The latest proposals from Scottish Rugby for a possible restructure of the National leagues, effective at the start of next season are set out on this website, in the Club documents section under "About Us" or click here to see them http://files.pitchero.com/clubs/4639/Consultation%20Document%20Oct%2010.doc

There has been no specific feedback about the outcome of the other meetings across the country with other national league clubs so it appears most clubs were happy with the option3 proposed in the earlier paper.

Summary - Effectively P3 and Nat 1 clubs plus two promotees from Nat 2 (the 2 teams at the bottom of Nat 1 would be relegated to the new national leagues) would form two 12 team P3 leagues, based on regional location – 1 east and 1 west.

The first 11 games in both would be as the P1 and P2 leagues this year, with 11 games – 5 home and 6 away (or vice versa for some teams) then break up in to pools with teams coming down/up to decide promotion to P2 or relegation to the National leagues.

Play offs for promotion to P2 for the top 8 teams from P3 would be at Murrayfield, thus providing the equivalent of a cup tournament, and 3 extra matches. Otherwise there would be no Cup tournament.

What’s in it for us? It looks as if the top 10 clubs in National One at the end of this season would be included in the new P3 next year so this would mean provided we don’t go in to terminal decline for the rest of this season, we could be back in the Premiership!

Scottish Rugby have drawn up a provisional set of leagues based on league positions at 8 October, just to help illustrate what it might look like. And are trying to encourage clubs to look long term, rather than think selfishly about their current league position and what restructure would mean in the short term. We would not be selfish, would we.......?

Overall, the mock up looks okay and our travel would be reduced e.g. no Ellon, with Dumfries, Langholm and Perthshire the furthest away. Whether P3 clubs like it is a separate issue but the President’s Roadshow meeting on Wednesday 27 October should cover this and other aspects.

Overall, I think EK should support these proposals. Let me have any comments or queries you think I (or whoever accompanies me) to the President’s Roadshow might raise or any points you think I may have overlooked.

The President’s Road show is being used an opportunity for discussion, but if we want to submit comments direct to the Scottish Rugby Council sub-group on structure, we have got until 26 November to do so. So we might comments direct once we have reflected on what we hear at the Roadshow.

Happy to receive comments/queries by email, text or even that old fashioned instrument the telephone. I will also be up the club on Tuesday night (26 Oct), talking to the tennis section about the weight/tennis room, if anyone wants to speak to me instead!

Malcolm MacDonald
Email: ekrfcsec@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 07788 443363