English Gàidhlig
#SportForLife24 is our annual review. It covers the fifth year of our corporate strategy, Sport for Life.
Table of contents
Minister’s foreword
Once again this year, in schools, clubs and communities, I saw firsthand the difference that sport is making every day to people’s lives. I want to say a huge thank you to all the organisations, staff and volunteers that collectively contribute to making a positive impact to society through sport.
In 2023, I wrote to sportscotland updating the Scottish Government’s strategic guidance for the remainder of this parliamentary term. I challenged sportscotland to continue to contribute to the Scottish Government’s National Outcomes, and to prioritise tackling inequalities wherever possible.
This report demonstrates sportscotland’s contribution to physical activity and health at a population level through Active Schools and Scottish Governing Bodies of sport. Reaching 1.1million people with high-quality opportunities to be active is an important and impressive achievement. I am also particularly pleased to see the continued progress on equality, diversity and inclusion. Reaching new audiences through the launch of the Active Campus programme, the work with Sporting Equals to address racism in sport, and the Female Athlete Health project are just three of many examples.
sportscotland’s work also makes a real impact in local communities. On a recent visit to Leith Community Sport Hub, I was able to see how sport is bringing together local organisations to provide solutions and opportunities that meet the needs of local communities. This is the power of sport.
Finally, I would like to thank Mel Young for his commitment as Chair of sportscotland over the past eight years. He has provided impressive leadership and I have enjoyed working with him. I look forward to working in partnership with new Chair Maureen Campbell to continue to strengthen the sporting system for all in Scotland.
Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport
Overview
sportscotland is the national agency for sport. Our vision is an active Scotland where everyone benefits from sport.
We invest Scottish Government and National Lottery resources to help the people of Scotland get the most from the sporting system.
A sporting system for everyone
Sport For Life 2024 is our annual review. It covers the fifth year of our corporate strategy, Sport for Life.
In April 2023, we agreed our business plan for 2023 and beyond. This describes how we will deliver our commitment to Sport For Life, while supporting the sporting system to respond to the current economic challenges and drive inclusion and recovery.
This annual review aims to demonstrate our progress between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 through:
- Key performance indicators that show participation trends across each environment in the sporting system, focusing on scale and diversity of participants
- Infographics demonstrating our support to the sport sector, aligned to the Active Scotland Outcomes
- Personal stories highlighting the impact of our collaborative work with partners across the system
#SportForLife24
Chief Executive’s review
This year’s annual review reflects the impact sport has had on people, places, and local communities across the country.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, Scotland’s sporting system has demonstrated strength and resilience, and while we acknowledge there are significant challenges facing the sector, I have truly been inspired by the collaboration, support, and ongoing commitment of local and national partners.
Everyone has a part to play in our bold strategy, Sport for Life, and I’d like to acknowledge and thank those who continue to create opportunities for people to participate, progress and achieve in sport.
Together we will continue to create an impact to inspire future generations, with our dedicated workforce and volunteers at the heart of every opportunity. There are many exciting possibilities ahead that I am sure will go on to shape the future of sport in Scotland in a positive way.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships was a fantastic event which demonstrated the impact of people experiencing everything sport has to offer. From the Gran Fondo mass participation event to the elite disciplines, Scotland was the perfect stage to bring together elite athletes, volunteers, and clubs from across the globe. A personal highlight was seeing the UCI integrate para events into the programme and experiencing the women’s road race closing 10 days of fantastic sport. The event has created a legacy through The Cycling Facilities Fund which has materialised opportunities and created an infrastructure for cyclists across the country.
While we recognise the clear physical, mental, and social health benefits to sport and physical activity, we must also put emphasis on the positive value to people and their local communities. Sport at all levels can create a sense of belonging, strengthen communities, develop skills, and encourage collaboration. Sport has the power to change lives.
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive, sportscotland
Playing our part
Over the last year, our priority has been to deliver the outcomes in Sport for Life, while continuing to support the sporting system to respond to the current economic challenges and drive inclusion and recovery.
We launched a new Active Campus programme, in partnership with Colleges Scotland and Scottish Student Sport. The programme aims to improve access to sport and physical activity creating a more active student population and developing a clear system for high quality work-based placements for sports students. We are strengthening the existing network of sport and physical activity staff working within the college sector. We finalised partnership agreements with 16 colleges and appointed 16 Active Campus Coordinators to commence delivery.
We continue to support a range of leadership development within the sporting sector. Through the Scottish Sporting Leaders programme (SSL), we supported 16 people to develop and enhance their core leadership behaviours, with a strong focus on inclusion. We delivered SGB Chief Executive Officer learning events, with conversations focused on solutions to current challenges facing the sector and issues regarding inclusion. This was supplemented with ongoing one-to-one coaching and mentoring conversations. We also supported six colleagues and partners to attend the Women’s Sport Leadership Academy (WSLA), designed to further develop leadership competencies and support women to become the next generation of leaders in sport.
We continue to support the sector to make sure inclusion underpins everything we do. We agreed a new four-year partnership agreement Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH). We are building on our strategic relationship, focusing on delivering the mental health route map for SGBs and local authorities. This aims to help professional staff in the sector to explore and understand mental health and wellbeing in the context of sport and physical activity.
We developed new partnerships to help us engage more diverse people and communities in sport and physical activity. We delivered the first Scottish Leaderboard programme through our partnership with the race discrimination charity, Sporting Equals. This initiative aims to empower individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds with the knowledge, experience and connections to access board-level roles in sport and physical activity. Along with the other four sport councils we delivered the Tackling Racism in Sport: Time for Action conference in Leicester. This provided an opportunity to highlight the ongoing work in this area and to listen to others about what else can be done to drive real change. This work is a key part of our ongoing commitment to tackling racism and racial inequality in sport and physical activity.
We supported Scottish athletes in preparation for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. 34 Scottish athletes were selected for Team GB and 20 Scottish athletes have been selected for ParalympicsGB. 14 sportscotland staff members were also selected for the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and associated Preparation Camps, across a range of science, medicine and support roles. We provided sportscotland Athlete Personal Awards (SAPA) to help athletes cover training, competition, and living costs. Eight athletes have been awarded financial support to help their preparations and pursuit of qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
We put in place the refreshed coach education subsidy to support costs for aspiring coaches. We prioritise funding for groups which are under-represented within coaching. In 2023-24, we awarded £426,980 to 23 sports, supporting 2,984 people. The primary groups being supported by the subsidy are girls and women, people from more deprived areas (SIMD), disabled people, young people, and people from rural communities.
We celebrated the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships held in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023. The first of a kind event combined 13 world championships over 11 days across Scotland. We continued to manage a strategic investment fund to deliver a network of accessible, inclusive and inspiring cycling facilities nationwide. In 2023-24, we approved investment of £1,343,053, into 14 projects. In addition, 30 initiatives were supported through the Community Cycling Fund investing £351,634 to deliver new cycling activities across clubs, communities and schools. This investment aims to support a legacy of positive change and encourage more people to take part in cycling, after the success of the UCI Cycling World Championships.
We celebrated the official opening of the Oriam Indoor Tennis Court in February 2024 by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd. This fantastic project was funded in a collaborative partnership with Oriam, Heriot-Watt University, the Lawn Tennis Association, sportscotland and Tennis Scotland through the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis (TSIT) fund.
