This week saw the return of Royal Bank RugbyForce, Royal Bank of Scotland’s grassroots initiative, delivered in association with Scottish Rugby.

Now in its eleventh year, the nationwide rugby programme supports clubs by providing funding to help them attract new members, make improvements to facilities and to help clubs become more sustainable for the future.

Three out of every four clubs in Scotland have benefited from Royal Bank RugbyForce support since 2008 and the call is going out for more to apply and enjoy its support.

At the home of Scottish rugby at BT Murrayfield, Men’s and Women’s internationalists Grant Gilchrist, Megan Kennedy, Fraser Brown, Lana Skeldon and Jamie Ritchie, urged clubs up and down the country to think how they could benefit and become ‘Loudest and Proudest’ for Scotland.

Over 11 years, more than half a million pounds has been distributed amongst Scottish clubs and this year’s campaign will see a celebration of the grassroots game with the Royal Bank RugbyForce weekend taking place on 10-11 August, where rugby clubs will host events for the local community and put their funding to use as they prepare their club for the new season.

This year’s #loudestandproudest theme comes as Royal Bank of Scotland encourages the whole of Scotland to join the rugby community and cheer on the national side. With the Guinness Six Nations underway and the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, 2019 is set to be a thrilling year for Scottish Rugby.

At BT Murrayfield, the Scotland internationalists met youth players Poppy Mellanby (11) and Ruari Watson (11) from Biggar RFC in South Lanarkshire and Evie Blair (11) and Fraser Hay (10) from Lasswade RFC in Midlothian.

The potential rugby stars of tomorrow swapped the rugby ball for the microphone and put the international players through their paces with a series of one to one interviews, tackling them on subjects such as “who is the loudest in the Scotland squad?” and “what do you eat for breakfast?”.

This year’s 2 winning clubs will be awarded the “loudest and proudest package” which will see them receive £1,000 as well as a visit by one of the Scottish game’s biggest personalities on Royal Bank RugbyForce weekend. The chosen clubs will also receive full event support from Royal Bank of Scotland as they create a truly memorable day which places rugby at the heart of the community.

Eight other ‘Star’ clubs will receive £1,000 funding as well as rugby kit and appearances from Scotland rugby personalities who will be on hand during the weekend to roll up their sleeves and get involved with everything from coaching and development to DIY.

An additional eight ‘Champion’ clubs will secure £1,000 of financial support, with all other participating clubs in with the chance of receiving £250. All qualifying clubs will receive digital support packs to host their own Royal Bank RugbyForce Weekend.

Scotland international and former Alloa RFC player Grant Gilchrist is one of the elite stars supporting the campaign this year and features in a series of short films encouraging clubs across Scotland to sign up to Royal Bank RugbyForce in 2019.

Grant said: “So many professional players take their first steps on a rugby field at a grassroots club. Without the tireless efforts of community clubs across Scotland, we wouldn’t have the talent and love for the game that we have today.

“Supporting your local team is so important. Royal Bank RugbyForce is an excellent initiative and it’s great to see so many local clubs in Scotland receiving the support they need to develop the next generation of Scottish rugby talent”.

Malcolm Buchanan, chairman, Royal Bank of Scotland, Scotland Board, said: “We’re very proud of our continued commitment to rugby in Scotland. The passion for the game remains strong and we’re delighted to be able to play a part in supporting local rugby communities across the country with both financial and practical assistance.

“Our application process is designed with ease in mind and we would encourage clubs across the country to apply for this year’s grants. 2019 is set to be an important year for Scottish rugby and we want to help make sure that our grassroots clubs across the country can benefit too.”

Keith Wallace, Club President at Haddington RFC, one of the top two winning clubs in 2018 said: “Royal Bank RugbyForce weekend was a fantastic occasion for our club as we took on the world record for the most players ever to take part in a game of touch rugby. With 467 players, aged from five to seventy-four, getting on the pitch, we’re confident as we await ratification that we successfully kicked the previous record of 442 into touch.

“Aside from the Guinness World Record attempt, we also used the grant money to contribute towards a recruitment drive to increase playing numbers at all levels and funding community engagement projects.

“We would like to thank the Royal Bank of Scotland without whose support the event would not have been possible, in particular their many staff and advisors who helped massively on the day.”