Ross Sutherland can help people get active
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
John Scott believes that rugby has an important role to play in getting people active during the pandemic.
While many facilities are still at least partially closed, outdoor training has been running in Invergordon in some form for weeks.
Ross Sutherland’s club president has been especially impressed by the desire of youngsters to return to the game.
He has noted that numbers in attendance have actually been going up in recent weeks rather than declining because of safety concerns.
“We have had the kids back to training, and there are a lot of
new kids coming down too,” Scott said.
“Our development officer John Mann has been doing after-school clubs, and that has been channelling some new faces in on a Sunday morning which is really exciting.
“I think parents, certainly when we started up again, we chatted to a few of them to ask what their thoughts were – were delighted to get the kids out of the house and get them some exercise.”
Many sports highlighted the importance of mental wellbeing as well as keeping physically fit when lockdown was first enforced, and rugby was no different.
Even now, with things far from normal in a sporting sense, that is a priority for Ross Sutherland.
Clubs like the Stags play a big role in bringing together their local communities – and the atmosphere around the club is something Scott is at pains to maintain in the current climate.
“As time goes on, it’s apparent to us that the rugby world and our rugby club has a big part to play in getting people out again as we start, hopefully, to recover from Covid,” he said.
“That’s not just in a sporting sense, but in a social sense too for getting out there and meeting people, making new friends.
“That’s very much what we’re about as a rugby club, it’s not just the physical side of playing a game, it’s the behind the scenes aspects as well.
“We’re very much trying to keep working on that family atmosphere, and very welcoming atmosphere, for anyone who wants to get involved.”
