An article by Lewis Stuart in today's edition of The Times reports that, according to McKie, matters came to a head when the union sought a licence to sell alcohol directly to supporters so that they could have a drink and watch the game at the same time. The Hillhead club objected to the application and, as a result, nobody at Glasgow's Heineken Cup game against Leinster Lions in October was able to get a drink before, during or after the match.
After that, relationships between the two sides broke down, culminating in a letter from Hillhead last week giving the SRU 21 days' notice that if it did not renegotiate the three-year deal that had been agreed only a few months earlier, including a substantial increase in rent, then Hillhead would consider it dead. Instead, the union called the club's bluff and abandoned Hughenden in favour of Partick Thistle's Firhill.
The initial analysis was that the move would not cost the union much money while giving its fans a better stadium, but the finances are complicated by the fact that while the SRU is threatening legal action against Hillhead, demanding the return of the remainder of the ground rent that was paid up-front for the season, the club is also threatening to sue over money it claims it is owed.
The union is waiting to see how the change of venue will affect attendances at Glasgow's home games, which had been falling anyway with the numerous problems at Hughenden.