Glasgow Warriors captain Al Kellock will retire from rugby at the end of the season.
Kellock, who has been the Warriors captain for the past nine seasons, has played 154 games for the club and captained the team for the 150th time in the 34-34 draw with Leinster in Dublin on Friday.
The 33-year-old has led the club to the PRO12 Play-Offs four times since they were introduced in the 2009/10 campaign and last year skippered the team to the PRO12 Final for the first time.
At the end of the season Kellock will take up an ambassadorial role with Scottish Rugby, as well as helping to continue the development of Glasgow Warriors. The main focus of his role will be engaging with the rugby and business communities and learning more about the commercial aspect of sport, enabling him to stay connected with the Warriors.
A former pupil of Bishopbriggs High School, Al was initially with Allan Glen’s before he moved to Stirling County, from where he was awarded a professional contract with Edinburgh Rugby in 2002.
He played 56 times for Edinburgh, before moving west in 2006 and was almost immediately appointed captain of Glasgow, a position he has held ever since.
His senior Scotland debut was in the non-cap tour game against Queensland Reds in 2004 and he went on to win his first cap against Australia at BT Murrayfield later that year. He has represented his country on 56 occasions.
Last year he captained the Barbarians in matches against Australia at Twickenham and Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.
Al Kellock said: “I feel the time is right for me to retire and it’s an emotional and reflective time for me.
“I’ve always had a rule of playing every game like it’s my last as you never know when that will be, but now I can see it coming pretty quickly, after 17 years playing senior rugby.
“I’m excited about the next chapter but there are so many things that I’ll miss massively, especially the times in the changing room before and after a game.
“The supporters have been great with me and I hugely appreciate the backing they’ve given me throughout my career.
“When I first joined the club we were bringing in 1,500 people at Hughenden, but now we’re regularly exceeding 6,000 at Scotstoun, which makes me incredibly proud and happy to be part of the journey.
“To have captained the side for nine years is such an honour and I have so many fantastic memories, such as beating Toulouse away from home in Europe and winning against Munster in the PRO12 semi-final last season when my daughter was mascot.
“My new role allows me to help Scottish Rugby grow through the ambassador role, while continuing my involvement at Glasgow Warriors.
“At Glasgow, I’ll be looking to continue a number of things I’ve done as captain, such as developing the culture of the club and mentoring players.
“I’m excited to continue my involvement at an organisation I’m very passionate about.”
Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: “Al has been instrumental in Glasgow’s rise over the last five or six years and he’s been an excellent role model for our values, with the work he does to improve himself, his teammates and the club.
“He is very passionate about rugby in Glasgow and it’s great that he’s moving into an important role with Scottish Rugby and Glasgow Warriors when he retires.
“Al has put his body on the line a lot during his nine years with the club and he’s still competing very hard with the other second-rows to be selected ahead of them. He shows excellent leadership whether he plays or not and his first thought is how he can help the team win.
“In my three years at the club he has been an excellent person to work with – the ideal captain. He has left a fantastic legacy for the future of the club to continue to grow.
“I know how much it would mean for his last season to be even better than last year and he’s training really hard to be at his best for our remaining games.”
Dominic McKay, Director of Commercial Operations, Communications and Public Affairs at Scottish Rugby added: “Al Kellock has been a fantastic servant to Glasgow Warriors and Scottish Rugby and I’m delighted he’ll be joining our team.
“As well as being heavily involved in player mentoring and promoting Scottish Rugby in an ambassadorial role, he will also maintain his strong links with Glasgow Warriors, helping to develop the culture that he has already driven during his time as captain.
“Al will play an important role in promoting the many positive values that rugby offers and through his wealth of experiences both on and off the park he will help inspire the rugby players of the future, as well as cementing and enhancing relationships with business partners and sponsors.”