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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Andy McGilvray

Hamilton Rugby Club reduce clubhouse hours to 'future-proof' club

Hamilton Rugby Club are cutting overheads and reducing opening times at their Laigh Bent clubhouse in a bid to 'future-proof' the club.

Rugby games and training have all been postponed until at least March 29, and the Tennent's National League 2 club says it's simply trying to use a common-sense approach to their outgoings.

The clubhouse this week will be open for a maximum of two hours until Friday, when it is open from 4pm to 11pm, and Saturday, which is 12pm to 10pm.

President Ross Whiteside said: "It is just a case of using common sense. We have members events and things like that which have been cancelled or postponed, family-type affairs and things like that, and the rugby has been stopped as well.

"We're not allowed to play or train, so our income sources have disappeared, dried up, so we have to try and preserve what we have.

"There will be the odd function, I would imagine, if they think it is appropriate, but we need to future-proof the club, to batten down the hatches.

"We are a rugby club but we are a business as well, and we have to run within the economics of that.

"I think we will get through this. There is a £500,000 fund set up by Scottish Rugby and that doesn't go very far when you consider how many clubs there are, but not all of them have clubhouses and staff, so I would imagine it would be means-tested.

"We are one of the more structured clubs in the rugby community so it's a case of looking at our cash-flow projections and what we can switch off.

"We need to reduce the expense and the SRU say they will reassess things in two weeks, but we don't know how long this will take, so we need to take any steps that we can."

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