New Zealand Cricket marketing director Peter Dwan: believes sponsorship monies are an integral part of the picture to ensure cricket's well-being.

New Zealand Cricket's new marketing director, Peter Dwan, already had a close working relationship with his employer before his appointment.

Dwan, 40, began with NZC last month, replacing highly regarded Australian Neil Maxwell who left last September. But Dwan had close ties with NZC through his previous position as director of communications at Lincoln University.

While at Lincoln for the last five years, Dwan was involved in the development of New Zealand Cricket's high performance Centre and the New Zealand Academy based on the university campus. Last year he assisted with the establishment of university scholarships with Canterbury cricket, rugby, and netball.

The ebullient Dwan has begun the job at a busy time with the BNZ international series under way, but is fortunate most sponsorships were well in place during the off-season.

``It's a tough time to start I suppose, but there's only one way to learn -- out on the job. Easing in during the winter would have been better, but we have a good team who are helping me along.''

Dwan comes from a public relations background, allied to a strong, personal interest in sport.

``This job seemed like a marriage of opportunity because I've always had a passion for sport and a strong involvement in marketing.''

Dwan manages junior cricket and basketball teams and is on a swimming club committee. He hails from Christchurch, having attended St Bede's College, but spent some 10 years overseas, much of that time working in Perth. Before the Lincoln role, he was Electricorp's South Island customer relations manager.

Dwan wants to consolidate NZC's already healthy sponsorship base, a core activity alluded to in the recent review of NZC activities by John Hood, who conducted the initial overhaul of NZC in 1995.

``The report said marketing had done well to make considerable progress in a difficult economic climate which was a tribute to Neil (Maxwell) and his team,'' Dwan said.

Dwan feels the game faces numerous challenges and he believes sponsorship monies are an integral part of the picture to ensure its well-being.

``We have a big drop off of juniors, first from primary to secondary schools and then when they leave secondary school. We are addressing that and perhaps need to offer a variety of products for players.''

Dwan suggests a form of Kiwi cricket, already played by juniors on Saturday mornings, be adapted for seniors into a league competition where each pair has four overs batting and all bowl two overs.

``It's sort of like taking indoor cricket outdoors in say an eight-week league.''

Dwan said the more players active in the sport the better chance there was of securing sponsorship backing.

``We don't want sport to become an elitist thing in New Zealand like it has tended to in the United States where only the talented athletes keep on playing.''

Another potential growth area is in the northern half of the North Island where there is a large Maori and Pacific Island population, but a low participation rates in the sport.

``We need to have a cricket version of kilikiti, which is very popular up there.''

During his first year, Dwan hopes to undertake and analyse more research about the various target markets for the different forms of cricket -- tests, first-class games, one-dayers and, Cricket Max. He wants to align appropriate sponsors with each form of the game.

Dwan admits that his job will be made easier by the New Zealand men's team, the sport's shop window, being consistently successful.

``When you are winning it's much easier to sell the product, that's a simple fact. But we are also wanting to promote our senior women's side, which is very successful, and create a higher profile for them.''

``The profile of women's rugby sky-rocketed when they won the World Cup and New Zealanders like getting behind a team that's doing well.''

Another aspect Dwan will be pursuing is developing an even closer working relationships between NZC and the six major associations.

``I'd like to see more integration between the parent body with the majors so we can further strengthen sponsorship ties. It all tends to be inter-related and the closer we can work the better for all concerned.''