Dodson says twin financial boost helped protect SRU
Trying to steer Scottish rugby through the pandemic has not been easy but SRU chief executive Mark Dodson can see signs of hope emerging.
A £15 million grant from the Scottish Government has helped soften the blow and negotiations are also close to completion with CVC Capital Partners which will see the private equity firm take a 14.5 per cent stake in the Six Nations.
That deal is reportedly worth £300m-plus over five years to the participating countries and Scottish Rugby could benefit to the tune of £50m.
CVC has already invested in the Guinness Pro14, a deal that yielded an initial chunk of £8.38m for the SRU last year.
Next on the agenda is the return of fans, and Dodson is looking to next season after conceding defeat in his bid to have supporters at this season’s Six Nations matches at BT Murrayfield.
A target date is likely to be June 26 when the Edinburgh stadium is due to host the British & Irish Lions’ Test match against Japan, a curtain-raiser for the composite side’s proposed summer tour which is scheduled to take place in South Africa but could yet be diverted to Australia or even the UK and Ireland.
The twin financial boost of government aid and CVC cash has protected the Union against the worst effects of Covid-19. There have been pay cuts and furloughing but no redundancies.
“The Six Nations behind closed doors is something we planned for given the impact of Covid. But it does make a substantial hole in revenue,” acknowledged Dodson.
“We have had a material grant from government that has allowed us to repair our balance sheet to a certain extent and that has been enormously helpful. We have also done some refinancing around our business. We expected no crowds so we planned accordingly and the business is in a strong position going forward now.”
As well as the £15m Scottish Government grant, the SRU is also due to take receipt of a £5m loan from Holyrood. The figures caused some raised eyebrows within Scottish football where some felt rugby had received preferential treatment.
More accurately, Dodson and his right-hand man Dominic Mckay are reaping the rewards of some skilled negotiations and a less confrontational stance.
Dodson is about to lose Mckay, with the SRU’S chief operating officer Celtic-bound, but he intends to replace him within a “restructuring” of the Union.
“Dom moving to Celtic has probably just given us a chance to look once more at what we’re going to do,” said Dodson, pictured. “The role will be replaced and we’ll make sure we take our time and get some outstanding candidates.”
While uncertainty remains around the Lions and an exact date as to when supporters can return, the chief executive is confident the CVC Six Nations deal will soon be announced.
“The conversations are going really well, we’re at the tail end of those negotiations now and I expect a successful outcome,” Dodson said. “Again, it’s a hugely complex deal. There are six unions and four tax jurisdictions and we need time to get that thing in place.
“I imagine it’s between our lawyers and advisers and as soon as we’re in position to announce anything, we’ll let you know.”
The Lions tour is equally complex, with concern around the South African variant of Covid forcing the organisers into looking at other options. Dodson confirmed that Scotland would be in the market to host a Lions Test against the Springboks should the tour be diverted to the UK and Ireland
“If there are changes to the original tour programme and it does come back to the UK we’ll be as interested as anyone else is to take advantage of that,” he said.
But Dodson, who is a member of the British & Irish Lions board, said tour plans remain in a state of flux.
“What we’ve got to do is look at all the options, the facts, from a sporting, economic and player welfare perspective and then take a view. At the moment we’ve not been presented with the detail that sits behind any options that may be on the table.”
The return of crowds remains tantalisingly out of reachforthemomentbutdodson is hopeful that will change in the summer.
“It’s a difficult one,” he said. “We’ve just seen the UK and Scottish Government talk about the potential of crowds coming back, but we’re going to have to wait until people are more categoric. I hope we have crowds back towards the end of this season but in real terms it would be sensible to look to have fans back for the start of next season.
“If crowds can come in before then, we’re ready. As soon as government is ready to allow crowds, we’re ready to go.
“We had a very successful test event, we know how to put these games on and we’re trusted. All we’re waiting for is a green light – we’ll take crowds as soon as it’s safe to do so. Safety remains our paramount objective here, it’s not about our finances.”
Dodson thanked the SRU’S staff for their resilience during the pandemic and also praised the Union’s partners.
“It’s been an amazing effort by everybody,” he said. “We’ve also had some great support from our sponsors and broadcasters, who’ve stuck with us through thick and thin.
"We were a strong business going into the pandemic and we’ll be a strong business comingoutofit.thatsizeofashock to the business is always going to destabilise it for a period but I think we’ve come through the examination really well and I’m optimistic about the future.”
Promising Glasgow Warriors full-back Ollie Smith has signed his first professional contract with the club.
The 20-year-old, who is equally comfortable on the wing, was part of the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy and follows in the footsteps of fellow graduates Ross Thompson and Rufus Mclean in sealing pro deals with the Warriors.
Smith came through the youth ranks at Marr then played for hometown club Ayr in the Tennent’s Premiership and Ayrshire Bulls in Super6.
He made his Glasgow debut when he came off the bench in the closing stages of the 23-22 victory over Edinburgh at Scotstoun in January in the 1872 Cup.
“It’s a dream come true for me to sign for a club I’ve supported since I was young,” Smith said. “I grew up watching Glasgow play at Firhill and I was there in Belfast the day they won the Pro12 final.
“I’m extremely grateful that my job is to now play rugby full-time - I’ve played this sport since I was seven years old and for it to be now my sole focus is amazing.”
Danny Wilson, the Glasgow head coach, added: “It’s great to be able to retain another promising Scottish back three. Ollie is another young player with a lot of talent and promise. He had a number of strong outings during last year’s Under-20 Six Nations and has impressed in our environment this season.”
Smith scored a try double against New Zealand in the 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship in Argentina and was an ever-present for Scotland in their 2020 U20 Six Nations campaign.
Rory Mcilroy has warned that Tiger Woods is “not Superman” in response to many people feeling confident the 15-time major winner can pull off another amazing comeback following his car crash in Los Angeles.
Woods suffered serious leg, ankle and foot injuries in the accident in the early hours of Tuesday morning as his vehicle rolled over “several times” after seeming to clip the central reservation in the suburbs of the Californian city.
He had to be cut from the wreckage and was said to be “fortunate to be alive” by the first police officer to arrive at the scene. “I don't think he was aware of how gravely he was injured,” said Deputy Carlos Gonzalez in an interview on NBC News in the US yesterday. Mcilroy, a close friend of Woods and the newly-elected chairman of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council, gave his reaction to the crash and the injuries suffered by the 45-year-old as he prepared for this week’s Wgc-workday Championship in Florida.
“He'snotsuperman,”replied the Northern Irishman, pictured, to being asked if he felt Woods, having already overcome career-threatening back trouble to win a fifth Masters and 15th major title in 2019, was the one person in the game who could recover from such a bad accident.
“He's a human being at the endoftheday.andhe'salready been through so much. At this stage, I think everyone should just be grateful that he's here, that he's alive, that his kids haven't lost their dad.
“That's the most important thing. Golf is so far from the equation right now, it's not even on the map at this point.”
As Steven Gerrard spent his 1000th day as Rangers manager fine-tuning his preparations for a tilt at the last 16 of the Europa League, he felt able to look ahead with confidence that his best days in the job are yet to come.
One of them should happen in a matter of weeks when his team rack up the seven points they still need to secure a momentous 55th domestic title triumph for the Ibrox club.
It will be the first tangible measure of success for Gerrard since his official starting date in the role back on June 1, 2018.
But as his third season in charge approaches its climax, the 40-year-old is gratified that the trials and tribulations which have punctuated his tenure have been the making of him as a manager.
“I have certainly evolved and learned a lot in the short space of time I’ve been here,” said Gerrard.
“Sitting here right now, I have still not become a success.
"There is still work to do to try and achieve that.
“But without a doubt I feel I am a better manager, a better coach, a better person for my experience here at Rangers.
“I knew what I was signing up to. I knew it wasn’t all going to be an upwards and forward journey. I knew it was going to be a journey full of experiences, good and bad.
“I have loved it, loved every minute of it.
"I’m looking to the future but without a doubt the experience has made me better for it.
“I feel like we are on the verge of something special here. We just have to be patient and keep doing what we’ve been doing since the first day of this season.
“That’s performing at a very consistent level.
"It was never going to change overnight in year one.
"Even with all the hard work and sacrifices we made in years one and two, we have been preparing for this moment.
“Now it’s about grabbing that and rewarding ourselves for what we’ve put into this not just me, but my staff and everyone together.
“The big thing we have put in place here is we have made everyone aligned from top to bottom. We want to go and reward ourselves for all the hard work everyone has put in.
“We have to finish it off, get over those last obstacles in our way.
"Teams are not going to make it easy for us. We have to execute the final part.
“If we do, everyone at this club will have earned the right to savour it and enjoy it.
“I’m not described as an experienced manager, I’m trying to become one.
“There were always going to be things from a personal point of view that I maybe got wrong throughout this.
“The one big learning thing for me is to try and remain balanced, whatever the result is. Just try and stay in the same place - not get too carried away or get too down.
“I’m one who uses setbacks and tough days to make me stronger and more determined. I’m someone who loves a challenge. “We are all together here. No-one is looking forward to the day when it does come more than me but we will share it together.
“The most important people are the supporters. They’re the ones who have been on the journey from day one. They’ve had more tough days than me, so for me it’s all about them.”
While it has long been a case of when, rather than if Rangers dethrone Celtic as Scottish champions, the pursuit of further European progress remains just as significant from Gerrard’s perspective in defining this campaign.
He has promised his team will not attempt to simply protect their 4-3 first leg lead over Royal Antwerp when the Europa League last32 tie is concluded at Ibrox this evening.
Rangers will seek to book their place in tomorrow’s last-16 draw in style, adopting a front-foot approach in which the in-form Joe Aribo, pictured inset, will be a key component.
The Nigerian international spent a frustrating spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury last August, missing 10 games, but has grown in influence for Gerrard’s side with some scintillating displays in recent weeks.
“Don’t forget how good Joe Aribo was before the injury,” said Gerrard. “He’s still a very young player, he’s learning a lot, he’s growing. He’s getting more confidence and belief in himself.
“He’s a lot stronger and more powerful than the boy who walked in the door. He is someone who has worked ever so hard, not just on the technical and tactical side, but also physically in the gym.
“We’ve been ever so pleased with Joe. He experienced a tough injury, the first of his career, and that knocks you a bit. He’s now back to the real Joe Aribo and that’s a top player, without a shadow of a doubt. We are lucky to have him here at Rangers.
“I’m delighted that when he had a decision to make back in the day, when I had to drive to London and sit down with him and his family, that he decided to pick Rangers. We are certainly benefitting from that now.
“He is showing his power, his strength and when he’s at his best, he is unplayable. He’ll be a big factor when we get that success here.”