Set Phasers To Malky - This Could Get Ugly

I HAVE nothing against Sheila Begbie MBE. Indeed, I have never met the lady. I do recall one telephone conversation, about 20-years ago, when she was the token woman above tea-making duties inside Hampden.

Sheila Begbie MBE

I have therefore, no definite opinion as to her capabilities. Certainly, on her watch, Scottish Women's Football grew-up, but, I think the distaff side of the ruffians' game in Scotland has made greater progress under her successors than it did under Ms Begbie.

That said, it could well be a case of her qualities taking women's football from obscurity to the cusp of its present rude health. However, quite what caused her to jump ship from the ruffians' to the gentlemen's form of football, I don't know, but have my suspicions.

Women's rugby in Scotland has also come on in leaps and bounds under her watch, even if the international results were fairly dire until the likes of Shade Munro and Scott Wight came on-board, but, we have to give her credit for her part in women's rugby's progress.

Clearly, in the world of professional sports administration, Ms Begbie has proved herself a capable operator.

BUT

In her newly-announced role as: Director of Domestic Rugby, she will be in charge of all Scottish rugby below the elite professional level – the national side, the two professional teams and the Academies – as outlined under the “Agenda 3” initiative announced at the agm. This means, Ms Begbie will be in-charge of the proposed “Super Six” plans.

Having acknowledged her part in growing women's rugby, it has to be noted – there is a long way still to go. Scotland is still the weakest of the four Home Nations -why give the woman in charge greater responsibilities, and shift her focus to the men's game, when the job with women's rugby is still incomplete?

She has inherited the responsibilities of Keith Russell, who was DoDR until his sudden and still-unexplained departure earlier this year.

In some ways this could be a good move. It is already clear, getting the Super Six up and running will involve a fair bit of arm-twisting and horse-trading. Ms Begbie will come into this as a rank outsider, without having long-standing friendships and relationships with some of the unpaid club officials.

The SRU maybe needs this Begbie to sell Agenda 3 to the clubs

It's not as if she comes in being seen as: “a Caledonian Region person” or “an Edinburgh Region person” - far less bringing with her a long-established club connection. She does not have a regional or club axe to grind. Nobody will be able to tell her – if it comes down to a choice between Club A or Club B getting a franchise: “Aye, your favouring them because you or your son played for them”.

That might be a plus. However, for every plus there will be a minus. Ms Begbie's lack of club contacts, built-up over years of knocking lumps out of other officials as players, touring together and working together within the Murrayfield system, might be a drawback.

And yes, she is a woman. Women's rugby has never aped the men's game. In both women's football – where Ms Begbie cut her administrative teeth, and women's rugby – the ladies tend to do things slightly differently from the men. This could be a potential cause of, if not conflict, differences of opinion.

I know the old system, whereby the future High Heid Yins of Scottish Rugby had to serve a lengthy apprenticeship, doing the menial jobs within the District Union, and serving their time before, for one glorious year, they were SRU president and could enjoy the fruits of their unpaid labours have passed.

But, that system for all its failings, brought forth a breed of official who knew the game, knew most of the people in it and knew what it meant to the wider rugby community.

Ms Begbie is a professional sports administrator, PSA for short, a growing community these days. We should acknowledge here, she has, if not the tee-shirt, at least the caps, having played internationally for the Scotland Women's football team.

One of the things you get with “professional sports administrators” is – empires get built. PSAs also tend to move around from sport to sport – they start off in their own sport; they get an administrative job, are able to show they did it reasonably well, so, some other sport will then hire them. And, if they do well there, they can move on up to perhaps a bigger sport, until they reach their ceiling.

Empire builders also recruit staff. Where once a couple of volunteers ran a District or a team set-up, giving freely of their time for no reward other than to see the team and the players doing well, with PSAs, you find assistants, consultants and general factotums being recruited, it can be a slippery slope to cost overruns. Take away the Edinburgh and Glasgow playing squads and coaching staff and, there are still over 100 people on the Murrayfield pay roll What do they all do?

Also, PSAs get appointed, they don't have to stand for election and, in the process forge alliances, debate the issues and come-up with a course of action which carries the body of the particular sport's kirk with it. They rule by diktat, democracy goes out of the door.

Which brings us back to Agenda 3, and the relationships between the strictly-amateur clubs, the semi-professional Super Six and the SRU's performance arm.

Already, we hear the SRU rather than the clubs involved will be appointing the Super Six clubs' coaches – I can see conflict there.

We hear the current system, whereby fringe professionals and Academy players can play in the Premiership when not required by Edinburgh and Glasgow will cease under Agenda 3 – I can see problems there.

Can a PSA still appreciate the problems involved in running a strictly-amateur club set-up, particularly since, as outlined by Mr Dodson, it looks lop-sided?

I have heard one or two long-serving club stalwarts, guys who have spilled blood for their club, then worked tirelessly in playing retirement to advance their clubs saying: “It's a power grab – Murrayfield wants to run everything from Primary One minis up to the Club International XV.

The clubs are the SRU, and, if the paid officials see Agenda 3 as a chance to silence the clubs and run things their way, then I am certain Agenda 3 is doomed to failure.

I was not at the agm, but, experienced journalists who were tell me, the suits didn't like it the two or three times the club representatives didn't do what they were expected to do. Rebellion was met with annoyance by the powers that be – they didn't like it up 'em. A wee bit of humility might have served them better.

Agenda 3 is the biggest change in Scottish rugby since professionalism. It seems it is being rushed through. Like an early days Jean Luc Picard, Captain Dodson and First Officer Johnson have said: “Make it so” and are unwilling to discuss it, or even try to encourage the body of the kirk to follow their lead.

"Make it so", said Captain Dodson

Might Ms Begbie is the cast member in the different uniform, the one out front taking the risks, who you know isn't going to make it to the end credits.

There are good things in Agenda 3, but, Ms Begbie will have a struggle getting these through, in the face of the several bad things which could yet scupper it.

And, if the suits think the clubs will more-readily agree to the SRU's proposals, because they are being delivered by a lady – well, they might be in for a great big gunk -to use an auld Scots word.

One final wee cautionary note for Dodson & Co. One spell-check alternative I was offered for “Begbie” when penning this post, was “beseiged” - just saying like.