KENNY HAMILTON, secretary of Premier One Forum, said that he believes Gordon Dixon, the Scottish Rugby Union's president, has accepted the need for speedy action, writes Kevin Ferrie.
The country s clubs have made it clear they are ready to use their voting power to force change, and Hamilton thinks Dixon is aware of the consequences.
The pair had what Hamilton described as a positive meetingZ on Thursday night. We had the opportunity to tell him that our amendment on the governance issue would be proposed by Heriot s and seconded by 30 to 35 clubs from all levels, Z he said. There is always a concern that people will go into a mode of protectionism and seek to resist change, but Gordon accepted the need to move quickly to deal with the issues.
Clubs have come together effectively at all levels, are communicating well and are aware that they have a significant level of authority that can be exercised. The current situation shows what is wrong with the governance structure and we told Gordon that asking clubs to be the final arbiter in a power struggle must never happen again.Z HOW STORY UNFOLDED . . .
A week is a long time in Scottish rugby politics . . .
SUNDAY
David Mackay, the SRU chairman, is called away from family lunch to Murrayfield to be told by three general committee members, Gordon Dixon, the SRU president, Norman Douglas and Jim Gracie, that a motion of no confidence in his chairmanship of the executive board was passed 10-4 at their meeting the previous Thursday
MONDAY
An emotional Mackay bids farewell to staff and announces his resignation, sending shock waves through the sport less than three weeks before special general meeting of clubs is scheduled to meet and make decisions on the findings of the year-long review he had commissioned Fred McLeod, SRU president in 1996/97, appointed interim chairman
TUESDAY
Mackay's fellow nonexecutive directors, Andrew Flanagan, Eric Hagman and Fraser
Livingston offer their resignations Premier One Forum meets at Murrayfield to decide how they should respond, with representatives from Premiership
2 and 3 clubs in attendance. National League clubs meet in Livingston
WEDNESDAYPhil Anderton, the SRU chief executive, becomes the highest profile casualty so far, less than a year after being promoted from commercial and marketing director. His calls for clubs to save the day receive an instant response as proposals backing the governance changes he wants - proposing that the day-to-day running of the sport be undertaken by the executive board - receive widespread support. Iain Brown, the Scottish schools representative on the
general committee resigns, apparently realising he made a mistake in voting for the no-confidence motion
THURSDAY
Politicians table motion at Scottish Executive calling for reinstatement of Mackay and Anderton Dave Nicol, the SRU's Midlands representative, decides against resignation on principle as support is offered to general committee men who refused to agree the vote of no confidence
FRIDAY Ken Scobie, Mackay's only predecessor as chairman of the SRU, reveals that he too was ousted from office by general committee
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