Grade 1 World’s will be 14 again; only three likely at UK Championships

After gathering information from leaders and reliable sources, the Grade 1 competition at the World Championships once again should consist of 14 bands this August at Glasgow Green:

• Closkelt (Northern Ireland)
• Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland)
• Inveraray & District (Scotland)
• Johnstone (Scotland)
• Manawatu Scottish (New Zealand)
• Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland)
• Police Scotland Fife (Scotland)
• Ravara (Northern Ireland)
• ScottishPower (Scotland)
• Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (Scotland)
• Simon Fraser University (Canada)
• St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland)
• St. Thomas Alumni (USA)
• 78th Fraser Highlanders (Canada)

Fourteen Grade 1 bands also competed at the 2024 World’s. With Florida’s City of Dunedin pushed to Grade 2, Northern Ireland’s Ravara elevated to Grade 1, and Manawatu Scottish replacing Police Scotland & Federation, which is not competing this year, the total number stays at 14. The Grade 1 entry in 2023 was 16.

It will be Manawatu’s return appearance at the World’s in their usual two-year cycle. The band won the 2025 New Zealand Championship against five other contestants in March.

The UK Championships in Edinburgh on July 12th are a different story. Only three of the nine active Grade 1 bands in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Irlenad confirmed that they plan to compete in the major competition:

• Johnstone
• Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia
• St. Laurence O’Toole

It is legitimate to wonder whether the Grade 1 result will count towards the RSPBA Champion of Champion aggregate award. If the points do count, it could mean a significant advantage for bands competing in the UK. RSPBA Executive Officer Colin Mulhern has not responded to a request for clarification so far.

When the July 12th date for the UK Championships was announced, some Scottish and Northern Irish bands expressed concern almost immediately, while others welcomed it. The date is of cultural significance to many in Northern Ireland, and it falls during the summer holidays for most families in Scotland.

The RSPBA responded to concerns by surveying member bands, asking them if moving the event at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston on the west side of Edinburgh to May 3rd. Based on the information received, the association elected to stay with July 12th. Data and feedback from the survey have reportedly not been made public or shared with members.

In late February, Mulhern sent a message to band representatives explaining that the survey results were “not conclusive,” adding, “After careful deliberation, the Board has voted against moving the date of the United Kingdom Championships in 2025. As a result, the event will proceed as planned on 12th July.”

Entries in the three Juvenile grades at the UK Championships are reportedly down.

The RSPBA announced in late December 2024 that it had secured a sponsorship agreement with the Royal Highland Centre to stage the 2025 UK Championships. This year will be the first time since 2014 that the competition will not be held in Northern Ireland. The UK Championships replaced the Cowal Championships on the RSPBA’s rota of five major competitions the RSPBA is mandated to hold annually.

The 2025 RSPBA season will comprise four major championships. In January, the association announced that it was unable to secure sponsorship for the British Championships.