After a better-than-expected start to the season, Bundoora United soccer club’s leadership group asked their coaches if they could have a crack at promotion.
United are in the second year of a three-year plan, with the original aim of finishing in the top four of state league 4 north this season in readiness for a tilt at promotion next year.
But United was in third place going into last weekend’s league-wide bye, only four points behind ladder leader Fawkner.
Coach Kaan Kalayci said the club was now pushing to secure promotion this year.
“Two weeks ago the leadership group came to the coaches and said ‘let’s have a crack at winning promotion this year’,” he said.
“They said we weren’t far off and could we bring in a couple more players from a higher level to add to the squad. We got a couple and although our concern was there would be disruption, there hasn’t been.”
Kalayci said the three year plan was about more than just buying into the club’s aspirations.
“We’ve been meeting most of our internal KPI’s, like goals for and against,” he said. “[We spent] a lot of time learning football and also how to conduct ourselves on the field.
“It’s been about listening to instructions and setting professional standards. It was about buying into the processes and focusing on the game plan to launch next year.”
Kalayci said he was likely to have a full squad to pick from after the break.
“We have quite a bit of momentum, so the break didn’t necessarily come at the right time,” he said.
Kalayci says the fight for top spot could come down to the wire.
“We play the top two sides in the last few games, so our destiny is in our own hands,” he said. “We play [fifth-placed] Epping City this week and then teams which are well below us on the ladder.
“But wins are never bankable and we’ll take every game as it comes. If we stick to the processes we think we can win every game.
“The feeling around the club is really high and full of energy.”
