sportscotland funding keeps athletes on track
Monday 16 May 2005
With the countdown to the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne well underway, Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson today announced that sportscotland has awarded £704,523 to scottishathletics.
The investment is the largest ever made to a governing body of sport and with success at the Commonwealth Games important to Scots’, it confirms athletics’ pivotal position in Scotland’s Commonwealth Games campaign. The funding will support key areas of scottishathletics’ four-year strategic plan, a key focus of which is the Commonwealth Games. The award is a combination of £570,783 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £135,000 of sportscotland Exchequer funding from the Scottish Executive.
Allan Scott accepted the award on behalf of scottishathletics as he looks forward to confirming his place in the Scottish Team for Melbourne next March (15 – 26). This year’s AAA Indoor 60m hurdling champion will be keen to assure his place in the side to fly ‘down under’, with selection nominations due in September.
Minister for Sport, Patricia Ferguson said: "Today’s announcement is excellent news for athletics in Scotland. This record level of funding will enthuse more young people right across the country to see and feel the benefits of taking part in sports. It will also provide valuable support for elite athletes to achieve at the very highest levels of international athletics.
"Today’s announcement is excellent news for athletics in Scotland. This record level of funding will enthuse more young people right across the country to see and feel the benefits of taking part in sports. It will also provide valuable support for elite athletes to achieve at the very highest levels of international athletics"
"scottishathletics is now on track and moving forward with delivery of its four year plan. I look forward to seeing more opportunities for more people to enjoy the benefits that participation in sports can bring."
Following a lengthy review process and consultation period, scottishathletics launched a new four-year strategic plan, Stronger Together, this year. The plan clearly shows the vision for athletics in Scotland to create a sport with a broad base of participation – regardless of age, background or level. This will enable every athlete to have an identifiable pathway to fulfil their ambitions and potential.
The plan focuses on introducing Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) initiatives designed to retain long-term interest and involvement in athletics. They will create the conditions for those taking part in the sport to participate at an appropriate level. £70,000 of sportscotland funding will support scottishathletics’ implementation of LTAD coaching, development and competition principals. It will also help increase levels of participation in recreational running through the expansion of the jogscotland initiative by forging links with every local authority area in Scotland in a bid to attract 15,000 new members over four years.
At elite level, £222,042 of the funding will come from the Athlete Support Programme, which is largely managed by the governing body on behalf of the athletes, to cover coaching, training and competition costs. The focus for the elite athletes this year is to qualify for the Scottish Commonwealth Games team, and sportscotland’s investment will provide a high performance coaching programme to assist their preparation for competition at international level.
The award also includes funding for the core development and administration of scottishathletics, supporting key positions within the organisation’s infrastructure.
Geoff Wightman, Chief Executive of scottishathletics said: "We are delighted that sportscotland is right behind athletics in the challenge of delivering the new four-year plan for the sport.
"In recent years, surveys commissioned by UK Sport have placed athletics second only to football as the sport the public most enjoys and as we countdown to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March, interest is sure to rise even further.
"There are also some very welcome patterns in performance levels. Our young athletes enjoyed a very successful Commonwealth Youth Games in December and we already have four athletes with qualifying marks for Melbourne with the outdoor track and field season barely underway.
"At the other end of the spectrum, the jogscotland programme is flourishing and starting to make a real difference to the health of the nation with all of Scotland's mass participation road races hitting record entry levels in 2004 and 2005.
"We would like to thank sportscotland for being the number one supporter of athletics in Scotland and look forward to working with them, our athletes, the Scottish Institute of Sport, our clubs, coaches, officials, local authorities, sponsors, Event Scotland, NHS Scotland, the Scottish Executive, UK Athletics and all our other partners as we take the sport into an exciting new era together."
Chairman of sportscotland, Alastair Dempster, said: "We are delighted to award £704,523 to scottishathletics to support the key areas of their new four year strategic plan, which aims to encourage people to become more active at a recreational level, whilst also nurturing those who demonstrate the potential to achieve on the international stage.
"With such an important year ahead, I am sure the athlete support funding will make a significant contribution to enable the athletes to receive the best possible preparation ahead of the Commonwealth Games."
A list of the athletes benefiting from the Athlete Support Programme is detailed below. Athlete Support is now largely administered through the governing body.
Integrated investment aims to streamline sportscotland support by combining Lottery and Exchequer funding. This enables governing bodies of sport to submit one development or business plan to be considered across all three sportscotland visions (Achieving Excellence, Developing Potential and Widening Opportunities) at the same time.
Athlete Support is a funding programme which merges and replaces the former Junior Groups and Talented Athlete programmes and provides a seamless, integrated pathway for the development of emerging talent. It support the training and preparation programmes for elite athletes who have demonstrated the potential to win medals or equivalent, in significant international competitions and events such as the Commonwealth Games.
All athletes who receive Athlete Support will be supported by the sportscotland medical scheme.
The XVIII Commonwealth Games will take place in Melbourne, Australia 15-26 March 2006, with the athletics competition taking place 19 – 25 March.
The selection period for athletes will run from 1st January – 16th September 2005. Athletes achieving the selection standard will be nominated to Commonwealth Games Council Scotland (CGCS) by their respective governing body of sport. CGCS will then consider all nominations against the sport’s selection policy and the full team will be announced by 3 November 2005. However meeting the selection standard does not in itself guarantee a place on the team. All selections and final entries will be dependent on evidence of form and fitness from 1st November 2005. A copy of the overall team and individual sport selection policy is available from CGCS.
Identified athletes receiving Athlete Support May 2005
Ian Donnan, ABERDEEN, AB10
Kevin Sheppard, ABINGTON, OX13
Susan Partridge, ARGYLL, PA38
Kris Robertson, BISHOPBRIGGS, G64
Ross Toole, BRIDGE OF WEIR, PA11
Susan McKelvie, BROXBURN, EH52
James Campbell, CHELTENHAM, GL52
Scot Thompson, CLACKMANNANSHIRE, FK11
John Carr, COATBRIDGE, ML5
Alan Wilson, CUMNOCK, KA18
Nony Mordi, CUPAR, KY15
Ian Mackie, DALGETY BAY, KY11
Kris Gauson, DUNBAR, EH42
Nick Smith, DUNFERMLINE, KY12
Gemma Nicol, DUNFERMLINE, KY11
Francis Smith, DUNFERMLINE, KY11
Jennifer Graham, EAST KILBRIDE, G75
Laura Redmond, EDINBURGH, EH11
Gillian Cooke, EDINBURGH, EH11
Kris Berry, EDINBURGH, EH12
Nike Osifunderin, EDINBURGH, EH4
Joanna Ross, EDINBURGH, EH14
Lynsey Sharp, EDINBURGH, EH4
Hayley Ovens, EDINBURGH, EH4
Craig France, ELLESMERE PORT, CH66
Laura Chalmers, ELGIN, IV30
Mhairi Walters, GLASGOW, G74
Ian Munro, GLASGOW, G77
Joanne Finch, GLASGOW, G77
Scott Partyka, GLASGOW, G64
Sabina Astarita, GLASGOW, G65
Alan Scott, GLASGOW, G74
Jude Beimers, GLENROTHES, KY7
Chris Baillie, GLENROTHES, KY6
Freya Murray, GOREBRIDGE, EH23
Craig Fleming, GREENOCK, PA15
Angus McInroy, HELENSBURGH, GA4
Kirsty Law, INVERNESS, IV8
Gary Carr, KENT, TN24
Eilidh Child, KINROSS, KY13
Collette Fagan, LANARKSHIRE, ML5
Carey Marshall, LANARKSHIRE, ML1
Richard Hurren, LARBERT, FK5
Kim Skinner, LARBERT, FK5
Mitchell Wilkin, LEIGH-ON-SEA, SS9
Benjamin Kerr, LERWICK, ZE1
Martin Clanahan, LIMEKILNS, KY11
Tracey Brindley, LINLITHGOW, EH49
Chloe Cozens, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11
Nick Stewart, LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11
Kathryn Evans, LOSSIEMOUTH, IV31
Kirsty Maguire, MIDLOTHIAN, EH14
Iain Park, MILTON KEYNES, MK2
Mark Mitchell, MORAY, IV36
Susan Scott, MOTHERWELL, ML1
Andy Caine, NORTHUMBERLAND, NE44
Aileen Wilson, OAKHAM, LE15
Darren Ritchie, OSLO
Alyssa Fullelove, PAISLEY, PA2
Morag McLarty, PERTHSHIRE, PH3
Angela Mudge, STIRLING, FK8
Susan Deacon, SOUTHSHIELDS, NE34
Andrew Lemoncello, ST ANDREWS, KY16
Elayne Henderson, TILLICOUTRY, FK13
Lisa Ferguson, TURRIFF, AB53
Sara-Jane Cattermole, WESTERN AUSTRALIA