Monday 1 November 1999

sportscotland Lottery Fund continued to support talented young sports people in Tayside this week, with the announcement of the latest award to be made through its Junior Groups Programme.

Over 350 Tayside youngsters are set to benefit from the award of £74,927 to Tayside Sports Development Group, which will be used to help fund the enhanced IMPACT programme (Improving performance and coaching in Tayside), designed to improve support for promising young sports people in the Tayside area.

This will involve the provision of top quality coaching and competition and access to specialist sports science and sports medicine services across eight sports: athletics, badminton, hockey, basketball, cricket, rugby, swimming and tennis.

Lottery funding for the programme is now in its third year and the results have already been seen with a number of excellent individual and team performances.

Cllr Angus, Chairman of Tayside Sports Development Group, said:  “TSDG is very grateful for the support of sportscotland's Lottery Fund. Its continued support shows the recognition of the programmes now offered by the IMPACT initiative.  We believe that the opportunities now being offered to the talented young sports people in Tayside are some of the best in the country and they are really making a difference to the level of success being achieved.”

Allan Alstead, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said:  “If we want to get more young people involved in sport it is vital to develop interest and nurture potential at an early age.

“The Lottery Fund’s Junior Groups Programme aims to help organisations develop young talent through programmes of training and competition and so far almost £1m of Lottery money has gone to help these dedicated young people improve their performances locally and nationally.

“The results of the IMPACT programme have already been seen and I hope that this latest Lottery award makes a valuable contribution to its future success.”

• Tayside sports development group is a partnership between Angus Council, City of Dundee Council, Perth and Kinross Council, local sports councils, governing bodies of the relevant sports and sportscotland