Highland RFC youth player selected for Scottish Rugby’s youth panel for two-year term aiming to give young people a voice in the future of the sport
Highland Rugby Club will be represented on the Scottish Rugby Youth Panel for the 2024-26 term.
Their youth player Arran Walker is one of 12 young people selected by the governing body to sit on the panel, which is designed to integrate youth perspectives into the decision-making processes that shape the future of rugby in Scotland.
It restarted in September 2022 following the Covid-19 pandemic and ran for a two-year term up until autumn of this year, when the panel was due to be refreshed.
The panel serves as a vital platform where the voices of young people involved in rugby are heard, ensuring that their insights contribute meaningfully to the development and growth of the sport at all levels.
In total, 12 young people aged between 16 and 24 were appointed to the panel. Two representatives have been picked from each of Rugby Development’s six distinct geographic regions.
Meeting for the first time at last Saturday’s Autumn international between Scotland and Portugal, panel members were unanimously excited to get started.
The term for this panel will see the members actively participate in engagement events, collaborate closely with regional Scottish Rugby staff and local club development officers to engage young people in their communities and gather valuable feedback.
That collaboration ensures that local voices are heard, and that young people have a meaningful role in shaping initiatives that directly impact their regions.
The insights that they will provide will highlight both successes and challenges that the young people in their area’s face in our sport in Scotland and provide a set of recommendations aimed at enhancing the experiences of young people in rugby.
Heading up the Youth Panel is Scottish Rugby’s lead regional manager for the east, Gav Macrae, who said the selection choices were difficult because of the strong quality of applicants from around the country. But he was glad to have come to this decision.
“The Youth Panel are the voice of the next generation of people in our sport, so it was crucial we got these appointments right,” he said.
“We are pleased to be now in a place where we can look forward to our first few meetings in the new year, and I’m excited to see where we get to with this new group.”
Highland Rugby Club shared the news with their followers on social media, writing: “We are all very proud of you Arran.”
