EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
Rugby supporters urge Executive to invest
BILL LOTHIAN

SCOTTISH rugby's leading supporters' organisation is calling on the Scottish Executive to ensure fair treatment for the oval ball game in comparison to other sports.

In a strongly-worded letter the Forum of Scottish Rugby Supporters claim rugby has received a sixth of the public funding available to football and aquatics/swimming over the past nine years.

And they want the Executive to take a ten per cent stake in Murrayfield - worth £15million over five years - to compensate for the stadium having to be funded from within rugby while other sports received major handouts, notably the £45m to renovate Hampden Park plus £3m for football academies.

Neil Hunter, spokesman for the 500-strong FOSRS, says one of the three pro-teams cannot be allowed to die, as has been mooted, in order to try to help solve the current financial crisis, while local authorities continue to derive benefit from rugby's relatively high profile in Scotland.

Said Hunter: "Our members, who are in regular communication and who range across the social spectrum, were finally driven to act by a range of issues. And while we believe SRU chief executive Gordon McKie is on the way to providing stability and national coach Frank Hadden is, in the eyes of many fans, doing a wonderful job, Saturday's defeat in South Africa shows there is much that still has to be done - with overdue help from the public purse."

The letter draws a number of comparisons, among them a rugby £802,000 grant which was more than cancelled out by Edinburgh City Council's £900,000 rates bill for Murrayfield.

"It is noteworthy that the Irish government contributes £2.4million a year to Irish rugby which has funded a huge growth in the number of players of all ages, as well as in volunteers, spectators and facilities. This is reflected in its flourishing and successful age-grade, professional and international teams," says the fans organisation, at the end of a season which saw Ireland capture a triple crown and Munster win the European Cup.

The letter adds: "One idea that has often been mooted by supporters is for the Scottish Parliament to take a minority stake in Murrayfield. This would relieve the SRU of much of its indebtedness and enable serious strides to be made in focusing on growth of the game. A minimal stake of ten per cent, equating to perhaps £15m over five years, would also enable Murrayfield to become a truly national sporting asset."

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said: "The letter will be considered and responded to in due course."

This article was posted on 14-Jun-2006, 07:11 by Hugh Barrow.