THE Scottish Rugby Union published their most recent set of participation figures yesterday, claiming a ten per cent increase to approximately 30,500 in the number of adults and youths playing the game during the last year. According to the SRU there are now 20,000 youth players and 10,500 adult players in Scotland.
But the governing body conceded that the calculations leading to these figures relied heavily on judgement calls and educated guesses, because the online registration system which is supposed to hold the details of every player in Scotland remains wo
efully inadequate, with the names of many players being recorded several times while other names on the list identify those who have long since hung up their boots.
As a result the SRU has had to look at a number of different sources, such as club membership and insurance returns, school affiliate membership returns, and feedback from club development officers around the country.
"We have had to corroborate our evidence and on occasion make educated guesses based on local knowledge, but we are pretty confident we are fairly close to an accurate figure," said Colin Thomson, the head of community rugby for the governing body.
"It is the same process we went through in each of the last two years, so we are comparing like for like when we say that playing numbers have increased by 21 per cent since 2006.
"This has come about from putting in place a regional development network a few years ago, from going out and discussing with local authorities and local clubs the best way to grow the game, and from appointing some 60 jointly funded local development officers who have had an impact at grassroots level.
"The bulk of it has been done by clubs and schools getting on with it, supported by the SRU. The key thing for me is giving credit to the school teachers and club volunteers who are sitting down and planning, and going out and working in a co-ordinated way with local authorities, so that real progress is being made. This has all been planned, whereas three years ago it was more of an ad-hoc situation."
An increase in excess of 20 per cent in just two years seems to be a remarkable achievement, but Thomson says that these advances should be viewed in the context of the ground which has been lost during the last two decades.
"Back in 2007, we set out in our strategic plan a target of 38,000 players by 2012, and the reality is that when we reach that number we are just getting back to the point we were at a few years ago. We currently have 20,000 youngsters playing, whereas in the early eighties there was 24,000 youngsters playing, so at the moment we are just recovering lost ground," he explained.
The SRU runs the risk of being accused of 'spin' with the publication of these figures. Sceptics are bound to ask questions about the apparent disparity between those said by this report to be playing the game and the number of sides being fielded on a regular basis.
There are a total of 267 registered teams playing rugby in 24 official leagues at various levels in Scotland (from Premier One down to Division Six West of the 2nd XV leagues), and if each of these sides field an average of 25 players this season then that only amounts to 6,675 – some 3,825 less than the SRU figure of 10,500 adult players in Scotland.
"Not all teams play in league competitions," said Thomson in response. "For example, not all 3rd XVs play in leagues. You've got intramural players at university, you've got Scottish Women's Rugby Union players, the army, golden-oldie teams – none of these sides play in those leagues.
"You will also find that teams playing at a more social level have a much greater turnover of players because people can't commit to every Saturday. There is a good indication that more and more people are making themselves available, and even if a guy is only available once or twice a season, we've still got to include them in our calculations."
Another point on which the SRU might be accused of massaging the figures is with their claim yesterday that: "Entries for the 2008/2009 Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Cup have set another new record with 35 more teams entering Scottish Rugby's flagship schools competition than ever before. The tournament has broken entry records for the past three consecutive years with the total number of competing teams soaring from 184 in 2006/2007 to 244 in 2008/2009 – a massive 33 per cent increase."
In fact, of the 244 entrants into the competition at under-15 and under-18 level this season, 39 were forced to withdraw in the early rounds, suggesting that growth has not been quite as uncontainable as Murrayfield would have us believe.
IN NUMBERS10
The year-on-year percentage growth in the number playing rugby at both adult and youth level in Scotland as announced by Scottish Rugby yesterday.
30,500
The current number of people playing rugby since the Scottish Rugby development restructure in 2006. The number has risen by around 21 per cent from circa 24,200.
24
The approximate percentage figure by which the number of young people playing rugby has increased – from around 15,200 to circa 20,000.
60
Approximate number of jointly funded club development officers (CDOs) employed across the country dedicated to recruiting and retaining rugby players, coaches, referees and volunteers in local communities.
