There’s a new face at the top of the Shepparton Soccer Club men’s outfit ahead of the next Bendigo Amateur Soccer League campaign.
Previously, the focus had been on the club’s attempts to cultivate a women’s side to enter into the BASL fold, recruiting Preston Lions NPL star Haley Johnson to oversee some off-season open training sessions.
Now, the existing senior men’s side has its structures locked in place as the red and black brigade looks to build on its sixth-placed finish in 2024 and the subsequent finals berth.
Now, existing club figure Alo Karslioglu has been elevated to sit as the senior head coach in place of Stefo Radevski, who remains as club president in no longer balancing team management.
Karslioglu was already sitting among the club’s coaching staff, helping oversee that drought-breaking appearance in the knockouts, and was a unanimous choice by the club’s committee to succeed Radevski at the helm.
He’s hardly a newcomer to the responsibilities that come with the top job, having been hand-picked out of the same position in a local tournament.
“Last year, during the Nations Cup, I was coaching the Turkish side and Stefo came out to watch some of the games,” Karslioglu said.
“He approached me after the cup, asking if I wanted to be involved within the coaching team for Shepparton, which suited me.
“A lot of the Turkish boys in the team were looking for a home, so we recruited them and did well throughout the season.
“It was the club’s first senior appearance in a few years and it was a bit of a challenge building a team out of nothing.”
He’s wasted no time setting out his objectives for the next 12 months, either.
Rather than collating a series of marquee signings, Shepparton’s core focus is set to revolve around total cohesion and unity in its current stocks.
“Just having a good relationship with the players and creating a family environment plays a role,” Karslioglu said.
“It’s good to have the boys around and, hopefully, some new faces who will join this season.
“One of the things I’m best at is creating that friendly environment where the guys can have fun and be competitive in the league.
“With the players we’ve got and those who are going to join, I think we’ll be a strong team driving forward.
“You need to give to them what you want out of them and that’s the biggest thing; being able to build a team is more important than having superstars.”
Making up the remainder of the senior coaching staff will be existing playing captain Seyhan Aslan, who goes around once again as an assistant, and Cemil Celikdere as men’s team manager during his injury rehabilitation.
The club will continue to keep an eye out on the recruiting front as well, with two open days scheduled at Vibert Reserve before the festive break on December 5 and December 12.