Saturday 8 November 2008
On the hallowed turf of Murrayfield, with only hours to go before the Scottish national team faces their first Autumn Test against the All Blacks, sportscotland announced an £835,074 investment in the sport of rugby to support the next generation of Bravehearts to play and develop within rugby.
Community rugby is at the heart of today’s announcement. The funding is being used to support staffing and programme costs aimed at boosting the number of players, both in the youth and adult game as well as improving performance development through investment in the Scottish Rugby strategic plan and regional development network.
Announcing the investment sportscotland Chair, Louise Martin CBE said: “With an increase in the numbers playing the game over the past year, particularly at youth level, there is clearly a real appetite for rugby in Scotland. We are delighted that our funding will support Scottish Rugby in providing more opportunities for people to take up the sport.
“I wish the Scottish national team the best of luck for their match this evening and hope that their efforts will inspire future generations to take up this dynamic sport which is so close to the nation’s hearts.”
The provision of a high quality coaching network is crucial to the development of any sport and Scottish Rugby is recognised as a trailblazer sport by Sports Coach UK, the body responsible for the implementation of the UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC), and Murrayfield is now an approved delivery centre, assisting other national governing bodies to process the UKCC. The increase in funding announced by sportscotland today will allow Scottish Rugby to continue their coach development programme, providing qualified coaches to develop the sport around the country.
Joining Louise Martin to announce the funding, Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell said: “It’s great to see such a surge in interest in one of Scotland’s favourite sports. This investment builds on the significant funding the Scottish Government already gives to the game. And I am delighted that through sportscotland we will continue to support and encourage more young people across the length and breadth of the country to play rugby, especially in communities not historically associated with the sport.”
Welcoming this continued investment, Gordon McKie, Chief Executive, Scottish Rugby said: “This investment by sportscotland is excellent news for rugby in Scotland. The funding is already being put to good use across our community game and is enabling Scottish Rugby to deliver towards our strategic plan.”
Notes to Editors
- In 2007 sportscotland invested over £10 million in 54 sports governing bodies
- The £835,074 investment in the SRU is made up of £307,574 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £527,500 from Scottish Government sportscotland funding.
- sportscotland also provides £150,000 support for rugby’s performance programme delivered by the Scottish Institute of Sport, the high performance arm of sportscotland and Area Institute Network.
- Rugby is another sport to have benefited from the Scottish Government’s Cash Back for Communities programme this year. Scottish Rugby received £1.4 million over three years to support community initiatives which will complement those funded by sportscotland’s investment.
- Last year Scottish Rugby received £752,500 of funding in addition to the £150,000 additional support for rugby’s performance programme.
- The UK Coaching Certificate is an initiative to endorse coach education programmes, across sports within the UK.
- Rugby legend David Sole OBE was this week inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.
Scottish Rugby growth statistics:
- Scottish Rugby’s network of development officers across Scotland is fundamental to Scottish Rugby ensuring that rugby is open and available to all, while providing the foundations for our strategic targets of a 38% increase in young people playing rugby, and a total playing population of 38,000 by 2012.
- In May 07, youth participation was up by 19% on May 06 (15,189 in 2006, 18,123 in 2007)
- In May 07 adult participation was up by 7% on May 06 (8.972 in 2006, 9,616 in 2007)
- Scottish Rugby will announce the national growth figures at the end of November