In an ambitious bid to progress the game at junior level, the Inchmacoble Park side has secured a community coach who will concentrate his efforts around the Sharks and aim to harness even greater interest for the game in and around the Forfar and Kirrie area.

The club's enthusiasm for the two year SVQ community coach scheme and their appointment of Calum MacLean to the local post is consistent with a major SRU drive to expand the numbers playing the game.

It also progresses the significant efforts being made on and off the park at Forfar, which will see a new under-15 team launched this coming season, which falls at the end of the club's 75th anniversary year.

The Sharks junior co-ordinator Kevin Mitchell said: "We have been striving to expand the numbers playing the game and, although we have had some success in attracting the youngsters, we felt we could benefit from someone working solely in our area at school level.

"The SVQ community coach has a proven track record with other clubs and our hope it will be the same at Strathie".

The programme will help focus support for the development of rugby locally which already exists through figures such as the area development officer, Kenny Christie, and the SRU Tayside development manager Doc McKelvey, who was at Inchmacoble last week to meet Mr MacLean.

Mr Mitchell said: "We have been very fortunate to attract some financial support to allow us to do this and we are very grateful to those responsible for their backing.

"The Sharks have made a contribution and, whilst it is certainly seen as a worthwhile outlay which we hope will bring long term benefits, it would be great if we could attract further sponsorship for this community programme."

Training has now resumed for the Sharks at Inchamcoble with the P1 to S2 squads training on Sundays at 11 am and the Under 15s training on Mondays at 6.30 pm. Visit the website www.strathmore-sharks.co.uk for further details.