Administration Nightmare

As the summer ended and the rugby season preparations began there was an air of anticipation about the season ahead. There were new North Harbour coaches scouting players, wider training squads, supplements and diets and most of all Rugby to look forward to. The feeling was good, the preparation was good and so the season got under way!

Fast forward 8 weeks into the season and what we have witnessed from the administration guardians of our game in North Harbour is nothing short of an absolute disgrace. With reckless abandonment the powers at be don't change the format of the Premier and Senior 1st grade once but twice! Who has the authority or even the gall to admit that they have created such a shambles of a championship that they need to change the format twice in the same season. It highlights the amateur level of administration that is taking place amongst what is supposedly a professional set up.

This type of decision making makes it clear to me that there is absolutely no transparency in the rule making and processes required to run the game in North Harbour. Too many deals are being struck in dark alleys and influence to make change put on people who are not fit to be the guardians of our game. It is bad enough that our provincial side were rotten to the core last year but now it is evident to all who are involved in our great game that those who are there to administrate are a bye product of the team on the field.

It is time that the people in charge at North Harbour take a long hard look at themselves and their processes!

There are challenges that lie ahead of this union and at present those who are at the helm are not fit to lace the boots of a JB 8's team never mind run a so called million dollar operation. Sometimes it is better to admit that the format that you hastily put together in the event of a crisis was not great but you see it out and then apply an analyse and review project to learn from the errors of the decisions that were made. That is what should have happened this year.

The administrators should have stuck with their hastily amended Championship format when Kumeu pulled out and allowed a 2 team bye when required. Instead what we now get is a memorandum demanding that the two bye teams now play each other and that it is for championship points. I am sure that North Shore and Takapuna are thrilled by this little bit of news. Whilst not great decision, it was at least a decision and should have lasted to the end of the season. Then, analysis and a review of the Championship and feedback from the teams should have been put together and publicly presented with the lessons learned.

The year after should then be better and a plan implemented for such events that may take place in the future. In business it is called Business Continuity Planning but evidently the 2nd rate administrators of our game in North Harbour have been too far removed to understand the need for a back up plan and more notably a process from which all can see what deals are being made and by whom.

Please rid our game of these 2nd rate people and give us the professionalism and quality that some of our clubs possess more of than those who run our game. Should we not see improvement, it wont just be Harbour that suffer it may end up being the people and players that are involved in our clubs in the North Harbour region. Whilst some might say that this recent decision was a good one (they will be those who seek their own agendas) there must be a need for this type of sorry state of affairs to never be allowed to happen again. Lets just hope that the shambles that we call Harbour Administration don't need to make any more little alterations before our all too short season is over!

Mairangi Murray from the empty terraces!!!