Northern Districts Cricket have announced that they will be seeking two new head coaches for their premier men's and women's sides this season.   Current Head Coach of the men's teams James Pamment will now be concentrating on the Plunket Shield first class and Ford Trophy limited over men's competitions and the Knights will be adding a new dimension to their McDonalds Super Smash T20 campaign as they seek a specialist T20 coach.  Northern Districts also require a new SKYCITY Hamilton Northern Spirit Head Coach with Emily Drumm stepping down from the role.

Northern Districts CEO Peter Roach says that promoting change in the premier men's coaching structure was a tough decision, but needed to drive the program forward.  He is delighted that James Pamment has signed on for 2 more years as Head Coach of the more traditional formats.  "James has great strengths and is an important and well respected member of our team who the players respect and work hard for.  It was imperative that we retained him to continue the strong development of our players in the longer formats.  We felt though that the direction of T20 game had changed quickly in the last couple of years, and with so many T20 games in a short window, having someone devoted to that role would allow them greater focus.  Splitting the coaching will allow our players to see different coaching approaches, which can only aid their development as they aspire to play for the Blackcaps."

Pamment's two year extension will see him serve his 5th and 6th years at the helm, making him ND's longest serving Head Coach in the association's 61 year first class history.

The momentum gathered in women's cricket at Northern Districts will be poised to continue despite former White Fern Emily Drumm stepping down as Head Coach due to family and work commitments.  The SKYCITY Hamilton Northern Spirit side features two current White Ferns and many young up-and-coming players, seeing them well placed to make waves in the national women's competitions in the coming seasons.  Says Roach "We are sad to lose Emily from our team as she brought a huge amount of experience and knowledge to the side from her many years of international cricket.  We are certainly looking for someone who can challenge and drive our group to bring out their best.  We are strong in our desire to grow women's cricket and produce international players, and having success in our elite female program is non-negotiable."

Northern Districts have advertised both positions and applications close on the 26 May.