‘Generous and timely’ bailout for rugby hailed by Dodson
SCOTTISH RUGBY chief executive Mark Dodson has welcomed the offer of a £20million financial package from the Scottish Government, insisting it would ‘underwrite rugby in the months and the years ahead’. The SRU are facing losses of at least £18m if no fans are allowed into the next Six Nations, with the figure rising to £30m if all home games had to be played behind closed doors in 2021. Dodson believes the Scottish Government’s support — with £15m in grants and £5m in loans — will help the governing body tackle major financial problems caused by lost ticket revenue and a drop in sponsorship and television cash during the Covid pandemic. ‘This has been a hugely-difficult time at every level of our game in Scotland since the public lockdown began in March,’ he said. ‘Our main income sources effectively dried up at an international and professional level, which impacted on our ability to provide the revenues we need to invest in the community game going forward. ‘We have had to make difficult decisions to look at how we can keep rugby financially afloat as we move into 2021. The funding package today is a massive boost to our sport at a critical time and I would like to thank the Scottish Government for its generous and timely support which will underwrite rugby in the months and years ahead.’ SRU chief operating officer Dominic McKay described the money as a ‘financial lifeline’. ‘From the outset of the pandemic, we have worked closely with the Scottish Government to both support and promote its public health messaging on Covid-19 and also to ensure the voice of rugby was heard and its benefits to health and communities represented,’ he said. ‘The impact of no crowds on our revenues has been significant and, while we were proud to host the first pilot event at BT Murrayfield in August, the speed of progress to welcome back fans puts ongoing pressure on our ability to function as a governing body, supporting all levels of the game. ‘Today’s funding package of £20m in total is fantastic news for everyone connected to rugby in Scotland and enables us to plan and move forward with more confidence.’ The SRU have made clear they are still ready to welcome fans back to BT Murrayfield and, as revealed by Sportsmail, they have lodged plans for their gradual return. Provided Covid-19 restrictions have been eased, they want to see 5,000 supporters for the Pro14 derby match between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors at BT Murrayfield on January 2. That attendance figure would rise to 10,000 for another Pro14 league match, yet to be finalised, before 25,000 would be allowed back into the national rugby stadium for Six Nations games against Wales, Ireland and Italy. The SRU have managed to avoid compulsory redundancies up until now through a series of cost-cutting measures. Senior officials such as Dodson and McKay took voluntary 30-per-cent pay cuts, while professional players at Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors took pay cuts up to that same level based on their salaries. The vast majority of the non-rugby playing SRU staff — which totals 142 — were put on furlough to also help the financial situation.