SRU reveals funding plan for grassroots rugby

THE Scottish Rugby Union has responded to criticism about its failure so far to pass on any of the £15million Covid support grant received from the Scottish Government at the start of the year to member clubs by announcing that an “unprecedented” allocation of funding will be directed to the grassroots game over the next five years.

There is no detail at this stage on how much money is involved and on what terms it will be distributed, however chief executive Mark Dodson and chief operating officer John Jeffrey, inset, have said that the scheme has been unanimously agreed at board level, so is now awaiting sign-off from the Scottish Rugby Council.

It is curious, and slightly frustrating, that they have waited this long to unveil the plan, given that there has been unrest amongst a number of clubs since at least the start of the month, after a Freedom of Information request uncovered a letter from a Scottish Government official which stated that the £15 m grant was supposed to be passed on directly to the clubs. “Scottish Rugby has developed a substantial funding plan to help restart rugby following the pandemic,” said a statement issued by Murrayfield on behalf of Jeffrey and Dodson. “The plan will see unprecedented funding allocated to the grassroots game in Scotland both in the short term as we emerge from the lockdown enforced by Covid-19 and in the longer term over the next five years.

“The funding plan has been unanimously approved by the Scottish Rugby Board ... once agreed, funding will be made available to member clubs in line with the return to rugby timetable in the coming months and in accordance with the terms of the Scottish Government grant and loan funding.”