A blueprint for sustainable clubs. An Overview

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Arron Phelps
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1 A blueprint for sustainable clubs An Overview November 2017

2 What is Agenda 3? Agenda 3 is Scottish Rugby s plan to transform the structure of, and the strategy for, club rugby in this country. It is a blueprint for sustainable clubs. It will provide a solution for the domestic game to realign the amateur and professional elements of our sport, making it fit for purpose for the modern era. Four fully amateur leagues of 12 will sit below the Super 6 Tournament These will be The Scottish ship and National Leagues One, Two and Three. The BT Premiership is to be dissolved and replaced with a six team franchise structure created from existing clubs or syndicates of clubs, called the Super 6 Tournament. This league will become part of the Union s high performance responsibility. The Scottish ship will be the highest level of amateur rugby in Scotland. The National Leagues one, two and three will be recalibrated to accommodate the changes higher up the structure. The Regional Leagues will receive enhanced support from the Union. Why Agenda 3? Agenda 3 marks a new beginning for the whole of Scottish Rugby by offering every club a fresh start. It will be supported with a significant cash injection into our stakeholder clubs. Agenda 3 allows the new structure to readdress their roles, become more competitive and remain sustainable in a balanced rugby ecology. This creates a structure which redefines and underlines amateur, ensuring payment of players for playing rugby is ring fenced at the Super 6 level. How will Agenda 3 improve the game? In the past, there has been a lack of a coherent strategy and structure for amateur club rugby. This has been manifested in poor pathways to professional and national teams. Scottish Rugby has vowed to invest 3.6million of new money into this programme over the next five years. Every club in Scotland will benefit from this increased and sustained investment. Through Agenda 3, this investment should become evident in the structure and pathways it develops and through an improvement in the standard of rugby being played at all levels. Player payments in the domestic amateur game will be outlawed, other than genuine expenses that fall under HMRC rules, thereby alleviating the problem of player movements, which have taken place across all leagues for money rather than player improvement.

3 Structure The new structure will be in place for season giving stakeholder clubs over a year to prepare for change. The Scottish ship - Investment from Premiership 12 amateur teams from National 1 X The union will invest 45k (circa 9k per annum, per club) over the initial fiveyear period to each ship club to assist with any off-field structure or medical provision. No promotion to SUPER6 45k over 5 years National Leagues - Investment In addition, over the course of 5 years, National League One clubs will receive 25k, National League Two clubs will receive 17.5k and National League Three clubs will receive 10k. This will also mitigate the costs of any reorganisation as a result of Agenda 3. 25k 17.5k 10k over 5 years 36 amateur teams Community entities No payment of players

Agenda 3 will also establish meritocracy payments for clubs competing in

By ensuring that clubs are incentivised, this arrangement should

5k 5k 4k 10 x s 3k each Regional Leagues - Security & Sustainability

4 Agenda 3 will also establish meritocracy payments for clubs competing in the Scottish ship, the National Leagues as well as the Regional Leagues. By ensuring that clubs are incentivised, this arrangement should increase the competitiveness of each league. 10k 7.5k 5k 4k 10 x s 3k each Regional Leagues - Security & Sustainability Midlands North Midlands North Limits on expenses Promotion & relegation continues through league system

5 SCOTTISH RUGBY BT MURRAYFIELD EDINBURGH EH12 5PJ scottishrugby.org

Foreword Agenda 3 and the Regional Support Structure in Scotland Introduction Sustainable Clubs Funding and Support 5

Foreword Agenda 3 and the Regional Support Structure in Scotland Introduction Sustainable Clubs Funding and Support 5 June 2018 Contents Foreword 3 1. Agenda 3 and the Regional Support Structure in Scotland 4 1.1 Introduction 4 1.2 Sustainable Clubs 4 1.3 Funding and Support 5 1.4 Investment programme 5 1.5 What initiatives