Scottish Rugby open talks to explore Aberdeen pro team

Scottish Rugby has held talks with one of Scotland's leading businessmen about the possibility of setting up a new professional team in Aberdeen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/26959943

Now does this actually mean a step forward, or is it just a sound bite - could of, would of

I very much suspect the latter.

The fact that Dodson is being realistic about the requirements for setting up a third pro team is good and makes me hopeful that it could happen in the future. If all parties enter in to this knowing that it will take a lot of time and money then there is an outside chance of pulling it off.

What I'm most worried about is not that it won't happen, we all kind of expect that but instead that we bring in a new professional team that lasts for two seasons and then has to collapse due to lack of funds/ support/ results and therefore gives a reason to the SRU to stick with two and keep giving their excuses for just two teams for another few years or, in fact, permanently. If this is going to happen it has to have some sort of fixed period and a definite financial backing.

When Edinburgh and Glasgow are as competative as Munster and Leinster then it's time for a 3rd pro team.

Otherwise it's just a whipping team to get squashed on a weekly basis.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:When Edinburgh and Glasgow are as competative as Munster and Leinster then it's time for a 3rd pro team.

Otherwise it's just a whipping team to get squashed on a weekly basis.

That could easily be sometime ... never?

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:When Edinburgh and Glasgow are as competative as Munster and Leinster then it's time for a 3rd pro team.

Otherwise it's just a whipping team to get squashed on a weekly basis.

And a team that means more young Scottish players will be exposed to Professional rugby earlier and more regularly meaning they are able to develop the skills required to play top level rugby quicker rather than have a ridiculous situation in which a number of our players come into the Scotland team aged 24, branded "the Next big thing", without the capacity to execute basic skills under pressure and at the required speed and level. At every level from u7 up to Professional Scotland needs more players playing at the highest level possible to them, if they get squashed every week but another 20-30 Scottish players are playing top level rugby is that not better than nothing?

123456789 wrote:What I'm most worried about is not that it won't happen, we all kind of expect that but instead that we bring in a new professional team that lasts for two seasons and then has to collapse due to lack of funds/ support/ results and therefore gives a reason to the SRU to stick with two and keep giving their excuses for just two teams for another few years or, in fact, permanently. If this is going to happen it has to have some sort of fixed period and a definite financial backing.

As if that would happen!

Oh wait.  

Seriously though, waiting for success is irrelevant. We are losing talent left right and centre because there's nowhere else in Scotland for them to play a high level of rugby. Figures of £35 million to run a team? - I'm assuming that's with absolutely no income coming into the club?

It didn't work in the Borders because of the inbred mentality. With the growth in Aberdeen and the football club doing well, there's a wee buzz in the NE so let's take advantage. Give youngsters something to aim for. There's more chance getting into 1 of 3 pro-teams than 1 of 2.

Even if it's used as a feeder club a la Connacht. Where's the harm? (Especially if the funding is shared by parties outside the SRU).

The income Edinburgh and Glasgow get from sponsorship and ticket money is in the hundreds of thousands, not millions, so there's still a massive funding gap.

The other thing we haven't really considered is joining a league - the other Rabo teams might not want an extra 2 games added to their already congested schedules!

We can't automatically assumed a 3rd pro team would get straight into the Rabo - not for the next few years at least.

I'm pretty sure Scotland has the legal right to four teams in the Celtic league so if the SRU attempted to enter a team I'm not sure if any other country can stop it.

Not heard of that before - any link anywhere?

Honestly no, but I'm pretty sure I've read it somewhere, or it could just be something that has entered my head and stayed there as fact without any basis in truth which happens fairly regularly.

 

I think that the SRU most build slowly and surely rather than quickly.

Step 1
Have this team in the B&I cup for two years. It would mean at least playing as a team for not alot of money and getting people to come. It works well for the Irish teams at growing and trying players.
Play u20 games there aswell.
athats about 5-6 home games to try the water.

Step 2
Next year you grow on that with them being added to the cup ye play in the Rabo (1862 i think)
They could also play friendlies against L Scot, Irish A teams, Welsh A teams, bottom Rabo team

Step 3
By this time you have started to grow a region and they are getting games to bring their levels up

My fear is that as has been mentioned they put in money they don't have and it goes south, or none of the scottish teams are any good.

It would be great if it worked. Just checked the population and it's bigger than Cork and Limerick combined so it makes sense to have a team based there.

Worrying about what happens if it goes wrong is pointless. That's like not asking a beautiful girl for her number because she might tell you to feic off. You won't know until you try.

Feckless Rogue wrote:It would be great if it worked. Just checked the population and it's bigger than Cork and Limerick combined so it makes sense to have a team based there.

Worrying about what happens if it goes wrong is pointless. That's like not asking a beautiful girl for her number because she might tell you to feic off. You won't know until you try.

Yeah but this is the SRU which specialises in the ridiculous and views progress with disdain and fear, if it were to give the go ahead to a team and it failed it would most likely use it as an excuse to maintain the current system indefinitely, so to use your analogy it's more like approaching a group of beautiful girls and trying to get the number off the right girl at the right time because if you choose one and get it wrong the rest won't go near you either.

Having said that I would not describe Aberdeen as a beautiful girl, more the fat one eyeing you up thus preventing your chance of getting with her better looking friends and that if you end up going for it all your mates will rip you to shreds when they find out.

From 2016 the Italian have a right to 4 teams and I am 99% certain the Scottish never gave up their right to the vacated Borders slot.

I would be amazed if Scotland is not treated equally to Italy from 2016 onwards.

4 teams? Should they bring Borders back from the dead too?

Then you'd be looking at 16 teams, and even the most ardent Scottish rugby fan cannot claim we're ready for 4 competitive teams although I agree it should be a long term goal, as for Italy they're currently struggling to find one team good enough to compete. If Italy and Scotland are going to have 4 teams we need to look at the possibility of a second division because it would set the league back three or four years quality wise, the idea if a fourth Italian team lining up against Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Glasgow or the Ospreys would be absolutely ridiculous and undermines the league as a whole.

Not saying either Scotland or Italy have plans for 4 teams.

What I am saying provision is there I they choose to invoke it.
Theoretically means the countries are treated equally with the same entitlement

Feckless Rogue wrote:4 teams? Should they bring Borders back from the dead too?

Borders teams never worki Feckless. It's the rugby hotbed for Scotland but the fans are loyal to their clubs i.e. Gala, Melrose, Kelso, Hawick etc and the pro team struggles to bridge the gap between the "tribes".

I think for a Borders team to work they'd have to build an entirely new stadium and bring in a ruling whereby the clubs never play on the same day as the pro team.

123456789 wrote:Honestly no, but I'm pretty sure I've read it somewhere, or it could just be something that has entered my head and stayed there as fact without any basis in truth which happens fairly regularly.

In fairness than also sums up most of the HEC threads for all sides   

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

Feckless Rogue wrote:4 teams? Should they bring Borders back from the dead too?

Borders teams never worki Feckless. It's the rugby hotbed for Scotland but the fans are loyal to their clubs i.e. Gala, Melrose, Kelso, Hawick etc and the pro team struggles to bridge the gap between the "tribes".

It is also a matter of population. The population of the whole of the borders is about half of Aberdeen's. It is also a matter of travel times. I live in the Scottish Borders but to the West of Peebles. It would be quicker to get to Edinburgh than Gala where Borders were based.