If, like me, you believe rugby union is part of the Scottish Borders bedrock and is, therefore, a vital part of sustaining vibrant communities in the area, you will be interested in watching and listening to the video released, in mid-August, by the SRU Standing Committee on Governance (SCOG) and, also, read the supporting review documents.
The video can be accessed via the SRU website or on YouTube and the four supporting documents can be accessed under SCOG, within the SRU website.
The SCOG proposals, within SRU president and SCOG member, Ian Barr’s video, sound very promising and throw up very important issues that need to be addressed by Scottish Border clubs.
Further detailed proposal documents, on the corporate and business structure of Scottish rugby, together with the organisational and management structure of the professional and amateur game, are to be released in the near future to SRU member organisations.
An initial “Consultation Report” will be provided at the “Resumed SRU AGM” in September, with a further consultation period planned, where SCOG will consider the SRU member club responses to SCOG proposals and an SGM will be called, in late 2021, to consider and, hopefully, decide on the best way ahead for Scottish rugby.
SCOG have stated that there need to be clearly defined development strategies for both amateur and professional rugby in Scotland and these need to be considered, agreed and then driven by separate Boards within the SRU.
SCOG have proposed that a new amateur rugby board (Club Rugby Board) be created and that there will be five board members representing five geographical areas. This proposal provides more autonomy for Scottish Borders rugby, within the Scottish Rugby structure, by splitting up the current East area, which currently incorporates Edinburgh, Lothians and Scottish Borders.
It is proposed that the chairperson of each “Area Board” represents their area on the new Club Rugby Board.
It is pleasing to hear that the clubs and organisations, which are members of the Border League Committee, are in the final stages of considering a new constitution, for a new Scottish Borders rugby entity.
I hope that the constitution of this proposed new entity has the capability to incorporate all Scottish Borders rugby clubs and organisations in order to include them in the process of deciding on the best way forward for rugby in the area.
When speaking to representatives of Scottish Border clubs, during the last 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is apparent and natural that the vast majority are focusing on the individual circumstances of their particular club and what is best for them in relation to addressing the financial and logistical problems that COVID restrictions have thrown at them.
Of course each club must prioritise their own interests, however, I am absolutely convinced that a properly constituted, new Scottish Borders rugby entity, which can truly represent all rugby organisations in the area, would not only be beneficial to the future prospects of all rugby organisations but is a necessity if individual clubs and rugby, as a whole, are to maximise what the sport can provide for our communities.
Scottish Border clubs should be working towards ensuring that certain SCOG proposals come to fruition. What are the rugby clubs and organisations going to do about ensuring the Scottish Borders is given independent area status and how do the clubs go about finding the right person to chair what will, hopefully, be a new area board? This person will also represent the area on the new SRU Club Rugby Board.
I believe this is a very significant juncture in the development of Scottish and Scottish Borders (South) rugby. The Scottish Border clubs and SRU member organisations must be proactive in addressing the important issues and communicate with all its SRU member clubs and organisations in order to have a unified voice on these major issues that will be considered and on which decisions will be made over the next few months.