The Breakers have announced club stalwart Simon Edwards as the franchise's new General Manager.
The appointment completes a remarkable rise for Edwards, who began his tenure with the club as a 12-year-old towel boy in their inaugural game back in 2003, before progressing to team mascot.
After taking up an internship as a 19-year-old, Edwards was then offered a fulltime job as Corporate Logistics and Operations Manager where he looked after sponsor relationships and game day hospitality.
Most recently, he has been the Breakers’ Membership and Strategic Partnerships Manager.
He replaces Dillon Boucher, who stepped down from the role last month.
"I have held so many roles at the Breakers," said Edwards. "And I have worked my way up from the very bottom."
"It is humbling to be asked to take over from Dillon Boucher in such an important role for the club, but it means nothing unless I can assist the team to win on-court."
Edwards was the stand-out candidate from an "intense international recruitment process", said Chief Operating Officer Lisa Edser.
"We were very impressed with the number of high-quality sportspeople from both here and overseas who proactively approached us to fill this important role,” said Edser.
"However, Simon bleeds the Breakers, knows the organisation inside out and espouses the family values the Blackwell family instilled in the club from the beginning.
"He already has a strong working relationship with Director of Basketball Dan Shamir who urged Simon to put his name forward for consideration."
The 29-year-old Edwards - who even met his wife at a Breakers game - begins his new role immediately.
The Breakers play their first game of the 2019/20 season against the Kings in Sydney on Friday night, before their home-opener in Auckland on Sunday.
Join us for live updates of Breakers v Kings from 9:30pm Friday
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