By TERRY MADDAFORD
Brett Steven is not rushing to grab a chair and sit down at a New Zealand Tennis board meeting, but is happy to be a face of the game - when the time is right.
A day after an outburst by former tennis great Onny Parun, who, among others,
was overlooked for the new board, Steven said his initial reaction to Parun's treatment was one of disappointment.
But Steven says he sees things in a different light after speaking to Sir Brian Lochore, who headed the appointments board, and New Zealand Tennis chairman David Howman.
"In Onny Parun, Chris Lewis and myself, New Zealand Tennis has players covering three generations," Steven said. "We can offer some advice on how we think the game can be best served.
"There is a lot to be worked out, but sitting on the board is not something I want to do. I can see a role for former players like us as spokesmen and in talking to prospective sponsors.
"Hopefully they [the new board members] won't sit around. They have to be pro-active and get out and talk to businesses. Accountability is a big part of sport now.
"They are not going to tell us, as coaches, how to run the game but I can see what their objectives are."
Steven, who has a contract with New Zealand Tennis to coach Kiwi No 1 Mark Nielsen until the end of January, said his role was on the court.
"And I'm happy with that. There is a lot in the air and I hope Onny Parun has not gone past the point of no return.
"I don't think there is a huge conspiracy against Onny. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail. I have made my services available but it is up to them now."
The failure to attract a major sponsor after losing BP some years ago has not helped.
While the junior development/identification programme can point to some success in finding emerging talent, the lack of big sponsorship dollars is not allowing those players to gain international exposure.
Howman said the first meeting of the new board, on December 14, would be critical in putting down some blueprints for the future of New Zealand tennis.
"I don't know many of the people on the board," Howman said. "We have to work out who is best at doing what and go from there.
"One of the directions which came from the appointments board was the need to use players like Onny Parun, Chris Lewis and Brett Steven in the best possible way.
"That, and doing all we can to ensure we have the finances to encourage our emerging talent, is the priority."
By TERRY MADDAFORD
Brett Steven is not rushing to grab a chair and sit down at a New Zealand Tennis board meeting, but is happy to be a face of the game - when the time is right.
A day after an outburst by former tennis great Onny Parun, who, among others,
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