NEW Broadmeadow Magic co-coach Bobby Naumov will combine his role at the Northern NSW Football heavyweights with a scouting job for A-League club the Central Coast Mariners.
Naumov, a former national league player and coach at Newcastle, signed on yesterday as the Mariners’ scout for the Northern NSW region.
The former Edgeworth and Hamilton Olympic coach said it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
‘‘ It keeps my foot in the door,’’ Naumov said.
‘‘ I’ve still got ambitions to coach at a higher level, and if something eventuates from this, then so be it.
‘‘ If not, at this point I’m happy just to be involved.
‘‘ It’s all a learning curve and, first and foremost, I want to be a coach.
‘‘ With this, you get access to all the latest technology, training methods and their facilities there.’’
Naumov will identify talent in the heart of Newcastle Jets territory at all levels but was unfazed by the prospect of meeting opposition.
‘‘ You get that in any sporting environment,’’ Naumov said.
‘‘ But that’s the way it is.
‘‘ You have to go where the opportunities come from.’’
The appointment comes just over a week after Naumov and Robert Virgili were announced as Broadmeadow’s coaches for 2015 following Magic’s poor National Premier League season under Glen Chapman.
The pair coached the club the previous year when Magic won a third straight major premiership.
Naumov said Magic had given their blessing for him to take the Mariners job.
‘‘ This was always on the cards, and that’s why I was reluctant to take the job on my own,’’ he said.
‘‘ I said to Chilli [Virgili] that I would do it with him and I made the club aware about the chance with the Mariners.
‘‘ The club does not stand in the way of players who want to go higher in the game, so it’s no different for coaches.’’
Naumov was excited about the chance to work with an A-League club after taking a break from coaching this season following a stint with the Emerging Jets.
‘‘ I was at a bit of a crossroads,’’ he said.
‘‘ I was starting to get a bit disillusioned with it all in the coaching environment and the lack of opportunities around.
‘‘ I was tossing up whether to go for my A licence again, then when this came along and it has spurred me on.’’