This season, the Supporting Clubs Investment Programme (SCIP) will be replaced by a newly developed Club Investment Fund. This new fund will allow for the transition away from SCIP which was put in place to support clubs through the pandemic and the challenges it brought to clubs and communities at the grassroots game in Scotland.

The core investment areas of this fund will focus on ‘Participation’ and ‘Growth and Sustainability’. Categories of funding aligned to these core areas have been designed to better enable development within clubs and communities in-line with fundamental rugby objectives and individual club needs.

One of the key changes in this model includes the increase in available funding for travel.

Scottish Rugby has doubled the amount of overall available funding to clubs and schools for travel to games for those competing in Scottish Rugby adult and youth competitions or any other Scottish Rugby organised game play programmes.

In line with this, the funding for clubs travelling to Island communities to participate in Scottish Rugby competitions has been doubled, meaning Adult teams may now claim up to £5,500 per return journey, on production of receipts, to Stornoway, Orkney and Shetland.

In addition to this, clubs will also be automatically compensated for mileage to all their fulfilled Scottish Rugby fixtures, regardless of the distances involved. Previously payments were only available if the return journey exceeded 200 miles. Payments will be made in October 2022 and May 2023 by BACS transfer to the clubs nominated account.

A further substantial change within the funding model will see teams competing in the Women’s Tennent’s Premiership league able to claim up to £10,000 in medical support in-line with the Men’s Premiership.

The Developing Clubs Investment programme remains in place from last season, with updates to criteria for receiving investment under the ‘Minimum Operating Standards’ and ‘Growth and Sustainability’ categories. This funding is only available to those clubs that are not eligible for the Club Investment Fund.

One of the key changes under this programme is the increase in funding for clubs fielding youth teams. Clubs will now be able to claim £500 per youth team, an increase of £150.

Clubs are now invited to review the Club Investment Fund summary document and Development Clubs Investment documents HERE.

If your club wishes to be eligible for the Developing Clubs Investment Model, please arrange for the Acceptance Form, found at the end of the Developing Clubs Investment form, to be signed by you or your Club President and return it to the Rugby Development Department at [email protected] no later than 17 August 2022.

Should you have any queries regarding the attached information, please contact your Regional Manager.