SRU to help London Scottish By Alasdair Reid SCOTTISH RUGBY is set to strengthen its foothold in England as a player recruitment and funding package is being drawn together with the aim of propelling London Scottish, the Richmond-based club that has been the traditional focus for exile Scots involved in rugby, back to the top level of the English game.
While plans are still at an early stage, it is understood that club officials envisage a combination of substantial private funding from businesses and individuals with Scottish connections, and some element of investment from the Scottish Rugby Union. The governing body's participation could be by direct grant or through the loan of players currently attached to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The Sunday Herald has also been told that London Scottish have been seeking to recruit players in Argentina recently, although one prominent member of the club denied that this was the case.
While SRU officials remain tight-lipped on the matter, one senior Murrayfield source confirmed that options are being explored with the aim of developing a presence in the capital, and that London Scottish is now the preferred vehicle for that project. The news comes after an earlier Union proposal to establish a new Scottish side in London, one which would play in the Magners League, were given short shrift by the Rugby Football Union, England's governing body.
The SRU currently make a financial contribution to the running of the London Scottish Academy, which aims to develop players with Scottish qualifications. While any investment at senior level might be controversial among clubs north of the border, club president Rod Lynch confirmed that discussions have been talking place.
"There is a realisation that we offer a very useful foothold," said Lynch. "The SRU are interested in seeing how that can be developed. We've had a few discussions. It's a work in progress."
Founded in 1878, London Scottish has supplied more Scotland internationals than any other club. However, an attempt to run a professional side ended catastrophically in 1999, when the club went into administration. Since its resurrection, it has climbed slowly through the lower reaches of the English league system.
Now in National League 3 South, the club could, in theory, reach the Guinness Premiership in just four seasons. Even if that cannot be done, an incentive to accelerate progress back through the divisions is provided by reports that the top 24 clubs in England are expected to be fully professional by 2010, and that their competitions may be ring-fenced from promotion and relegation. For sides in the lower leagues, the race is now on to get into the top two-dozen.
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Posted by: Strathturret, montrose on 12:14am Sun 23 Mar 08
Why are the SRU proposing to support sport outside Scotland? They stopped supporting a Borders side recently.
The logic of supporting a professional team in a London is daft. This might have made sense in amateur days, where players moved south professionally.
Why are the SRU proposing to support sport outside Scotland? They stopped supporting a Borders side recently.
The logic of supporting a professional team in a London is daft. This might have made sense in amateur days, where players moved south professionally.
Posted by: Patrick Hall, Glasgow on 7:46am Sun 23 Mar 08
[quote][bold]Strathturret[/bold] wrote:
Why are the SRU proposing to support sport outside Scotland? They stopped supporting a Borders side recently. The logic of supporting a professional team in a London is daft. This might have made sense in amateur days, where players moved south professionally.[/quote] It's simple, there are more Scots qualified players playing in England than play in Scotland. Without them there will be no international game to speak of in this country.
Strathturret wrote:
Why are the SRU proposing to support sport outside Scotland? They stopped supporting a Borders side recently. The logic of supporting a professional team in a London is daft. This might have made sense in amateur days, where players moved south professionally.
It's simple, there are more Scots qualified players playing in England than play in Scotland. Without them there will be no international game to speak of in this country.
Posted by: Eddie Tait, London - Scots In London on 11:43am Sun 23 Mar 08
Re: Scottish Rugby in London but it's also a wider issue of Scots supporting Scots outside Scotland and vice versa - let's grow Scottish networks.
[bold]This is great news for Scottish Rugby and fantastic for Scots in London.[/bold] There is a substantial Scottish community in London of 400,000 Scots (and 800,000 Scots In England).
The team get good turn-outs week in week and their progress over the last nine years from the bottom of the English leagues to National 3 has been fantastic.
Historically, London Scottish has produced more international players than any other country in the world and more Scottish rugby captains than any other club. The club has played a significant part in Scottish rugby history.
In the professional environment, it is crucial than London Scottish gets the full backing of the SRU and the Scottish community in Scotland, London, England and elsewhere.
[bold]London is a key World city and its important for Scottish pride that Scottish rugby has a sizeable presence here[/bold] - no doubt, it'll be an attractive club for Scottish professionals wishing to travel south. The Scottish Rugby Union could be a catalise here and example to other Scottish institutions - Scots and Scotland would be much stronger if it embrassed ties to Scotland outwith the Scotland.
[bold]Scotland is a small country and MUST look beyond is borders to unite Scots ex-pats, Scottish businesses, Scottish clubs and societies, Scottish organisations etc.[/bold]
In the past, Scots have excelled as individuals after leaving Scotland and have reach dizzy heights, punching far above their weight. Unfortunately, certainly until recent times, Scotland has failed to capitalise on individual achievements because our collective Scottish networks with ties back to Scotland have not been strong enough, unlike those of our Celtic neighbours, Polish networks, Italian networks, Hispanic networks, Jewish networks and some other countries.
The SRU should invest in London Scottish and London Scottish involvement will, no doubt, pay dividends back to the nation team in the future. Likewise, more Scots should realise the wealth of opportunity that exists to build up solid Scottish networks.
SCOTSIN is striving to be at the forefront and will contiinue to support London Scottish and hope to work with SRU and other major Scottish institutions in the future in reconnecting Scots.
Yours aye,
Eddie Tait
Founder and Promoter
[bold]SCOTSIN - Scots In London
http://www.scotsin.c
om / www.scotsinlondon.co
m
Largest Scottish network in London and England[/bold]
Re: Scottish Rugby in London but it's also a wider issue of Scots supporting Scots outside Scotland and vice versa - let's grow Scottish networks.
This is great news for Scottish Rugby and fantastic for Scots in London. There is a substantial Scottish community in London of 400,000 Scots (and 800,000 Scots In England).
The team get good turn-outs week in week and their progress over the last nine years from the bottom of the English leagues to National 3 has been fantastic.
Historically, London Scottish has produced more international players than any other country in the world and more Scottish rugby captains than any other club. The club has played a significant part in Scottish rugby history.
In the professional environment, it is crucial than London Scottish gets the full backing of the SRU and the Scottish community in Scotland, London, England and elsewhere.
London is a key World city and its important for Scottish pride that Scottish rugby has a sizeable presence here - no doubt, it'll be an attractive club for Scottish professionals wishing to travel south. The Scottish Rugby Union could be a catalise here and example to other Scottish institutions - Scots and Scotland would be much stronger if it embrassed ties to Scotland outwith the Scotland.
Scotland is a small country and MUST look beyond is borders to unite Scots ex-pats, Scottish businesses, Scottish clubs and societies, Scottish organisations etc.
In the past, Scots have excelled as individuals after leaving Scotland and have reach dizzy heights, punching far above their weight. Unfortunately, certainly until recent times, Scotland has failed to capitalise on individual achievements because our collective Scottish networks with ties back to Scotland have not been strong enough, unlike those of our Celtic neighbours, Polish networks, Italian networks, Hispanic networks, Jewish networks and some other countries.
The SRU should invest in London Scottish and London Scottish involvement will, no doubt, pay dividends back to the nation team in the future. Likewise, more Scots should realise the wealth of opportunity that exists to build up solid Scottish networks.
SCOTSIN is striving to be at the forefront and will contiinue to support London Scottish and hope to work with SRU and other major Scottish institutions in the future in reconnecting Scots.
Yours aye,
Eddie Tait
Founder and Promoter
SCOTSIN - Scots In London
http://www.scotsin.c
om / www.scotsinlondon.co
m
Largest Scottish network in London and England Posted by: Bemused, Scotland on 3:01pm Sun 23 Mar 08
"While SRU officials remain tight-lipped on the matter, one senior Murrayfield source confirmed that options are being explored with the aim of developing a presence in the capital ... "
Funny that, I thought that there already were quite a few clubs in Edinburgh ...
(This quibble with Alastair Reid apart, I think this is an excellent idea from the SRU)
"While SRU officials remain tight-lipped on the matter, one senior Murrayfield source confirmed that options are being explored with the aim of developing a presence in the capital ... "
Funny that, I thought that there already were quite a few clubs in Edinburgh ...
(This quibble with Alastair Reid apart, I think this is an excellent idea from the SRU)
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