Scottish Rugby has launched a ground-breaking Player Welfare Action Plan designed to reduce and better manage injuries at all levels of the community game, and to ensure the game remains enjoyable for all.

The Action Plan has a dedicated focus on eight key objectives which put player welfare at the forefront of on and off-pitch activity delivery, utilising an evidence-based approach for decision making.

The Action Plan has been developed by Scottish Rugby’s Welfare Manager, Dr Karen Barclay, Chief Medical Officer, Dr James Robson and Head of Game Development, Neil Graham.

Aligned to World Rugby’s six-point plan for player welfare, key areas the Action Plan addresses include pitch side care, concussion management, age banding, laws, education, research, wellbeing and coaching.

These key areas will be addressed through new minimum standards, enhanced training and education including new and refreshed courses accessible to coaches, players, referees, parents and volunteers, plus new policies and resources to support clubs and schools.

This season’s Club Investment Fund and Developing Club Investment Programme funding models have also aligned to the Player Welfare Action Plan, ensuring that recommended minimum operating standards across clubs are aligned to the plan’s core objectives.

Sent on behalf of Scottish Rugby President, Colin Rigby

As we continue into the late summer, I want to update you on a variety of matters, looking back on the season complete as well as to the future.

Please click on the link below to read the latest quarterly update (August 2023).

Two funding models are available for eligible clubs for the 2023/24 season: the Club Investment Fund and Developing Club Investment Programme.

This season’s funds will allow for continuity from last season with criteria designed to support clubs with minimum standards of governance, safeguarding and player welfare.

They are also intended to enable continued progress in core areas of club development planning, workforce development and equality, inclusion, and diversity.

To confirm participation in one of the funds, Clubs should return the signed Acceptance Form (found in the final page of the documents) to rugbydevelopmentadmin@sru.org.uk no later than Sunday 27 August. 

Scottish Rugby is launching a brand-new Safeguarding course – Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport (Rugby).

The beginners’ course is available for anyone from the community game. We strongly encourage youth coaches, parent helpers, committee members, Development Officers, referees or anyone with a key role working with children in rugby to attend.

Our Safeguarding team will be hosting 24 sessions across the five Scottish Rugby regions, running from September till March 2024, with a pre-course module of RugbyRight: Safeguarding.

Course description

• A 3 hour face-to-face training course which provides you with the knowledge of child wellbeing and protection that will give you the confidence to deal with issues that may arise in your role working with children. By the end of the course, learners will:
• Be introduced to the Spectrum of Practice and use it to consider, evaluate and respond to common coaching scenarios;
• Receive an introduction to the factors that create a culture of poor practice;
• Identify barriers to disclosure;
• Cover the process for responding to concerns;
• And put the responding to concerns process into practice to deal with several complex cases.

Book your place via SCRUMS by clicking on ‘Browse Courses’.

If you have any questions please email safeguarding@sru.org.uk

Scottish Rugby is updating the data collected on SCRUMS, our player registration system.

Adult players were contacted in June with a request that they log in to SCRUMS and confirm their registration information. This includes confirmation that they have read and will comply with various regulations and policies that govern the game in Scotland.

Adult players that have not completed this step will be unavailable for teamsheet selection in SCRUMS and therefore, unable to play in Scottish Rugby competitions during season 2023/24.

Please note, this only applies to adult players. In order for clubs to monitor this situation in SCRUMS, we have added a red exclamation mark (!) next to any player that has not yet completed the task.

There is also a filter at the top of the player screen called ‘Confirmed Registration’ which allows clubs to filter on all those players who have not yet completed the task.

That list of players can then be downloaded to a spreadsheet if required. Please encourage your players to log in and complete player registration for season 2023/24 if they have not already done so. 

Scottish Rugby kindly asks that all clubs participating in friendly fixtures register them on SCRUMS.

For guidance on how to do this, click HERE.