Airs general manager excited about challenge
Opunake’s Mitchell Langton is the new general manager of Taranaki’s premier basketball team.
Langton, 24, has moved home to Taranaki for the role after working for Basketball New Zealand. The Taranaki Steelformers Mountain Airs Basketball team will share the cost of Langton’s salary with the Sal’s National Basketball League (NBL).
Langton remembers training with the Airs coach and players when he was young, which made him feel special, he said.
And he is excited for the challenge to help the Airs get out into the community.
‘‘I always thought that I would come back and give back to the sport, especially the Airs.’’
In 2019, the Airs were struggling for funds to get the team on the court but ended up breaking even at the end of last season, club chairman Laine Hopkinson said. ‘‘So, heading into this year we’re still quite heavily reliant on funding and sponsorship. We have outstanding sponsors, and if all things go well we should end up in the same position this year.’’
The club, run by a small group of volunteers, has been working in conjunction with the NBL over the past year to find a way to employ a fulltime general manager, Hopkinson said.
‘‘We think Mitch has the skills and drive we need to get this club moving in the right direction and give us a real chance to be successful.
‘‘Success for us is to become a true regional team that is involved in the entire Taranaki Community.
‘‘We want to be a club that provides a pathway for talented Taranaki and New Zealand players first and foremost.
‘‘But we don’t have the resources to get out in amongst the community as much as we should be, so having someone whose job it is to facilitate that we should have a much wider reach, which will be cool.’’
In an emailed statement, NBL general manager Justin Nelson said they were focused on assisting teams to increase their business. ‘‘For the first time in the League’s history we have put in place a programme that financially assists teams with the recruitment and employment of valuable resources, in particular people to lead a team’s management and operations.’’