‘Clubs must see the bigger picture to raise standard’
Published on 18 Jun 2011

kevin ferrie

I F one thing can be divined from the message delivered yesterday by Peter Laverie, the chairman of the Premier One Forum, it is that Scotland’s rugby clubs appear to be in the mood to re-assert themselves.

With the SRU’s agm imminent and Moir Lockhead about to take over as the organisation’s new chairman, Laverie stops short of issuing demands. However, his closing remarks, calling for further freshening up of the Scottish Rugby board and offering a reminder of the expertise that exists within clubs – a relatively untapped resource in the professional era – represents something of a warning shot.

Fault lies on both sides in the way that too much has been left in the hands of professional administrators. There is no question that Murrayfield executives have been too inward looking and have developed a culture that is dismissive of the views of the wider rugby community.

Laverie rightly argues that statistics have been generated to offer a misleading impression of the health of the grassroots game; he claims that what the SRU has become best at is recording playing numbers, when the reality is that fewer teams turn out regularly than in the past.

On the other hand, too many within that wider rugby community have been navel gazing, bickering over matters such as league structures while failing to pay attention to the bigger issues. It is in that context that Laverie’s observation that too much attention has been paid to the problems faced by Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors should be seen.

He is right in saying that it is important to focus on the work of clubs in generating more players and raising standards. However, that can only be done if those clubs are prepared to see themselves as part of a much bigger picture.

Far too often down the years, club representatives have lobbied and voted for things that have suited only their narrow interests, rather than taking account of the bigger picture. It is one thing to demand the right to be involved in a sport for which the phrase “the clubs are the union” was coined; it is quite another to get them to exercise that right coherently.

With Gordon McKie’s departure as chief executive and Lockhead’s arrival as chairman, an opportunity presents itself. However, as was the case when the old committee was ousted, it will only be taken if all concerned recognise their responsibilities, as well as claim their rights.

This article was posted on 18-Jun-2011, 06:37 by Hugh Barrow.