Dodson’s words have left many shaking their heads
Mark Dodson, the CEO of Scottish Rugby, has broken his silence and indicated that there is nothing off limits when it comes to cost-cutting at the SRU.
Pay cuts, redundancies and even his own beloved Super 6 will come under scrutiny as the organisation desperately tries to save money in light of the Covid-19 crisis.
The uncertainty around the resumption of rugby cannot be helping the game’s administrators. But one has to question their approach to the crisis compared to other multi-million pound organisations.
These businesses acted quickly and dramatically at the earliestpossible opportunity. That it is only now that “all options” are being considered by the SRU seems somewhat remiss.
Their most-significant cost is its salaries. Running two professional teams places an incredible financial burden on the SRU, yet there seems to be little mention of the investments made in overseas clubs in France and the USA, which many Scottish rugby fans saw as vanity projects.
When Mark Dodson said: “Scottish Rugby’s money will definitely run out”, many would have been shaking their heads as they reflected on the profligacy of the governing body and these foreign ventures.
What will make a difference is the ability to host matches at Murrayfield that spectators are allowed to attend.
Early suggestions are that there may be inter-city contests in August behind closed doors, in the hope that the Pro14 may restart its season later in the autumn.
There are also suggestions that last year’s Six Nations may be concluded, and that another “mini” Six Nations may take place instead of the November internationals, if the complexity of welcoming foreign teams is too much.
Medical experts have suggested players need 8-10 weeks of training before matches can resume and, despite Edinburgh and Glasgow players still being furloughed, they’ve been “invited’” to return to Murrayfield to train individually from June 22, with social-measures in place – assuming lockdown restrictions are eased further.
The sport needs spectators to prevent it from sliding into the financial abyss that has been created by Covid-19.
The SRU needs to be able to open Murrayfield to fans, even with social distancing being maintained, to bring some cash into its empty coffers.
Murrayfield’s capacity for fans increases as the social distances diminish, so hopefully, by August, the two-metre rule may be reduced.
Yet, while the focus is on the SRU’s finances, one should not forget the heartland of the game in Scotland – the clubs. The resumption of the amateur game is just as critical as the professional game restarting.
One can only hope that the game’s administrators are not blind to this as the new season draws closer.