THE SURVIVAL of IMG rugby was dealt a hefty blow this week as the prospective start up costs of the newly proposed plan were revealed to the IMG teams.
The totalled cost of coaching and refereeing courses amounted to a staggering £8,800. This would give all eight IMG rugby teams a Level 2 coach and a Level 2 referee making the league completely self-sufficient and in the long term sustainable.
Scott Pigott, AU President, dispelled the disheartened mood of the IMG captains by potentially offering to subsidise half of the project. This would mean each team would have to raise £550 through sponsorship, membership and fundraising.
However Steve Wilford, Manager of Membership Services and Democracy, stated that the AU would expect a “similarly large commitment from the IMG clubs” if they were to offer such a large subsidy in order to get IMG rugby up and running again.
It was also stressed by Scott that the coaching and refereeing programs would only be open to enthusiastic and committed first years so that the IMG would get the full return from the AU funding.
James Lander, Engineering Captain, admitted that he “Felt pretty pessimistic on seeing the figure written down” but added “I have faith in Scott and Steve’s enthusiasm to carry IMG through this rough patch.”
The primary long term concern is that the progress made this year will be lost with the inevitable change in personnel. Steve emphasised that “There needs to be a firm structure in place for the years to come.” The AU will be working hard towards a concise and realistic step-by-step action plan in the following weeks, which will hopefully secure the survival of IMG rugby.
Scott’s advice to address IMG rugby’s waning enthusiasm was to “really get on board with the touch rugby league. Although it’s not an ideal solution it does provide a structure.”
Touch rugby appears to be the sole option for the foreseeable future. Although it would seem that IMG is teetering on the brink, Scott remains optimistic and sees it this as an opportunity to “Strip it all down and start again with a firmer foundation.”
Adam Smith, Law Captain, expressed his anxiety: “If we don’t provide anything short term it could so easily fall apart.”
