New Glasgow chief Baillie aims to drive club forward.


Published Date: 15 October 2009
By DAVID FERGUSON

GLASGOW have finally secured a new chief executive to replace Ian Riddoch and the appointment of former Glasgow Hawks player Kenny Baillie could prove to be a masterstroke.

The 34-year-old will be a surprise choice to many as he has no pedigree as an administrator in professional sport and there is little doubt he is a less expensive option for the SRU than what might be available in a wider sports market. However, operating as chief executive at Glasgow Hawks for the past year, Baillie has a crucial background in two areas that the Warriors desperately need to make inroads if they are to become a more viable entity.

The first is the Glasgow club scene, Baillie having played for Hawks in the European Cup when it was first launched and been a key part of the club, barring a time working in Edinburgh when he played with Edinburgh Accies. The second key area is his knowledge of the Glasgow business world. Baillie worked for two successful IT companies before taking up the new post at Anniesland with the Hawks and won admirers for his determination to develop relations across the city's rugby and business communities.

Baillie applied for the position left vacant when Riddoch quit in July, his salary having been reduced by around a third as the SRU sought to take commercial and sponsorship aspects of the position back in-house at Murrayfield. Riddoch was concerned at the lack of control he held with Glasgow, having moved from Edinburgh where he had initially been brought on board by that pro team's former owners, the Carruthers brothers Bob and Alex, and back under the direction of Gordon McKie, the SRU's chief executive. Riddoch had made a name for himself in marketing with Aberdeen FC and Bradford Bulls among other clubs before taking up the post with Edinburgh.

Baillie is likely to have demanded some degree of autonomy from the SRU, but neither party would discuss what remains a touchy subject yesterday. In fact, Baillie was not available for interview publicly, but his statement said that he was excited at the prospect of taking over from the interim chief executive, Colin Thomson, who will now return to work within Murrayfield.

Baillie said: "As someone who grew up in Glasgow playing for the district at every level, I'm delighted to be appointed chief executive of Glasgow Warriors. I've been passionate about rugby all my life and the opportunity to lead Glasgow Warriors is something I'm very excited about. I feel honoured to be working with a very talented group of staff, players and coaches and I firmly believe that with a strong support behind them, the Warriors can regularly challenge for and win silverware.

"Glasgow Warriors is the only professional sports team in the city of Glasgow to be playing competitively across the UK, Ireland and continental Europe which, to me, demonstrates the organisation's potential."

Baillie stressed that links with the club game would be a key plank of his plans for the way forward for Glasgow, who are still to regularly attract crowds over 3,000 to Firhill. He added: "Working in partnership with all the rugby clubs in the west of Scotland and beyond is essential if the Warriors are to realise their full potential."


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Last Updated: 14 October 2009 11:34 PM
Source: The Scotsman
Location: Edinburgh

This article was originally posted on 15-Oct-2009, 06:54 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 15-Oct-2009, 09:41.