New boss for Netball Manawatu

‘‘This job, being a general manager role, from my perspective it gives me an opportunity to use skills for something I’m passionate about.’’ Samantha Ford, left

Samantha Ford has come to Netball Manawatu’s rescue as its new general manager.

Ford was announced as the new boss last week, finally filling the role which was vacated when Bronwyn Meads left in February, having been in the job since April, 2014.

Barbara Broederlow, a former Netball Manawatu business development officer, was the acting manager for most of this year, but returned to her Tauranga base in August.

Netball Manawatu had advertised for the role three times and hadn’t found the right candidate until Ford, who has only recently moved to New Zealand from Australia, applied and she had what it was after.

Ford, who will start work next week, had been planning to move to New Zealand because her partner got a job and when she saw the Netball Manawatu job she gave it a go.

‘‘My background is in general management,’’ Ford said.

‘‘I was general manager of a private hospital in South Australia.

‘‘This job, being a general manager role, from my perspective it gives me an opportunity to use skills for something I’m passionate about.’’

The 39-year-old is keen on the sport and has played netball for about 30 years, from her young days in a country league in South Australia, to Adelaide, the United Kingdom and back to Australia.

Ford believes netball’s structure in Australia isn’t as good as in New Zealand, so she is looking forward to seeing how the game is run in Manawatu.

She wanted to get settled before starting on any grand plans.

‘‘I think I’ll step into the role and get a bit of a feel for it, in the first instance, before I make any rash decisions.

‘‘I’ll speak to the main stake holders and see what direction they think the organisation’s going in.

‘‘The main aim of the game is bringing those young ones through. If you don’t have them coming through you don’t have the future in netball.’’

She hasn’t worked professionally in sport before, but believed her skills were suited to it and there were a lot of people in Manawatu well versed in netball to help her.

Ford is originally from the countryside in South Australia near Moonta, about 200km west of Adelaide, and is now living in Halcombe.

Her partner is also a Halcombe volunteer fire fighter and their group have raised money for leukaemia, which was something that drew Ford to Manawatu and a community organisation.