TOTAL WIPEOUT
SRU chief McKay fears financial hit of no rugby till 2021 will cost even MORE than £12million
THE Scottish Rugby Union have admitted that the prospect of the sport being postponed into 2021 would hit their finances harder than originally feared. It is now widely expected that an announcement will soon be made confirming the cancellation of Scotland’s summer tour to South Africa and New Zealand.
The focus will then turn to their autumn fixtures, with the All Blacks, Argentina and Japan all set to visit BT Murrayfield in November.
SRU chief executive Mark Dodson warned last month that the cancellation of those games would result in a £12million shortfall in revenue.
But, with the wider implications that would surround such a scenario, SRU chief operating officer Dominic McKay fears the total cost would be well in excess of that figure.
Speaking after England’s RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney had warned of the ‘catastrophic’ prospect of the current shutdown extending
to the 2021 Six Nations, he did not seek to hide from the issue.
‘Mark was speaking about the £12m a few weeks ago in respect of our three autumn Tests,’ said McKay. ‘But I think we can safely assume that the number would be north of that on the basis that, if we don’t have autumn Tests, then you also wouldn’t have any professional rugby taking place in Scotland.
‘Importantly, you also wouldn’t have grassroots rugby taking place in Scotland. So it would have a profound and significant impact on our finances.
‘Things are constantly changing just now. As we get more clarity on the furlough scheme (three quarters of SRU staff are currently furloughed) and how long that’s going to go on for, that will enable us to make further updates.
‘With the way things are at the moment, as soon as you reference a number, it can then be out of date very quickly. But, from an operations point of view, we do recognise that it’s a significant challenge.
‘We’ve seen the numbers that have been shared by others and the numbers that were shared at the DCMS committee (by Sweeney in midweek). It just shows that every governing body — regardless of size or financial muscle — is facing an enormous challenge.
‘The only way that we’re going to protect our respective sports is by making some tough decisions, but also by working really closely with our governments.’
Asked if he was confident that the SRU, along with Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, would survive the crisis, McKay replied: ‘Yes. Absolutely. We would be confident Scottish rugby will be here for many, many years to come.
‘We are working day and night to keep the organisation in the best possible shape it can be and make the right decisions so that, when we get sport restarted, we can begin to develop revenue to go back into the game.’
Given that the English RFU is the richest union in world rugby, Sweeney’s comments will not have been taken lightly.
From a Scottish perspective, McKay believes that the SRU — along with governing bodies from other sports — have a key role to play in helping sport return.
McKay represented the SRU in a conference call with Sports Minister Joe FitzPatrick on Tuesday and was joined by SPFL and SFA chiefs Neil Doncaster and Ian Maxwell.
Warning that this is no time for vested interests and personal agendas from the various sports, McKay said: ‘For us to solve the sporting challenge that we’ve got, we must collaborate. I was very strong on that at Tuesday’s meeting.
‘In Scotland, sometimes we’re a bit parochial. So if we can collaborate around how stadia might operate, how training venues might operate, how grassroots might operate in terms of messaging and advice, that can only be a good thing for the whole country right now.
‘A silo mentality won’t help anyone. What the government is going to look to sport to do is come with some solutions, and if those solutions cross the different ball shapes, that will be a very helpful thing.’
Along with his duties at the SRU, McKay also sits on the board of the Pro14 and met with fellow members via conference call on Wednesday. He remains hopeful of finding a solution which would allow the current season to be played out on the pitch.
With Edinburgh top of Conference B and Glasgow in the play-off spots in Conference A, McKay said: ‘We had a board meeting and one of the actions was to pick up some specific scenarios around what may be possible in terms of a shorter conclusion to the competition.’
Plans are being considered for the possibility of resuming a curtailed Pro14 season on August 22.
Working day and night to keep game in the very best shape possible