New Sydenham Park coach Milan Batur says it will be a different challenge setting up into the main coaching hot seat for next year’s FV state league 1 north-west season.
Batur replaces Goran Lozanovski as the Reds coach, after the former coach accepted a role to return to National Premier League side Altona Magic.
Batur has been an assistant coach at the Reds the past three seasons after finishing his playing career.
His playing career included playing with Western Suburbs, North Geelong and captaining NPL club Melbourne Knights.
“It is exciting,” he said. “It’s a bit of a change having been a player previously. I’m new to the coaching scene and everything is an eyeopener.
“As a player you are only thinking about yourself, while coaching you are thinking about 20-22 different personalities.”
Batur said moving into coaching he had learned a lot, but knows that the club is taking a bit of a risk appointing him.
He said it also gives him plenty of confidence and belief that the club has backed him in to take on the role.
Batur said there is some extra pressure being coach at a club that he has a real connection to.
“It makes it easier and it makes it harder,” he said of coaching a club he has been at the past three years.
“I want to have success for the club as I have personal connections. I want to do well and it’s not just a job, I want to put smiles on faces.”
Batur takes on a Reds side that has pushed for promotion in recent seasons.
In 2022, the side finished third one spot outside promotion. In 2023, they finished in second spot but midway through the season, Football Victoria decided only one team would be promoted, meaning they missed out again.
Batur said it was a little disappointing but they couldn’t change things. He said they were hoping to have a clear picture of the number of teams that are promoted before the season starts.
Batur said the team had plenty of motivation heading into the season.
‘Every team heading into a new season will have motivation to go for that top spot,” he said. “It’s take it one week at a time and see what happens.”
The Reds have also announced the signing of Bobbie Gagovski as an assistant coach.
Tara Murray
