Dodson must get message across

Scottish Rugby have to deliver for anxious clubs

WITH part two of what has now become a three- part AGM process taking place via video conference tonight, Scottish Rugby’s chief executive Mark Dodson will be slightly protected from the sort of grilling he would have expected to receive if it was happening in person.

But he knows that he will still have to be at the top of his game when he addresses a cohort of deeply concerned club delegates, who will be looking for some straight talking and honest appraisal about the current state of the business.

It had been hoped that the accounts for the financial year up to the end of May 2020 would be available ahead of the meeting but it was announced two weeks ago that “additional work needs to be done before the accounts are approved”.

This is a big red- flag, especially as the financial statements were already two- and- a- half months late in being laid in front of the clubs according to the end- of- August stipulation set- out in the Union’s bye- laws.

Scottish Rugby has stated that “the current pandemic has created circumstances where additional work needs to be done” but that excuse has worn thin, especially as all the other Home Unions have managed to present their financial statements to their membership in timely fashion.

A “financial presentation” has been promised and club delegates will expect to hear some meaningful detail and plausible forecasts for the next 12 months, to demonstrate that there really is a credible route through the Covid induced crisis which continues to rock the sport.

Part three of the AGM will take place at a later date to discuss and approve the accounts, with it hoped that this will be before the end of the year.

The AGM will also deal with two motions which have been proposed to address concerns about a perceived lack of accountability for the executives who are paid to run the business on behalf of member clubs.

Motion one, proposed by Currie RFC, seeks to reassert the authority of the elected council to oversee the management of the union by the board. Motion two, proposed by Glasgow Hawks, seeks to increase transparency in Scottish Rugby’s decisionmaking processes. Both motions are likely to be well supported, but the fact that a governance review of the whole organisation is ongoing – spearheaded by the recently ratified President Ian Barr, a popular champion of the club game – might encourage some clubs to keep their powder dry at this stage.

There was some confusion with the motions over the weekend with it emerging that the guidance note issued to clubs alongside the motion, which laid out a series of pitfalls should the motions pass, had not been seen by the board and council before it was sent out in their name. An emergency meeting of the council was convened on Sunday morning and a letter sent out to clubs by Barr on Monday afternoon stressing that the board and council have both adopted a neutral stance with regard to the motions.

A Special General Meeting will be hosted on the same video conferencing channel immediately after tonight’s AGM to deal with a motion which has been proposed by Biggar, seeking a dispensation to March’s decision to declare the 2019- 20 Scottish domestic season null- and- void so that clubs which had already secured promotion when lockdown arrived are allowed to step up a league.

Biggar were 19 points clear of Heriot’s Blues at the top of the National One table with just three games – worth a maximum of 15 league points – left to play when Covid brought the season to a halt. They had already been presented with the league title and were beginning to plan for life in the Premiership the following season. Dalkeith were in a similar boat in East League Three.

The motion states that no team should be relegated if this motion passes, not even those who were lost causes at the time of lockdown. This means that both the Premiership and East League Two would have lopsided looks with 11 teams involved.

Club delegates will expect to hear meaningful detail