SRU president urges clubs to vote on outside investment

SRU president Rob Flockhart has issued a plea for clubs to turn out at Friday evening's Special General Meeting and vote to approve outside investment in the country's two professional teams.

SRU president Rob Flockhart. Picture: James Clare

Flockhart, who assumed office in August, has proposed the motion and believes that it has the backing of the union’s member clubs. However, with 106 cast votes required to make quorum (with two votes allowed per club) and a two-thirds majority needed for acceptance he believes “lethargy not apathy” is the main concern.

SRU chief executive Mark Dodson has set out his stall by claiming that “25 per cent wage inflation in the professional game” means the union must seek partners to protect funding for the grassroots.

Flockhart agrees and believes clubs need to get out and vote at BT Murrayfield in their own interests.

“As president and chair of the Scottish Rugby Council my responsibility is to the clubs. I would only be doing this if it was in their best interests,” said the retired solicitor. “I believe that implicitly. To move forward we have to find a way of securing investment which safeguards the kind of amounts of money that have been put into the domestic game.”