Health and Sport Committee, 20 Jan 2010

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Official Report 271KB pdf

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Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee Wednesday 20 January 2010

[The Convener opened the meeting at 10:03]

I welcome everyone to the second meeting in 2010 of the Health and Sport Committee. I remind everyone to switch off their mobile phones and other electronic equipment. I have received an apology from Michael Matheson, so I welcome Joe FitzPatrick, who is his committee substitute.

Before we begin the formal business of the committee, I want to record the committee's regard for Bill McLaren, who died yesterday. He was a charming and articulate man, whose commentaries were a complete delight. He was a great ambassador for Scottish rugby and, indeed, for Scottish sport, and he is immortalised in the words, "They'll be dancing in the streets of Hawick tonight." I invite Ross Finnie, Richard Simpson and Mary Scanlon to say a few words on behalf of their parties.

It is entirely appropriate that the Health and Sport Committee should pay tribute to an icon of Scottish rugby and broadcasting. Bill McLaren did a huge amount to popularise the sport. Rugby is a minority sport and many people who wanted to watch it found it quite difficult to follow, but Bill McLaren found a way to simplify it and make it enjoyable. His humour added much to people's enjoyment—I think that thousands and thousands of people who watched rugby on television genuinely began to enjoy it. Bill McLaren's commentaries made a big, big impression in the popularising of Scottish rugby.

I add to that by saying that the level of Bill McLaren's knowledge was outstanding—new broadcasters will be hard pushed to match it. He connected each player to their community and school—even their primary school. Such connections have diminished in the professional era and are even more important today. Bill McLaren contributed massively in the context of embedding rugby in individual communities.

I associate myself with what my colleagues have said. As we know from our inquiry into pathways into sport, every sport in Scotland needs an ambassador. There is no doubt that people like me, who have little knowledge of rugby, were able to understand, enjoy and appreciate Scotland games thanks to Bill McLaren. There is no doubt that he rose to the challenge as an ambassador for rugby in Scotland.

Thank you.