Our operating principles

There are five principles which underpin our work. These principles are central to our policy and programme development: they guide our investment decisions and they help to shape the services and support we provide. We believe these principles are critical to deliver the national outcomes for sport – increased participation and improved performance.

1. Creating effective sporting pathways

   Sporting pathways create opportunities for people to participate in sport at all levels and for life. They require strong relationships between sports providers and deliverers, linking sporting opportunities to meet the needs of participants and to attract more people into sport. Lifelong participation in sport begins with developing physical skills and confidence at an early age.

   We will provide strategic support for the Scottish Governing Bodies of sport to plan and provide optimum development pathways for each sport. We will design and tailor our investment and support to Scottish Governing Bodies of sport and other partners to provide opportunities for people to participate and develop in sport at all levels and throughout their lives. Through the sportscotland institute of sport network, we will maximise joint services for sport and support talent identification and athlete development toward world-class success.

2. Developing a strong infrastructure

   The development of Scottish sport is dependent on an infrastructure of people, organisations and facilities. This infrastructure has to be maintained and grown in the long term.

   We will work with partners to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the current infrastructure at local, regional and national levels. Where possible we will enhance Scotland’s sporting infrastructure through sustainable capacity building and long term investment. We will lead and support the organisations and people within the infrastructure and continue to work to ensure a coordinated approach to delivery.

3. Embedding ethics and equity throughout sport

   We are committed to ethical and equitable sport, tackling discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and ensuring safe and fair participation and performance. We are committed to ensuring that sport is open to all, and to promoting participation among the people in our communities who participate least.

   We will support our partners in realising their commitment to equity, child protection and drug free sport, to ensure a safe, fun, fair and ethical sporting environment for all to participate.

   We will continue to develop our commitment to ensuring equity in every aspect of our work, by assessing our policies, programmes and services and continuing to develop and implement our Single Equity Scheme.

4. Achieving performance and success

   We are committed to the principle of achievement in sport: from the individual benefits and pride that people experience by performing to their best, to the collective benefits and pride of Scotland performing and achieving on the world stage.

   We will ensure that mechanisms are in place for people to achieve at every level of sport and will promote and celebrate personal and national sporting achievements.

   Through our Performance Strategy for 2009 to 2016 we will continue to work towards medal success on the world, and Commonwealth, stage. Throughout our work we will strive to achieve and celebrate success.

5. Working in partnership

   London 2012 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow present once-in-a lifetime opportunities for the development of a sporting nation. They offer the opportunity to build a sporting legacy – a legacy that sees more people participating in sport and improved performances on the world stage, and a legacy that will allow Scotland to maximise sport’s contribution to our national objectives.

   sportscotland cannot achieve a lasting legacy alone, it requires a range of partners. We will continue to work with the key partners identified in Reaching Higher – the Scottish Government, local authorities, and Scottish Governing Bodies of sport.

   We will also develop new and existing relationships at a strategic and operational level with partners across all sectors, in order to maximise our shared contributions to Reaching Higher, the national strategy for sport and to Scotland Performs, the national performance framework.