that the club is back on the right track. I wish everyone here the best and I have no doubts that we’ll see Northcote back where it belongs very soon.”