Rugby stalwart David Mackay has been appointed Chairman of the newly created Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust.

The appointment of the former SRU Chairman is the most high profile step in Glasgow Hawks’ ambitious plans to restore the club to the top of Scottish rugby and develop the sport within the community.

The establishment of The Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust, a registered charity, is the culmination of 18 months work and is the cornerstone of the club’s strategy to secure the long-term future of the club and the growth of rugby in the west of Scotland.

Speaking of his appointment, David Mackay said, "I am delighted to be the Chairman of the newly formed Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust. I really do believe Hawks can become the model for other rugby clubs in Scotland for the considerable benefit of Scottish rugby.

"The Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust has been established to secure the long term future of the club, enhance the development of players, restore the first team to the top flight, develop the youth teams and not least, ensure the growth of this great sport within the wider community.

"Glasgow Hawks has been the most successful Glasgow rugby club for 80 years and that has not been an accident. Whilst there have been disappointments in recent seasons, there is no doubt the ethos of the club has remained solid and with our vision for the future, we are certain Hawks will be at the centre of Scottish rugby for the next 80 years.

"I must pay tribute to the late David Williams whose vision and financial support for the club helped us get to where we are today. We are all disappointed he didn’t live to see this day but we will not let him down."

Kenny Baillie, Chief Executive of The Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust, said, "We are delighted that David Mackay agreed to become the Chairman of The Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust. He shares our vision for the club and Scottish rugby and his experience within the rugby and business worlds will be invaluable to Hawks.

"With the introduction of the new British and Irish Cup we are confident that P1 rugby is at last on the road to recovery and we plan on Hawks being at the forefront.

"The last year has been one of recovery and putting in place the building blocks for our long-term strategy but we have already made great progress with our community development programme through the introduction of weekly mini rugby sessions in Drumchapel and Netherton, as well as introducing rugby into 14 primary schools in the north of Glasgow."

"These programmes epitomise the vision of everyone at Hawks to develop rugby within the wider community and we are delighted to be expanding our range of partners working with us on these projects."

David Mackay was officially appointed Chairman of The Glasgow Hawks Sports Trust at a board meeting in Glasgow last night (Wednesday).

This article was posted on 13-Jun-2009, 12:52 by Hugh Barrow.