Jim Stevenson, president of Cambuslang Rugby Football Club, is to stand against the incumbent, George Jack, for the presidency of the Scottish Rugby Union at their annual general meeting in June.

The 51-year-old, who still turns out as a player and has vast experience as a coach and administrator at club, district and national level, was just beaten in last year's vote in the second ballot. That was after Peter Brown, the former Scotland captain, opted out of the race when the first ballot produced an extraordinary result, with Jack collecting 58 votes, while Stevenson and Brown picked up 57 apiece.

Although advised by some to bide his time, Stevenson believes an election is important and that clubs should consider whether they want two-year terms, which have only recently been allowed under the recently redrawn constitution, should become the norm.

"It is important that there is an election," he said. "I would encourage others to consider standing as well because we have moved on from the days of it being Buggins' Turn. George has said he has the overwhelming support of the current SRU Council and that may be the case, but it is the clubs as stakeholders who make these decisions."

Certainly when Andy Irvine served his two-year term ahead of Jack's election last year, it was for the specific purpose of helping the new constitution bed in, and the hope was that with the administration now in better hands, the presidency could revert to becoming an essentially ambassadorial role.

However, Stevenson believes there is a role to play in helping the current administration to get a better understanding of the every day issues facing Scotland's clubs. "I'm closer to the day-to-day running of the clubs and go around the clubs on league duty.

I talk to players, go on tours with them so find out exactly what their problems are, and they're not that different to what we experience at Cambuslang," he said.

Doubtless the fear among some of the modernisers at Murrayfield is that this suggests he would be among those who have held the game back in resisting the development of the full-time professional game, but that is far from the case. Among those he has had regular dealings with in club forums, Stevenson is recognised as having championed the need to ensure that Scotland remains competitive at the glamour end of the sport.

Nor is he one of those constantly demanding hand-outs, instead insisting that what club administrators need is a central point of contact in seeking examples of best practice.

"It's not about money, it's about being part of the Union, and a lot of people in clubs feel disenfranchised," he said. "They need to know what the value of being members of the SRU is and feel part of it.

"By way of example, I know a lot of players do not go to international matches and that worries me because when we were younger, we went automatically and they are the next generation of ticket buyers.

"The big thing for me is that the communication doesn't filter down to the people who need to know. These are the people who are the day to day foot soldiers. The guys who are making decisions like Do I need new boilers, or do I pay that creditor?' That's real decisions.

"So what they're looking to find out is where I get that money from, or how do I go about doing that, or how do I go about doing this? Where do I get sponsors from? What do they need from me, and what do I need from them? All these things are very, very important to the ordinary guys that are trying to grow the game and achieve the targets the SRU are looking to achieve."

Stevenson did have a spell on the SRU Council when it was first formed three years ago, only to drop out of it because his club was relegated from Premiership Three, which he represented.

That transition also informed his thinking since he realised that while the Premierships have their divisional forums that work well in ensuring that information is passed on and shared, it is much more difficult to replicate that for those in the national league and regional set-ups.

"The Premiership forums do a marvellous job, but their effectiveness in some ways makes it even more difficult for the clubs in the national and regional leagues to get their views across because they are less organised when they go to meetings," Stevenson explained.

"That is why it is absolutely vital that the SRU makes sure that everyone has the information they need to have. If they do that, it will also change the way that people feel about the governing body. At the moment, there is still considerable suspicion about how things are done and where money is spent. Much of what the SRU is now doing is excellent and they are getting better at getting that across. However, there does sometimes seem to be a bit of complacency about that, and I'm keen to help to make sure that is understood and addressed."