THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

DAVID FERGUSPON
GLASGOW Hawks are mounting a renewed bid to become the major force in Scottish club rugby and create a new partnership with the professional set-up and the SRU in the west of Scotland.

The Hawks began life in 1997 after a group of individuals in Glasgow moved quicker than the union to embrace the possibilities of professional rugby. They rose quickly to the top with star imports such as Glenn Metcalfe and Tommy Hayes alongside younADVERTISEMENTg talents like Andy Henderson, but their ambition was thwarted by the SRU's decision to follow a professional route with districts rather than clubs.

They have remained among the leading clubs in Scotland albeit with limited recent success, but, having regrouped, they are now keen to spearhead a new all-encompassing rugby dynamic in the west of Scotland.

Kenny Baillie, a former Scotland Under-21 cap and Hawks player and board member, has been appointed as chief executive with Peter Wright leaving the SRU's U19s coaching post tomorrow to return to Anniesland as Director of Rugby. The third part of the ambitious new jigsaw is Grant Talbot, who will take up the post of club development manager.

A Hawks spokesperson said: "The funding of three senior full-time employees is being made possible with a significant amount of hard work, fund-raising from a variety of sources both private and corporate and a trust is being established which will transfer ownership of Glasgow Hawks from its current two owners – The Glasgow Academical Club and The Glasgow High School Club Limited."

Baillie was 'Business Development Director' at Dynamic Knowledge Corporation, a spin-off from the University of Strathclyde, and previously worked for Graham Technology in the UK and USA.

He said: "We want to work in partnership with the SRU and Glasgow Warriors to create a stronger club game in Scotland in order that more top-class players are produced for the professional and international teams. To achieve this, Hawks and other clubs have to become more professional in the way they do business and we have taken the first steps to ensure this is achieved at Hawks."

The club's Director of Rugby Wright commented: "My first priority is to bring Hawks back to the level of rugby I know they are capable of as well as improve the standard of rugby played by all teams at New and Old Anniesland, Balgray and schools in the north of Glasgow.

"However, I also want to work in partnership with the SRU, the Warriors and the rugby community to ensure Scotland has a strong and vibrant tier below the professional teams that bridges the gap between those playing at the top level and the club game.

"Club rugby in Scotland has suffered over the last 15 years due to lack of investment and focus, but there are lots of clubs out there who want to revitalise grassroots rugby and we want to work with them to collectively raise the standards of rugby across the country."

This article was posted on 30-May-2008, 20:09 by Hugh Barrow.