Mark Robinson, Jennie Wylie and Scott Weenink. Photos / Photosport
The management and administration of New Zealand’s biggest sports was firmly in the spotlight at the end of last year. Aotearoa’s three most prominent sporting codes – rugby, cricket and netball – all go into 2026 without permanent chief executives.
So, what are the unique difficulties about running a sports organisation?
New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson finished up at the end of last year, having announced his resignation mid-year. The former All Black oversaw a tumultuous few years, which included heavy scrutiny over Ian Foster’s role as All Blacks coach and the introduction of American private-equity firm Silver Lake as a major shareholder.
Netball NZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie resigned on December 18 following perhaps the most turbulent year in the sport’s national history. NNZ struggled to secure a new ANZ Premiership broadcast deal, implemented new test eligibility criteria and oversaw the standing down – and subsequent reinstatement – of Dame Noeline Taurua as Silver Ferns coach. Last week it was announced Jane Patterson would step into the CEO role on an interim basis.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink left his post a day after Wyllie. In his own words, Weenink’s exit came after a fundamental misalignment with New Zealand’s six Major Associations and the Players’ Association on the best route forward for the sport in Aotearoa.
The Herald has spoken to former Hurricanes boss Avan Lee, long-standing New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell and current Auckland FC chief executive Nick Becker about the challenges of leading complex sports organisations in the public eye.
Like any business, sports bodies periodically have to deal with employment disputes and investigations. However, the public profile of these organisations greatly enhances the amount of pressure on those involved.
Similarly, like any chief executives, those responsible for sporting institutions are expected to balance the books and run their corporate office in line with sound business management practice. But unlike most corporate entities, sports organisations are handling a product that people genuinely love: sports fans want gratification on the field from the teams they have followed their whole lives. Communities want access and support to enjoy the sports at grassroots.
The standing down of Silver Ferns Dame Noeline Taurua caused a media storm. The saga dated back to player complaints from a camp in January. Netball NZ was unwilling to release details due to it being an employment dispute.
The parties took months to reach any kind of resolution, and the information vacuum led a frustrated and angry public – loyal to Taurua – to pin blame on players without access to key facts of the situation.
NZ Football dealt with their own employment issue when Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova, the national women’s coach, departed the role with three years left on her deal. Allegations emerged of inappropriate behaviour towards a player, triggering a third-party independent employment investigation.
Elite players later anonymously voiced to the Herald concerns about whether NZF had taken the situation seriously enough.
Pragnell admits navigating controversial employment matters in the public eye is one of the more difficult aspects of the role.
Pragnell said you have to find a balance between transparency for fans and remaining within legal confines.
“We always obviously have to respect the law and respect the individual’s rights in the very, very first instance, and we do our best to kind of explain that. But equally, I also have an understanding of why that generates some public frustration at times. Like, everyone wants to know, they feel like these teams are a part of them.”
Lee had to manage last year’s controversy around a haka performed by the Hurricanes Poua in Super Rugby Aupiki.
The Poua called out the “puppets of this redneck government”, referring to policies in relation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Lee later clarified the haka was created without consulting the organisation as a whole.
He said there are certain situations where anything you do will be wrong.
“You’ll always have people on both sides of the fence who are critical of that decision. But, ultimately, there are times when you just have to stand up on behalf of your organisation and your people and your community and say, “this is how I see it”.
“It either comes naturally, or it doesn’t. And you might not get it correct every time, but that’s what people want to see. They want to see the leader of the team or the organisation upfront and give a view.”
Lee said dealing with public and media scrutiny is hard.
“You do take it personally. That was an example where there were probably two sides to the argument, and I received pretty average commentary from both sides of the fence. It’s hard not to take that personally when you’re a fair person and equality and inclusion are important to you.”
Lee said it may be good practice for CEOs not to read the media, but instead get someone to read it for them and convey the themes.
“You want to read the comments, but you don’t want to read the comments. And 95% of them were really positive, but there were a couple where it gets a little bit personal or decisions you’ve made in the past, so it’s best not reading it. It impacts on people and your family. Your family might hear, your kids might hear something, or your wife might hear something. It’s probably harder for me thinking about other people than it is for myself because it’s just come with the territory.”
Pragnell said he has always had a good relationship with the media, and being up front is key.
“Traits like honesty and transparency are good starting points. We’re pretty available and accessible. I think Kiwis really appreciate, they can handle mistakes, but just being frank about those things, about the situation, is really, really important.”
Becker said having - and sticking to – a clear vision from the start is crucial to dealing with scrutiny.
“You’ll always have your detractors. There’s always going to be people who think that they have a better idea or a different way of doing things is better, but if you stick to it and you have success, that’s one way to do it.
“I think the other way is to surround yourself with good people who believe in it. We go, is the person good at their job? Have they got the experience required? But also, are they a good person? Are they going to come in and add to the culture of the club? We don’t necessarily want people who are going to be too disruptive to the organisation and our culture.”
Lee, Pragnell and Becker all agreed an increased scrutiny on well-being and culture has made the job of a chief executive increasingly complex.
Pragnell said there is change happening in a variety of areas.
“There’s definitely an increased focus, both in terms of your legislative compliance around health and safety, wellbeing – those types of integrity issues are at the forefront of sport right now. And historically, if we folded this back 20 years ago, it didn’t feature a lot.”
Becker said leaders have to take care of their staff.
“You’ve got to understand what everybody’s demands are. If you’ve got the right people in place, they know what they’re doing and they know what the main goal for the organisation is, you tend to find that they go along with you.
“But you’ve got to be really conscious of burnout. It is a real thing, and we try and stay on top of it for sure.”
Lee said the greater awareness of culture and the health of staff is a positive.
“It’s great that sport is more focused on the wellbeing of everybody involved in it, as opposed to ‘this is the way we do it’. Having equality and inclusion and all of those good things are really important. It just makes it a little bit more complex in terms of the different factors you’ve got to consider when you make a decision.”
The evolving economic environment presents a challenge for all sports, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pragnell said there isn’t a lot of money in New Zealand’s sports system.
“You’ve seen the broadcast sector’s had an enormous shake-up. It’s had quite a big impact on a number of sports, and even the last couple of years of recession and the impact that’s had on sponsorship has made things tougher for a number of sports.”
Becker said they are effectively delivering entertainment, and it is a battle to secure eyeballs during the summer period.
“We’re not just competing with other sporting codes, but we’re also competing with, you know, music festivals, summer beach holidays, time away with the family, and all that sort of stuff.”
Lee said one of the hardest parts of the job is looking into the future around generating revenue.
“Always hoping that the people and the programmes that you run are going to be successful with sponsors and members and fans. I suppose that’s certainly been the most in recent times. Certainly in my first six years with the Hurricanes, I wasn’t worrying about those things.”
Lee said accurately judging the performance of a sports chief executive is not as simple as looking at a team’s results every week.
“You lose three games and they [the public] will think everybody’s crap. You can’t judge just on performance, but it is obviously a massive metric. It’s why we do what we do, but it’s more complicated than just 23 players and a few coaches running out on the field on game day.
“It’s a massive engine behind it. I think it’s the strategy for the organisation and what you’ve developed with staff, board and players – these are our goals. That’s how you judge success as an organisation, but naturally, you want to win.”
Becker said success on the pitch is a big marker for the performance of an organisation.
“You do have to build the business around a very clear plan, and for us, it was really straightforward, right from the start. We’re lucky because we’re a start-up, and that gives us a clean sheet to work from without having any legacy issues coming into the market.
“I think the difference with sport and other organisations is probably that you want to create a culture and an identity that emotionally connects with its fan base.”
Nathan Limm has been a journalist with Newstalk ZB and the NZ Herald since 2020. He covered the Netball World Cup in Cape Town in 2023, hosts The Big League Podcast and commentates rugby and netball for Gold Sport.