Join the Team And Help Shape The Direction of the Site

It was a momentous year last year with Cammy taking a step back from running the podcast he started and uh, Mark Dodson leaving the SRU. All change!

We want to personally thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of this website and podcast over the years since 2007.

You guys make the site and the pod what it is; we’ve always been driven by the fans, because that’s who we are and where we came from.

Being fans is also why the site isn’t always up to date with the latest news, or why occasionally we need to skip a week with the podcast. We’d love this to be our day job, but real life (and the demands of families, mortgages, employers etc) get in the way.

We haven’t stood still this year though: we’ve massively increased coverage of women’s rugby (thanks Eleanor and Skye), and launched a new branding thanks to regular contributor Duncan.

Thanks to another regular BorderBadger we have built a match database going back to 2007 (when we launched the site) to work alongside the “match boxes” you can now see on match previews and reports. Soon you’ll be able to see details on Scotland’s records with teams and officials by clicking into those boxes. If there is interest we might make a search form to allow you to browse this data. The stats are there so we want to be able to use them!

As we’ve mentioned on the pod recently, we want to know what you guys want to see moving forward. With a reduction in the number of people able to give up their time to producing content as the team stands currently, we recognise that we have to share the load out in order to thrive and survive. We want to focus our direction overall to be the main voice of Scottish rugby fans, and expand the talent pool to make sure we can achieve that.

Basically, we want to see who else wants to get stuck in! We’re looking for new voices keen to support and drive Scottish rugby forward (small R there). They aren’t jobs, we’re just looking to see who is out there and who is keen to help – and where you might fit in.

As a guide then here are some roles you might consider – as you can see, not all require being in front of a camera or microphone/writing and some can easily be divided into smaller niches depending on your skills:

Example Podcasting or Multimedia Roles:

Podcast Host/Contributor – got stuff to say about rugby in Scotland? We’re looking for new voices to join us on a semi-regular basis. Initially you’d be in the bullpen but we’d like to get a few more voices into the rotation.

In future we’d also consider spin-off podcasts on more focused areas but with the benefit of our pre-existing broadcast platform, audience and ability to support you, eg should we have a Glasgow only podcast, Womens, Sevens podcast etc? We have a paid for platform with good built in support – how would you use it? Long-term regular contributors to the Patreon podcasts are eligible for a share of income.
Would suit: someone with opinions about rugby, playing or coaching experience are a plus but not necessary, someone looking to get into media or presenting.

Podcast Intern/Producers – audio editing, producing graphics for YouTube/Website, basic post-production and uploading, liaising with our excellent photographer when needed. There may be more we can do to promote the pod on socials that we don’t have the time for!
Would suit: people looking for experience producing a regular and popular podcast, someone with audio editing skills, Photoshop skills, or who is social media savvy. Currently we use Reaper/Audacity for editing.

Example Writing Roles:

Website Writer – write for the Scottish Rugby Blog! Pick a role, any role, based on what you want to write about. Want to only write about Edinburgh, or Glasgow? Or Club Rugby? Fine! Want to do tactical analysis? Or stats? We have a well-read and SEO-visible platform and want to help you to get your work out there. Many of our previous writers have gone on to a career in rugby media after contributing here .
Would suit: anyone with an interest in both writing and rugby, and living near the clubs they want to write about or access to TV coverage.

Website Sub Editor – Help Rory with the maintenance and upkeep of the site, and uploading posts during times he’s not available (it happens).
Would suit: someone with excellent spelling and grammar, attention to detail knowledge of WordPress CMS.

Website Archivist – we need help to link our legacy Scotland match reports going back to 2007 to the database of matches we now have available, and we also need to input new matches to the database as fixtures are announced and confirmed.
Would suit: data obsessives, patient minds, someone looking for a longer-term project to chip away at.

You might have your own idea – these are just suggestions based on the kind of things we currently do regularly and would like to make sure are covered. Our motto has always been “what you can, when you can” so we don’t expect full time commitment – everyone has lives.

Let us know your thoughts by emailing podcast@scottishrugbyblog.co.uk, or rory@scottishrugbyblog.co.uk. You can also send us a direct message on Facebook, or via Patreon with your feedback, ideas or just general comments. All submissions will be treated in confidence.

You can also add (public) comments below here.

Anything and everything will be considered as we want to continue to grow our wee family!

Personally speaking, writing for the Blog was one of the most exciting things, the thrill of seeing an article you have penned pop up on one of your favourite websites is so cool! So give it a try, the next big journalistic talent may be already in our midst!

John Anderson

Thanks again for your support. We love you all so much and are looking forward to developing new content for you all – and with you?

Rory, John, Craig, Jonny, Iain, Skye and Eleanor
The Scottish Rugby Blog Team

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