We should all be familiar with that old saying ‘ crime doesn’t pay’.  I have found an instance, with a rugby connection, in which it does. Thanks to the Scottish Government’s  CashBack for Communities initiative, Scottish rugby clubs have already and will receive further much needed ‘donations’ courtesy of the criminals.

The Scottish Rugby Union is trying really hard at the moment to raise the profile of rugby and this funding is very welcome, especially to the smaller clubs. Hopefully we will see the benefits of this in time to come and the next venture will see a commitment from all the necessary stakeholders to get rugby played more widely in the schools.

The scheme, described below, deserves a big thumbs up as one only has to look up some of the clubs listed to see how desperately they need help in improving their facilities. It is also encouraging to see a public listing on how the ‘donations’ will be spent.

SRU

Some 20 Scottish rugby clubs are to receive a substantial funding boost from the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities initiative. 

A total of £729,000 will be shared among the clubs, the second and final tranche of funding through the scheme, whereby the proceeds from criminal activity are confiscated and then reinvested in the community. The sums revealed today raise the grand total ploughed in to improve rugby club facilities in Scotland through Cashback to £1.25 million, with 31 clubs receiving their share of the welcome windfall.

The announcement was made today (Friday 20 July) by Scotland’s Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison MSP, during a visit to Strathmore RFC in Forfar.

The RBS Caledonia Division 1 club are to receive £40,000 towards a project to increase changing rooms at their Inchmacoble ground given the growth of their youth and junior sections.

Their youth/junior section has almost doubled in the last two years.  Now some 146 youngsters from P4 to under-18 are involved and they also have children playing in the P1-P3 age-groups. 

“Strathmore are typical of the clubs who will be supported in this round of awards,” said Scottish Rugby’s Partnership Projects Manager, Neil Carrie.

“Their members built their original clubhouse in 1953, installed floodlighting on the main pitch in 1971 and in 1977 purchased the whole site from Angus District Council.

“The increased club membership and addition of the youth section saw the club push on and construct a new clubhouse in 2002.  The latest increase in the youth section now sees the club needing to expand changing facilities to cater for their growing numbers and their desire to offer the people of Forfar a great environment to have fun and keep fit.

“The Cashback for Rugby Facilities Fund will have seen 31 clubs awarded £1.25 million over the past year to make a range of improvements designed to increase their capacity for young people for training and playing rugby. I would like to thank the Scottish Government for helping us establish this fund, and sportscotland for the support they have provided throughout.”

“Awards have been made from Dumfries to Lochaber and from Duns to Aberdeen to provide a host of improvements – from new floodlights to drainage and new changing rooms to new synthetic pitches/training areas, serving many communities including areas of deprivation.

“Clubs are acutely aware that the more attractive and welcoming they can make their facilities then the greater the appeal they will have to young people. Scottish Rugby is grateful both to the clubs and all those who support their determination to be at the heart of their communities.”

Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison MSP, said: “I am delighted to be here today to recognise Strathmore Rugby Club’s tremendous contribution in helping develop a thriving club game in Scotland.  The funding that the club will receive will help support with the increase in the numbers of young people interested in playing for the Strathie Sharks.
 
“The 20 awards announced today will build on the earlier announcement that will see a total of 31 clubs share £1.25 million from funding committed under the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities programme.  It is fitting that money seized from criminals is reinvested in facilities that will offer our young people healthier, more positive life choices.”

The full list of successful applications in the second tranche – determined by a panel from the Scottish Government, sportscotland and Scottish Rugby – is:

Strathmore – £40,000 – changing rooms extension

Dumfries Saints – £45,000 – synthetic training pitch

Greenock Wanderers – £50,000 – upgrade to pitch drainage

Musselburgh – £45,000 – changing room and floodlight upgrade

Cumnock – £45,000 – changing room development

Kilmarnock – £41,640 – floodlight improvement

Linlithgow – £45,000 – synthetic training area plus new changing rooms

Hawick – £39,705 – changing room improvements

McLaren – £45,000 – new pitches and training areas

Clydebank – £50,000 – pitch and changing room upgrade

Deeside – £10,000 – pitch and training floodlights

Lochaber – £40,000 – drainage

North Berwick – £45,000 – changing room developments

Glenrothes – £27,840 – drainage

Peebles – £45,000 – changing rooms extension

Whitecraigs – £10,000 – floodlights and drainage improvements

Dunfermline – £40,000 – pitch upgrade

Jed-Forest – £15,000 – floodlight replacement

Currie – £25,000 – changing room development

Aberdeen Wanderers – £25,000 – pitch drainage