Keith Hogg claims Rugby League in Scotland is in a “positive place” as the Bravehearts prepare to do battle with Australia in Friday’s Four Nations opener.
Hogg, the Chairman of Scotland Rugby League, is fully confident the game north of the English border can thrive in the years ahead, despite admitting the nation’s European membership is under threat.
The Scots will take part in next year’s World Cup regardless of their performance in the upcoming Four Nations. But in the weeks following the 2017 tournament they will be forced to demonstrate drastic improvements to ensure they are able to compete in similar international competitions going forward.
As things stand, the Bravehearts, who are full members of the Rugby League European Federation (RLEF), do not meet the standards to maintain such a level of membership. They could drop a category to become an ‘affiliate member’, with teams including Italy, Malta and Spain.
But there is work to do in order for the Scots to avoid becoming an ‘observer’ – meaning they would be unable to take part in future World Cup qualifying matches – alongside the likes of Germany, Denmark and Belgium. In order to tick the basic box, Scotland must be operating a regular 13-a-side league competition, with a minimum of four senior teams. It also must have junior development programme, while operating coaching and match officiating education schemes. As it stands, the Celtic nation falls short of the mark, which was caused initially by the removal of RFL funding at the end of 2013.
“We have gone through a period where we have had to take a step back and reconsider the true position of the sport in Scotland,” Hogg told League Express.
“There have been some difficult times for the sport in Scotland and, clearly, the removal of funding had an impact on what we could do.
“The RFL have been very supportive, helping us think things through, while providing resources in coaching and whatever else. In March, we gained new funding from Sport Scotland and we have appointed a new development officer. We are now in a positive place.
“We are working to ensure the sport in Scotland is built on a sustainable basis. We still have a lot of hard work to do. It is quite right (that we could lose our RLEF membership unless we meet the criteria). But we are now trying to do things in the right way. We are taking things slowly and building properly.”
