Glen Stirling
Journalist and rugby administrator; Born August 14, 1931; Died November 22, 2007.

Glen Stirling, who has died aged 76, was one of Scotland's most prolific journalists who was almost 40 when he joined the profession but then managed to create what was arguably Scotland's leading sports news agency.

Coverage of football, rugby, tennis, athletics, ice hockey and many other sports flowed from his office in the south side of Glasgow but, while he may have been based in Glasgow, the whole of Scotland and the rich tapestry of the nation's sport was his canvas. Through his array of stringers, Stirling ensured that, at a time when the media in Britain was not obsessed with top-flight football, the lesser sports were covered.

He did not have the gift for the apt phrase of the great sportswriters, but Stirling was accurate, quick and blessed with amazing energy. It would have been easy for him to sit in his office and despatch younger "leg men" to cover mid-week matches, but he was a familiar figure on touchlines across the country seven days a week, getting the story into print.

For most, if not all, of his active career in journalism, he was dependent on old-fashioned technology. Without the luxury of a mobile phone or laptop he had to turn up at a ground, locate the nearest telephone then rely on the assistance of a copytaker many miles away to file his story.

He was invariably working for more than one newspaper but always delivered. Along the way he gave a leg up the slippery pole of sports journalism to many keen young men who went on to become by-lined regulars on the country's sports pages. His generosity in encouraging youthful talent extended to the rugby field, where he spotted many a future star playing in schools rugby and positively encouraged them to make the most of their talents.

Freelance journalism is a competitive field, with lots of independent one-man bands across the country jealously guarding their own patches and determined that no other journalist will muscle in on their territory. But Stirling did not recognise such tribal boundaries and would go anywhere to cover a game. If he upset the local man, that was a price he was prepared to pay. He stood on toes, but many of these offended local journalists recognised that Stirling was a driven man who was motivated as much by the desire to cover the sport as to make money - he was a sports enthusiast as much as a sports writer.

Along the way, Stirling made many friends among Scotland's vast army of unpaid volunteer sports administrators who recognised a man who could get their sport and their individual club publicity. A combative hooker for Clarkston when he stopped playing rugby, he slipped seamlessly into administration as match secretary - organising up to eight teams as the small suburban club grew to become what it is today, the core of Premiership One side GHA. But rugby was not his only sport. When club sweaters were introduced as leisure wear, it was that of his shinty team, Kyles Athletic, rather than a Clarkston sweater, in which Glen was mostly seen.

He was very much a south-sider, educated at Eastwood Secondary. He then entered the banking industry followed by a short spell in engineering, which led to him becoming secretary of the Glasgow Salvage Corps, where he honed his prolific talents as an administrator.

Even after retiring from front-line sports journalism in 1995, his administrative skills were called upon by Clarkston and such was his energy he never really retired. In 2002 he formed Grogs, the Glasgow Rugby Old Geezers Society lunch club.

A lifetime knowledge and appreciation of malt whisky found its outlet in the Alba Whisky Society, which he formed in 2004, while Scottish rugby continued to be served by his role as secretary of the 2nd XV League and a place on the SRU's Competitions Committee think-tank.

He is survived by his wife, Donella, daughter Catriona, son Euan and daughter-in-law Susan, as well as grandchildren Daniel, Ruairidh and Heather.


By MATT VALLANCE

12:01am today



GLEN STIRLING: RUGBY ADMINISTRATOR AND SPORTS JOURNALIST


GHA RFC sadly reports that Glen Stirling died yesterday morning at the age of 76. Glen had been a member of Clarkston/Glasgow Southern/GHA for nearly 60 years, first as a player and then a committee member. Later he turned to a career as a sports journalist.


In 1970 he launched the Glasgow Sports Agency, and over the next quarter of a century he developed it into a much respected and successful organisation reporting a wide variety of sports ranging from rugby, cricket, and football to ice hockey, gymnastics, wrestling and chess. In that role he travelled as far as Siberia with Kirkcaldy rugby club.


Glen, who was educated at Eastwood Secondary School in Clarkston, played his rugby for Clarkston as a hooker, and once his playing days were over he continued his strong involvement with rugby as a club official. As match secretary, he used to organise as many as eight XVs for Clarkston every Saturday.


His early business career included employment included banking and engineering companies, leading to his becoming secretary of the Glasgow Salvage Corps. His administrative skills in both business and sport latterly led him to convert his hobby into an agency which served newspapers and broadcast media throughout the British Isles and, occasionally, beyond.


Glen sold the sports agency in 1995, and despite failing health he continue to find new ventures. He was a founding member and secretary of the GROGS, the Glasgow Rugby Old Geezers Society, a lunch club set up in 2002, and his long-standing interest in malt whisky led him to set up the Alba Whisky Society in 2004. He had a phenomenal collection of malts from more than 150 distilleries.


In addition, his administration skills continued to be recognised in rugby. He accepted an invitation to be chairman of the Scottish 2nd XV League in 2003, and the Scottish Rugby Union called on him to join the new Competitions Committee think-tank last year.


Glen is survived by his wife, Donella, their daughter and son, Catriona and Euan, daughter-in-law Susanne, and three grandchildren, Daniel, Ruairidh, and Heather.


The funeral will be at the Linn Crematorium on Tuesday at noon.

This article was originally posted on 27-Nov-2007, 08:19 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 27-Nov-2007, 17:32.