Mike Rogers: Format a surprise success

This year has definitely been a memorable one for Bay rugby.

There have been a number of highlights for me. Meeting some of the great Bay players at our centenary lunch, Maungatapu School representing us at the Rippa Rugby World Cup, Te Puke winning their first Bartercard Baywide Club Competition and the Steamers wins against Waikato, Wellington and Canterbury make for a pretty good list.

Hopefully you have enjoyed following the Steamers this year in the 2011 ITM Cup. We are certainly proud of the way the team represented us in our centenary year.

While we didn't achieve our ultimate goal of winning the ITM Cup, we did for only the third time in our history finish as one of the top three teams in provincial rugby in New Zealand.

From a Bay of Plenty rugby point of view we have been pleasantly surprised by the success of the format for the 2011 ITM Cup season.

We were nervous about how the new format would be received however the feedback from broadcasters, sponsors, supporters and importantly the players has been that the length of the season and playing mid-week games has worked well.

The format certainly generated real interest at the end of the season when a number of teams could have either played in the final or been relegated. I know the fans loved the unpredictability however I am not sure it was that good for my blood pressure.

I have no doubt that we have some of the best supporters in the country and we are very lucky to have such a tremendous group of loyal sponsors. We also need to acknowledge the volunteers.

Thank you again for your unconditional support of Bay of Plenty Rugby. Enjoy the unique experience of the RWC and I look forward to seeing you again in 2012.

Mike Rogers is chief executive of Bay of Plenty Rugby Union.