'Last Chance Saloon' for Scottish Rugby
Scottish Rugby took significant steps at Murrayfield today to move towards a new era.
Some 500 people from all over the country attended two gatherings of stakeholders in the sport - representing the clubs, international players, former internationalists, sponsors, the media, MSPs and councillors, sport umbrella organisations, SRU General Committee and professional staff.
During the three hour sessions - piloted by Genesis, leading strategic management consultants - the delegates were asked to draw up three bullet points on their vision of how Scottish Rugby should stand in 2007.
Then delegates were able to circulate freely among 26 tables discussing topics of their choosing and identifying areas of concern. Some also went on to suggest possible solutions.
Scottish Rugby's chairman, David Mackay, said at the outset: 'We have to change. Doing nothing is not an option. We must have the guts and determination to recognise and face up to the challenges and then to have the courage and determination to do something positive about them. Remember though, that change is a journey, not a single event and these days nothing stands still.'
Mackay suggested there were five areas currently exercising Scottish Rugby:-
The need to improve playing performances across the board
The desire to resolve major concerns on club and league structure
The need to take action to attack the decline in numbers from senior school level into the adult game
The imperative to reduce SRU debt significantly and quickly
The importance of maximising the return from Scottish Rugby's assets.
He told delegates he had no desire to be overly-dramatic but stressed: 'In some senses I think this could be the last chance saloon for Scottish Rugby. In others, it's double or quits time. Quite simply we need your involvement. We have real opportunities to demonstrate once and for all and to one and all that we take our responsibilities very seriously.
'For goodness sake let's avoid the temptation of being secular. Let's not be parochial and become entrenched in emotional baggage and history. There are no boundaries. There are no sacred cows. There are no fixed views here today. This is really your day and we are listening. This is not a cosmetic or surrogate SRU ploy. It's a beginning, an ongoing and class-less, constructive consultation process, one which must, along the way, set the future pathway for Scottish rugby.'
Among the topics that delegates discussed were league structure, the future of professional rugby, schools rugby, the game's role in society, the future of Murrayfield, the game's image, the game's finances, refereeing, second and third XV rugby, grassroots rugby, player retention, sharing best practice in club marketing and finance and the integration between the men's and women's games.
Delegates were able to identify their areas of strongest concern and the task now for Genesis will be to collate all the views gathered today and present them on the Scottish Rugby website later this week (www.scottishrugby.org)
There will also be a questionnaire available to download from the website to enable more people to put forward their views.
David Mackay hailed today's meetings as 'a great success.' He added: 'Close to 500 people certainly recognised that we cannot stand still. The buzz in here was fantastic and the enthusiasm and commitment to Scottish rugby could never have been presented better.'
He recognised that the work was now beginning to set Scottish Rugby on a new era. 'I'm convinced we can change Scottish rugby and manage Scottish rugby better for everyone concerned,' he said.
Alistair Gray, managing director of Genesis, who have undertaken similar projects for the Irish Rugby Union; the Rugby Football League; the Football Association of Ireland; Scottish Swimming and Scottish Golf, praised the contribution of delegates.
'This was one of the best (of such events) we have held. That's entirely down to the participants, both the number of people and the quality of debate. People are very genuine about getting a solution for the game.'
The consultation process will continue over the next few months to enable an action plan on the way ahead to be presented at the Union's agm in June.
For further information please contact
Graham Law
07764 178940
Some 500 people from all over the country attended two gatherings of stakeholders in the sport - representing the clubs, international players, former internationalists, sponsors, the media, MSPs and councillors, sport umbrella organisations, SRU General Committee and professional staff.
During the three hour sessions - piloted by Genesis, leading strategic management consultants - the delegates were asked to draw up three bullet points on their vision of how Scottish Rugby should stand in 2007.
Then delegates were able to circulate freely among 26 tables discussing topics of their choosing and identifying areas of concern. Some also went on to suggest possible solutions.
Scottish Rugby's chairman, David Mackay, said at the outset: 'We have to change. Doing nothing is not an option. We must have the guts and determination to recognise and face up to the challenges and then to have the courage and determination to do something positive about them. Remember though, that change is a journey, not a single event and these days nothing stands still.'
Mackay suggested there were five areas currently exercising Scottish Rugby:-
He told delegates he had no desire to be overly-dramatic but stressed: 'In some senses I think this could be the last chance saloon for Scottish Rugby. In others, it's double or quits time. Quite simply we need your involvement. We have real opportunities to demonstrate once and for all and to one and all that we take our responsibilities very seriously.
'For goodness sake let's avoid the temptation of being secular. Let's not be parochial and become entrenched in emotional baggage and history. There are no boundaries. There are no sacred cows. There are no fixed views here today. This is really your day and we are listening. This is not a cosmetic or surrogate SRU ploy. It's a beginning, an ongoing and class-less, constructive consultation process, one which must, along the way, set the future pathway for Scottish rugby.'
Among the topics that delegates discussed were league structure, the future of professional rugby, schools rugby, the game's role in society, the future of Murrayfield, the game's image, the game's finances, refereeing, second and third XV rugby, grassroots rugby, player retention, sharing best practice in club marketing and finance and the integration between the men's and women's games.
Delegates were able to identify their areas of strongest concern and the task now for Genesis will be to collate all the views gathered today and present them on the Scottish Rugby website later this week (www.scottishrugby.org)
There will also be a questionnaire available to download from the website to enable more people to put forward their views.
David Mackay hailed today's meetings as 'a great success.' He added: 'Close to 500 people certainly recognised that we cannot stand still. The buzz in here was fantastic and the enthusiasm and commitment to Scottish rugby could never have been presented better.'
He recognised that the work was now beginning to set Scottish Rugby on a new era. 'I'm convinced we can change Scottish rugby and manage Scottish rugby better for everyone concerned,' he said.
Alistair Gray, managing director of Genesis, who have undertaken similar projects for the Irish Rugby Union; the Rugby Football League; the Football Association of Ireland; Scottish Swimming and Scottish Golf, praised the contribution of delegates.
'This was one of the best (of such events) we have held. That's entirely down to the participants, both the number of people and the quality of debate. People are very genuine about getting a solution for the game.'
The consultation process will continue over the next few months to enable an action plan on the way ahead to be presented at the Union's agm in June.
For further information please contact
Graham Law
07764 178940