A regular programme feature that keeps you up to date with rugby and club issues and news by Kenny Hamilton.
(Not necessarily the views of Glasgow Hawks).

Northern Lights
A warm welcome to Aberdeen players, coaches and supporters. Aberdeen have always run the Hawks close and you may remember were the only side to beat Hawks in the league in 2003/4. We expect another close one today.
Big Season – Big Challenges
Last season we started with a loss at Melrose but this year was a better start with a 17-47 win. However, with new players, a new coach, and the dog eat dog nature of Premier 1 this season with 3 teams to be relegated, there is a big challenge ahead for Davy Wilson and the troops. Your support will be needed every step of the way.

So why feel optimistic about the future of Scottish Rugby?
The Scottish affinity with the harbingers of doom would have us believe “Let’s face it, it couldn’t get any worse!”
It is too easy to run through all the negatives:-
poor financial position at all levels of the game; small pool of players; under-performing national and pro teams; low levels of support etc.
BUT, I am absolutely convinced that the future of Scottish Rugby is on the up.
Not because of over-indulgence in mind-altering substances in the 60s (I’m actually too young for that). It is based on some positive signs of recovery.
Under New Management
The appointment of Andy Irvine as President was key. From that we have a very capable new Chair of the Executive Board (Allan Munro) and together they have brought some much needed direction to the operation. They did not panic when they were faced with a field of candidates that they believed were not what was needed for the Chief Executive’s post. It took courage not to succumb to the need to “do something quickly” and make a rushed appointment. They were willing to take the extra few months, if necessary, to find the right candidate. In the event, they found someone quite quickly. So far, Gordon McKee has been spot-on in his assessment of organisational weaknesses within the SRU and I feel confident he has the ability and determination to fix it, supported by the new Board and the Scottish Rugby Council.
The Premier 1 clubs made the running in establishing a much closer link to the Pro sides and signalled a new determination to bring together the different levels of the game - so that they compliment rather than compete with one another. This is also true in Frank Hadden’s organisation of International squad sessions in that they will not undermine the pro team preparations. Back in June we had a suggestion that our International players can play a bit of rugby when they believe in themselves and have some of their self-confidence restored.
Add to this a development process that is sending players of the quality of Steve Swindall, Colin Shaw and Fergus Thomson to the pro ranks for this year and I think there is hard evidence that suggests we are moving forward. (That is a total of 30 pro players who have come off the Hawks assembly line since 1998.)
But there are still a number of problems and “challenges” to be addressed. A restructuring of the staff at Murrayfield will see a few posts deleted; the urgent need to put in place the new Regional Development structure to start recruit new participants into our sport; and the constant need to refresh our volunteers to name but a few. (And for Hugh Barrow’s sake- getting the SRU website up and running properly!)
But with a bit of united effort, professionals and amateur volunteers working together, we can make it work. We should not assume that the professionals will either do it for us, or that they have the answers. After all, it is worth remembering that Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals.

This article was posted on 31-Aug-2005, 19:32 by Hugh Barrow.