New boss hopes to arrest decline in junior game

PLAYERS COME FIRST: Ajit Balasingham (left) is taking over as Northland Rugby Union chairman from Andrew Golightly, who is moving on to role at the New Zealand Rugby Union.PHOTO/JOHN STONE

A DESIRE for change and improvement is at the heart of the chipper new Northland Rugby Union chairman Ajit Balasingham.

Having served his time in the wings as deputy chairman under the outgoing Andrew Golightly, Balasingham hopes to make his own mark.

He says a focus will be put on teenage rugby in Northland, which has seen a significant decline in recent years.

With a 19 per cent drop-off of registered players between 13-20 years in 2012, it has been identified as a real problem area, something Balasingham hopes to change in his new role.

"As a union, we've got to start adapting to what the customer wants, which is the players," Balasingham said. "Junior rugby has a few strategies they want to look at going forward with how we can get more people involved into junior rugby, especially at the teenage level.

"[Teenage rugby] is important for us, we have this gap where they drop off before club rugby and then it picks back up."

Taking control of the reins is something Balasingham is looking forward to, adding he really buys into the Northland Rugby motto of "Better Rugby Better Community".

"It is exciting, we are a very good board which is important ... I'm really excited about what Northland Rugby's opportunities are. We have a great, winning administrative team under the leadership of our chief executive officer Jeremy Parkinson and we are positive Northland Rugby will go from strength to strength.

"It is an exciting time for all our stakeholders and I look forward to engaging and working with them."

Balasingham comes into the role after former chairman Golightly stepped down at the union's annual meeting at the end of March, with Balasingham elected by the board last month.

Golightly's move was one he felt necessary for the NRU, before pursuing - and succeeding - in becoming the Northern Zone representative on the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) board.

Balasingham noted Golightly's leadership had been crucial to his development and felt he would succeed again in his new role. While Golightly left the NRU board with no certainty of a role with the NZRU, he trusted Balasingham with the reins.

"I think Ajit will do an outstanding job and, as I've always said, it's not just one person," Golightly said. "I think we have gone from strength to strength in acting collectively, right through all the volunteers throughout the sub-unions. I know Northland Rugby is in great hands.

"I am comfortable in the knowledge that Ajit, Paul [Scott, incoming deputy chairman] and the board will promote and enhance the game at all levels in Northland.

"Ajit has been a loyal, astute and capable deputy chairman and understands how our game benefits the Northland community."

In terms of Golightly's new role, he told the Advocate prior to being elected that he felt it was a come-what-may scenario at the time but now was glad he had put in the ground work with other northern unions.

"It is a privilege to serve New Zealand rugby and I am delighted to leave Northland rugby in such a positive position.

"I look forward with a great deal of optimism to working alongside all those involved in this wonderful game from the many selfless volunteers, administrators and players at the grassroots level to our talented provincial, Super Rugby and international teams."

Recent Northlanders to be involved with the NZRU board are Richie Guy, as life member and former chairman, and Warwick Syers, who was the last person from Northland to be in the Northern Zone role and finished up in 2007.