As you may know, Duncan Campbell has been leading a review of Scottish Touch over the summer. We will share the outcomes of the review with you soon. The review has been very valuable, and we now need to work together from club to country, creating a sustainable organisation which will deliver on one vision. This will have to be a collective effort, but with the right approach and giving ourselves the time required, we do expect to build a platform for success in a new era for Scottish Touch.

We will continue to have a board which will be responsible for leading the organisation, governance and ensuring that Scottish Touch as a national governing body, charity and limited by guarantee company operate effectively.

We won’t change our Articles or core governance model straight away. As such, the board will still consist of the following roles: 

• Secretary

• Treasurer/Director of Finance

• Director of Referees

• Director of Communications

• Director of Volunteers. 

The Director of Finance and Director of Referees roles are up for nomination/re-nomination at the AGM on 21 September, in line with our articles.  The Secretary role is also up for nomination, as this must be done every year. 

Our plan is to appoint an interim CEO who will lead the restructure, support the establishment of effective working groups and be responsible for the organisation overall.

To enable the restructure and to define the way forward, we will recruit a workstream lead for each of the key pillars of the organisation. These leads will have responsibility for a working group, and there could be an opportunity for them to be co-opted onto the board. This will bring a mix of skills and experience and, along with our existing directors, the workstream leads will work with the interim CEO, board and working groups to draw upon the wishes and insights of wider touch in Scotland to design and deliver an organisational structure and strategy fit for the next five to ten years.

To give this approach the best chance of success, we need to deliver a range of activities over the next six to nine months.  It is expected that Phase 1 of this will be complete by March 2020 to start the new season.

More detail on the workstreams will follow, but we are aware that preparation needs to start now for the 2020 European Championships. In order that can happen, it has been decided that we will establish an interim structure for 2020, which will run in parallel to the work on developing and implementing our new strategy.  

We are recruiting immediately for two key roles: a Head of Open Squads and a Head of Senior Squads. They will lead the respective playing and coaching groups for the next cycle up to and including 2020 Euros. The future plans, and operating model will be part of the workstream scope and will run in parallel. 

The roles descriptions are below.  If you would like to be considered, please get in touch by emailing volunteers@scottishtouch.org.uk. We are looking to appoint these interim positions quickly.

Head of Senior

Head of Open 

The Head of Open and Head of Senior roles will report to the Interim CEO. A player selection policy, along with plans for a new selection group will be shared shortly after appointments are made. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the way forward, please get in touch.