Estate Review: Scotland’s Sports Facilities

The Estate Review is a national assessment of Scotland’s public sports facilities. It looks at their current condition and what investment is needed over the next 25 years to maintain and improve them.

The review was commissioned by sportscotland, at the request of the Scottish Government, to better understand:

• The condition of sports facilities across the country

• The level of investment required to support an active Scotland

• How suitable is the estate to meet Net Zero, Accessibility, and Inclusivity requirements and what level of investment is required to address these issues over the next 25 years?

A stakeholder group was established to oversee the planning and implementation of this work. This was made up of representatives from across the sport sector, including:

• Scottish Government

• Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport

• Local Authorities

• Leisure Trusts

• Tertiary Education

• Scottish Futures Trust

• sportscotland

The review itself was carried out by consultants Mott Macdonald.

Scotland has a large and diverse sports estate, including:

• Nearly 11,000 facilities

• Across almost 5,000 locations

However, many facilities are ageing and face growing pressure from rising costs and changing demands.

An estimated £15.5 billion will be needed over the next 25 years to:

• Maintain and modernise facilities

• Improve accessibility and inclusion

• Meet Net Zero (climate) targets

This represents the total level of investment required over time, not all new or additional funding. Current levels of investment will vary depending on each local authorities' priorities.

• The average age of a facility is around 45 years

• Nearly 40% are already beyond their design life

• This could rise to 45% within the next 10 years

The condition varies across the estate:

• Around 12% of indoor facilities are rated poor or bad

• Around 16% of outdoor facilities are rated poor or bad

Ongoing investment is needed to maintain quality and safety.

Sports facilities are facing a range of challenges, including:

• Ageing infrastructure

• Rising construction, staffing, transport and energy costs

• The need to reduce carbon emissions

• The importance of making facilities accessible and inclusive for everyone

• Net Zero: Reducing carbon emissions from buildings, including energy use

• Accessibility and inclusion: Ensuring facilities can be used by everyone, regardless of ability or background

Some facilities are under financial pressure, and their long-term future may be uncertain. The review highlights the importance of planning and investment to support facilities into the future.

The review found that some facilities are currently under-used. This creates opportunities to:

• Make better use of existing buildings

• Share facilities across different groups and sectors

Better data needed
There is currently a lack of consistent, high-quality information about facilities, which makes planning more difficult.

Improved planning and collaboration
There is a need for stronger partnership working across sport, health, education, and local government.

Long-term investment
Sustained investment is needed to maintain, improve and future-proof the estate.

The focus is primarily on:

• Maintaining and improving existing facilities

• Making better use of what is already available

• Encouraging collaboration across public sector organisations, promoting co-location and shared facilities to improve service delivery and efficiency

Any future developments should be carefully planned based on evidence and community need.

sportscotland will work with:

• Scottish Government

• Local authorities

• Partners across sport, leisure, health and education to consider the findings and agree the next steps.

We recognise that responsibility does not sit with any one part of the sport sector to address the key challenges and related recommendations, it will require both local and national stakeholders to play their part.

Sports facilities play a vital role in supporting:

• Physical, mental and social health

• Community wellbeing

• Positive and rounded experiences in education

• Lifelong participation in sport and physical activity

Ensuring they are fit for the future is key to giving people more and better opportunities to participate, progress and achieve in sport, creating a more active and healthier Scotland