Rugby clubs in Scotland are gearing up for lively debate across a number of topics at the Scottish Rugby Union agm next month.

Scottish Rugby is forwarding to all member clubs the nine motions that were submitted by the 30 April deadline and upon which clubs will vote at the annual meeting on Friday 29 June.

Amendments may be tabled to any of the motions and such amendments must be submitted by Monday 21 May.

All the motions will be posted on the Scottish Rugby website after they have been received by clubs.

President Andy Irvine and Chairman Allan Munro have put forward motions on behalf of the Scottish Rugby Council and Scottish Rugby Board.

They are proposing the regionalisation of the National Cup competition so that from next season the winners of four regional cup competitions qualify for the national cup semi-finals.

On international tickets, Irvine and Munro have put forward a motion that the Scottish Rugby Board should set the level of match ticket sales commission payable (to clubs) on a game-by-game basis according to the match opposition and the demand for tickets.

Scottish Rugby currently pays member clubs a flat rate ticket sales commission of 5% irrespective of the opposition or demand for tickets. It’s proposed that this decision be amended to enable the Board to determine the level of commission payable on a game-by-game basis. In practical terms this may mean that a higher rate of commission is paid for the less popular internationals and a lower rate for the most popular.

Irvine and Munro also propose amendments to the SRU bye-laws; and propose granting discretion to the Championship Committee to vary the number of permitted replacements to a maximum of seven at different levels of the game as a means of driving up participation.

In addition they are calling for the limit of two non-European players in championship matches to be deleted in light of developments within EU law and that the number of individuals against whom it is legitimate to discriminate by classing them as non-European is decreasing.

This motion notes that it is becoming more burdensome for clubs to administer the increasingly complicated eligibility rules required by this restriction, particularly at lower levels of the game. It concludes that should clubs feel there is still a need for restrictions at higher levels of the game, then these can be incorporated into competition specific regulations at the end of the 2007-08 season.

A motion from West of Scotland, seconded by Cambuslang, calls for the re-establishment of the office of SRU vice-president.


Watsonians have put forward a motion, seconded by Heriot’s referring to substitutions in Premier 1 matches.

Jed-Forest, seconded by Hillhead/Jordanhill, West of Scotland and Aberdeen Grammar Rugby, have proposed a motion on the composition of the championship committee; and Aberdeenshire and Alloa have proposed a motion to provide greater local autonomy to the regional competitions committees.



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This article was posted on 7-May-2007, 21:07 by Hugh Barrow.