Support grows for our sports campaign
Political support for putting sport at the heart of Scotland’s recovery from the covid pandemic is growing ahead of next month’s election.
The Scotsman is campaigning with the leading think-tank the Observatory for Sport in Scotland for the next Scottish Government to put inclusive, community sport for all at the heart of the national recovery. And cross-party support has increased as figures show that almost 50 per cent of the adult population take part in no sports activity and that poverty is now the main barrier to participation.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us many things and there is a big lesson that appears to be engaging more people than ever as we head into another election.
“People who know me know of my passion for sport, but, for me, it’s always been about the value to our lives and those of our communities of simple fun sport activity, not elite stuff. It just happens in many parts of the country, we expect our children just to pick it up and it be there for them, and for us when we need it. But, we have taken it for granted for too long. Research tells us that half of the Scottish population have lost touch with sport activity, and that it is now having serious effects.
“Only 0.7 per cent of people who play football are involved in professional/elite football, so I’m talking here about the remaining 99.3 per cent. There is a notion that to succeed in sport you have to reach that 1 per cent - nonsense! To succeed in sport, you just have to take part.
“We should stop talking
about ‘pathways’ to elite level, and instead about our own pathway to sport, in our community. Everyone should have a destination to activity, that is fun, and get rid of the idea that if you drop out of one sport and do something else that you’ve failed. Again, nonsense.
“A great example is the Doon Valley Boxing Club in Ayrshire, where Sam Mullen is typical of many volunteers who see sport as a route to giving children, from all backgrounds, a positive, healthy start in life. Sam has developed that club into a family club with parents sessions, both children and parents charged just £1, so it’s accessible to all. What he talks about is how their engagement in sport spills into other areas of their life, their wellbeing, education, work, social belonging, and helps them to feel good about themselves.
“So, we all have to stop talking about developing ‘the next Allan Wells’, or Chris Hoy, or whoever, and start to set sport as a vehicle to help to tackle deprivation, physical and mental health problems, educational attainment gaps and an unhealthy workforce. That is where a brighter future lies and why we need to engage everyone in a ‘National Conversation on Sport’s Role in Society’, and take that path to a healthier future.”