Scottish Rugby bosses to announce surplus at agm

Scottish Rugby bosses will tomorrow announce an operating surplus of over one and a half million pounds, up from around £1.2 million, when the game’s annual meeting takes place at Murrayfield.

The figures come in the wake of a successful Southern Hemisphere tour for the national side, which will be seen by some as a return for increased investment.

Accounts also show that the amount spent on the professional game has been boosted by £2.4m to £19.1m, although there could be some disgruntlement that spending on “community” rugby, ie clubs, increases from £4.2m to £4.4m.

Most of the money, which suggests Edinburgh and Glasgow have seen a budget increase of just over £1 million, appears to come from “other operating income” as both ticket and broadcast revenues are down in a period when there were no Autumn Tests due to the World Cup.

Staffing levels show there is one more professional player on the books compared with 2011 and a slightly bigger increase in community and performance personnel.

Tomorrow’s meeting will also see former Scotland scrum half Alan Lawson installed as president in succession to Ian McLauchlan, who is introduced to the Board along with banker Colin Grassie. Retiring are Gordon Bulloch and Donald Emslie.

Procedural matters take up most of the agenda, including talks on increasing the number of clubs required to seek a Special General Meeting from six to 24.