Tara Murray
New West Point coach Nathan Borg didn’t see himself as a coach once his playing days were over, but now he’s jumping at the chance to take that next step.
Borg was appointed coach for next year’s FV state league 4 west season replacing Tom Petreski who stepped away from the role.
For Borg, it’s been a big 12 months.
“It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “I took on my first coaching gig last year.
“I was at the helm of the reserves side and I learned a lot for Toma, who was a good mentor for me in my first year.
“I learned a lot and I’m taking the next step and looking forward to next year.”
Borg has played at the club for a number of years and was part of the club’s promotion year in 2023.
He got injured early last year and the reserves coaching role presented itself.
It’s something that he has fallen in love with having been playing soccer since he was five or six.
“I was part of the promotion year and I have good connections with the club,” he said. “Being injured made me reflect quite a bit. I still wanted to be involved in a positive way.
“I did that last year and this year is an extension of this.
“Having had last year experience something I want to progress and I want to experience long term into the future.
“I’m really looking forward to next year.”
Borg said he was able to watch many of the senior games last season as he hung around after their reserves games.
He said there were some good signs following their first season at that level.
“We did reasonably well this year,” he said. “State league 5 into state league 4 is a massive jump regardless of what people say.
“We were quite surprised. We had a tough year with a lot of injuries, but Tom managed to push us away from the relegation zone.”
Borg said they would look to get some players back this season and they were hoping to push up the ladder and into the top four based on what he had seen.
For the young club, it’s about making sure that they keep those pathways growing as well.
“We’ve only had senior teams for three or four years,” he said. “To get promotion in the first couple of years was really exciting for everyone.
“We’ve got lots of youth. There’s seven or eight 17-year-olds that have been promoted which is great for the senior team.
“From a community club stand point of view, it’s massive to push the youth and make sure they’re not stuck in limbo.
“Next year we’ll push on get most success. I’m looking forward to next year.”
