Neil "Pods" Hood. PHOTO/Warren Buckland
Establishing a "power-of-eight" brand in the Central Districts cricket region is the vision of new chief executive Neil Hood.
"We want to get to a stage where the Stags and the Hinds brand is seen as our teams for everyone in those districts rather than a few of those players who happen to be playing in our teams," says Hood.
He feels the CD brand is "somewhat disjointed" but therein lies the challenge of working in a fragmented district.
"We have geographical differences and that's difficult but that's who we are," says the 35-year-old from Levin, adding that people know him better as "Pods".
The eight districts are Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Taranaki, Levin, Nelson and Wanganui.
"It's hard for people who come from outside to understand the issues we have, so for someone like me who's grown up and worked in the area, I know what those issues are."
His vision is to make CD a strong organisation on and off the park.
That entails building a stronger financial foundation solid enough to realise goals.
"Financially we're not the strongest so that is something I need to rectify."
Having taken office on Monday, Hood says CD isn't "overly in a strong position".
"I'm still trying to get my feet under the table to get a better understanding of where we actually sit so I can help charter us forward."
Helping the districts believe in a pathway to success is paramount.
"We want to have a side in the Stags and the Hinds that people want to aspire to play for.
"We want to produce locals who can go on to play for New Zealand as well."
Successful teams, Hood hastens to add, are attainable if CD becomes financially strong and stable.
"How we'll do that is the hard part but it's something we'll be working incredibly hard on together to make it happen."
His rapport and experience with the districts will be pivotal.
"Being a grassroots person I think is something that'll be a crucial part of building our brand as the Stags and the Hinds players want to represent."
He believes his appointment hinges mainly on his ability to communicate with people.
"I can bring that feeling back and then get a buy-in from the people."
Building a sponsorship dam from the catchment area is also up there.
His contacts from his Horowhenua-Kapiti representative playing days will help foster that bonding.
From a player perspective, the Stags' contracts are up for discussion so securing home-grown talent is vital.
"I'm pretty confident to say everyone in the eight districts will be pretty happy to see the direction we're heading in."
The future for CD is in its talent in the catchment area, Hood stresses, not in just selecting them but giving them the opportunity to thrive and persisting in honing their skills.
"I think the philosophy of showing faith in our talent is very important. It isn't always easy and we're not always going to be as successful as we want to be."
Making short-term decisions to reflect success is always on the cards but Hood says it's important to focus on the bigger picture.
"We have a massive amount of talent and there are a number of individuals who can go on to play for New Zealand."
The odd vacancy, through a dearth of skills, will always be there so that may have to be filled.
"Again, that'll be very much a last resort."
The Stags' unsuccessful HRV Cup Twenty/20 stints will prompt a revisit on CD's strategy to recruit overseas imports.
"Generally that's one area we need to think about carefully before we delve into that player market."
Nigel Brooks, CD amateur cricket manager, has forged ties with the eight districts but Hood says it has been "disjointed and needs improvement".
"It's crucial for me coming on board that we're engaged with those communities.
"Nigel Brooks does an excellent job but we need to follow through," he says, adding that CD director of cricket Craig Ross has been engaged on the coaching side for the past two years.