New Titans CEO wants to endear club to the community

New Titans CEO Steve Mitchell wants the club to be a first-choice destination for aspiring league players from not just the Gold Coast but also NSW's northern rivers region and up to Logan on the  Broncos' doorstep.

As the outgoing Touch Football Australia CEO, Mitchell will spend the time between now and his February start date at the Titans staying in touch with Gold Coast executive chair Dennis Watt and club owners Rebecca Frizelle and Darryl Kelly regarding 2019 plans.

Mitchell said he was excited to be able to join the club at a time when so much had already been achieved to emerge from the financial uncertainty of recent years.

"The work Darryl and Rebecca have done, the foundations are in place, the back office is in really good shape, there are good people here so I think from now on it's about shaping a cultural focus and building an environment where people can perform at their absolute best," Mitchell told NRL.com.

"The other real focus is about our community integration, the amount of work we do between northern rivers of NSW and even Logan, getting into those communities, endearing the club to the people and the rugby league communities in those spaces and making sure we're delivering value on the ground. "

Pressed on the large catchment area available to the Titans, Mitchell added: "There's nothing like having a kid who actually wants to play for a brand so we've got to build that brand.

This club is in a really good space and has a huge opportunity over the next five years

New Titans CEO Steve Mitchell

"We need kids coming through who want to play for the Titans. We want to be first and foremost in their minds when they have a decision to move to a pathway.

"It's a huge nursery and there's wonderful talent coming out of this region and we want those kids to think Titans first before they think anything else.

"It's very important we invest in those northern regions of NSW. It's a very fertile area when it comes to talent but they are also very big rugby league communities which is very important to the wellbeing of the Titans moving forward.

"We need them to be part of the Titans, and they are, and we need to invest in those communities."

One of the challenges will be getting the balance right between investing in those grassroots areas and producing a product at NRL level that will appeal to fans and corporate sponsors while remaining financially viable.

"The intent of the club is to build a community-based organisation that will service the Gold Coast and the greater region," he said.

"So when you lead with that intent it puts a particular lens over the way you make your decisions. It's a pretty special value set when you make decisions like that and keep everyone accountable to it."

"It's a careful balance between putting a really good product on the paddock and having a good relationship with the community and getting your cost base right and I think the current owners have a really good feel for that which is inspiring given the financial performance of clubs.

"This club is in a really good space and has a huge opportunity over the next five years to consolidate and work really hard on producing a good footy side."

A big part of producing that footy side comes with the recent appointment of Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga as Head of Performance and Culture.

"The influence Mal will have over the football department and his guidance from a cultural point of view will be fabulous so I'm really looking forward to when we kick off the first game next year," Mitchell said.

"He's going to be really good for clearing out any ambiguity and giving us a clear delineation of what we're here for and what we want to achieve so I'm really excited to be working with him."