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Written by Jamie Troughton
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Friday, 19 October 2007 |
THE hunt for a new boss of Bay of Plenty rugby will begin immediately after today's resignation of chief executive Paul Abbot.
Abbot made the surprise decision after four years in the job, citing the need for ``fresh legs off the bench'', after a gruelling tenure which changed the face of the game in the province.
It's understood the union will advertise the position next week and will look to appoint someone by Christmas, with a view for them to start in March next year.
Rugby development manager Mike Rogers will fill in as interim head when Abbot leaves in December.
The decision comes on the back of a disastrous season by the Steamers, who slumped to 13th in the Air New Zealand Cup, and at a time many administrators are questioning the future of the provincial competition.
Abbot may look to step back into the corporate world but leaves with the firm belief the union is in good stead.
``I'd like to stay involved in some way - despite all the doom and gloom, there's a bright future out there for Bay of Plenty rugby,'' Abbot said. ``There are some phenomenal kids and coaches involved in the age-group sides and there are some solid clubs operating very successfully. The guts of the union is still very strong.
``And while there's been doom and gloom about the future, the Bay will field a team next year and they will field one in 2009 as well, provided there are still enough teams to form a competition. That's not the issue - it's how competitive we can realistically be with that Super 14 dominance.''
His optimism is not without cause - during his tenure, Bay of Plenty has increased its turnover from $1.7 million in 2003 to $3.7m in 2007. Player numbers have bucked the national trend, rising from 5200 to 8900 and academy and pre-academy set-ups have helped stem the loss of local talent.
Union chairman Stuart Harvey, currently in France, said in a statement it was with no small measure of sadness his board had accepted Abbot's resignation.
``Paul has fought passionately for Bay of Plenty rugby throughout his tenure and has represented the union and its interests with aplomb,'' Harvey said.
``He's been a trusted and respected figure and we're certainly sad to see him go.''
Abbot still struggles to fathom the changes the union has gone through in the last four years since he took over from Craig Ross. ``It's changed hugely - I first walked into the offices in Rotorua and there were six people sitting in there and they were struggling to put together a decent community and school programme. Now we've got 22 staff, player numbers are increasing and club communication hasn't been better. But it's essentially time for a change, for myself and the union. I've given it everything for four years and it's probably time for the union to get a new dose of enthusiasm in there.''
His two fondest memories of his tenure both involve fully-packed stadiums - the Ranfurly Shield defence and the game against the British and Ireland Lions in 2005.
``Obviously the Shield win was right up there but probably the week after the Shield win was even more important. I still vividly remember people just wanting to come and touch the Shield and crying when they touched it. That was magic - it was great to see some facets of rugby that touched the entire community.''
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