sportscotland funding makes a splash
Wednesday 16 February 2005
sportscotland is splashing out this month with one of the largest investments ever made to a governing body of sport. £640,000 has been awarded to Scottish Swimming to support key areas of the sport’s development plan including athlete support, coaching, staffing and club development. The award is a combination of £346,000 from the sportscotland Lottery Fund and £294,000 of Exchequer funding and was accepted on swimming’s behalf by Commonwealth Games gold medallist Alison Sheppard MBE who also announced her retirement from the sport today.
During a swimming career spanning 24 years, Alison (Milngavie and Bearsden ASC) counts 16 medals on the Commonwealth, World and European stages amongst her many achievements in the sport. Alison also rewrote the history books last year by becoming the first swimmer ever to compete in five Olympic Games, joining a record eight Scots on the British team in Athens.
The announcement of today’s investment will give Scottish Swimming the means to build on such successes and will also strengthen the structure and support available to place more swimmers on the Olympic, Commonwealth and World stages.
£130,000 of sportscotland’s investment will come from the athlete support programme, which is largely managed by the governing body on behalf of the athletes, towards coaching, training and competition costs. This investment will see 46 talented swimmers across the country receive support to break through and achieve at the highest levels within the sport.
"Scottish Swimming is delighted to receive this award from sportscotland. There is no doubt that much of what we have been able to achieve is attributable to sportscotland investment and partnership"
Current British junior 200m backstroke record holder and Scottish junior 100m and 200m backstroke record holder Scott Houston (Stirling Swimming) is one of the swimmers to receive athlete support. At 17, he has had a tremendous year, winning silver at the European Junior Championships and returning from the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo with two silver and two bronze medals. He is also looking set to achieve qualification times for the 2006 Commonwealth Games team, having already met the qualification time on four separate occasions. Scott will be hoping to stake his claim for a place on the team at the end of June when he competes in the Speedo Open and Age Group Championships at Tollcross Park Leisure Centre, Glasgow.
A key appointment to co-ordinate the development of the sport has also been supported by sportscotland funding. Richard Gordon, Director of Coaching and Development, has been appointed to lead swimming’s coach education strategy in relation to the future introduction of the UK coaching certificate. The remit will also see the Director of Coaching and Development establish a long term athlete development framework for all aquatic disciplines that will identify and nurture talent to feed the performance structure and also increase retention of swimmers within the sport by ensuring they are training at a level to suit their needs and ability.
Ashley Howard, Chief Executive of Scottish Swimming, said: "Scottish Swimming is delighted to receive this award from sportscotland. There is no doubt that much of what we have been able to achieve is attributable to sportscotland investment and partnership.
"It is particularly pleasing to receive investment in our infrastructure. We now have the key people in post to deliver improved services and products for our members and ensure that we have a winning structure and culture to support them."
Ian Taylor, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said: "sportscotland is delighted to award £640,000 to Scottish Swimming through our new integrated investment process. This new investment method is driven by our commitment to an enhanced partnership approach. By looking at the whole development plan for a sport in one go, we hope to make a positive impact while ensuring value for money.
"I would like to take this opportunity to wish Alison all the best for the future, her outstanding achievements have not only made sporting history, but have also been an inspiration to other young talent, evident from the Scottish team’s fantastic medal success at the Commonwealth Youth Games last December. Through investing in the whole of the sport’s infrastructure, we aim not only to encourage people to become more active at a recreational level, but also to nurture and develop those who demonstrate the potential to achieve on the world stage."
- A list of the athletes benefiting from the athlete support is detailed below. Athlete Support funding is now is now largely administered through the governing body.
- Piloted last year, integrated investment aims to streamline our support by combining Lottery and Exchequer funding streams enabling governing bodies to submit one development or business plan to be considered across all three sportscotland visions (Achieving Excellence, Developing Potential and Widening Opportunities).
- Athlete Support is a new 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.
- This new programme supports 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 Olympics and Paralympics, now, and in the next four years.
- All athletes who receive Athlete Support will also be supported by the new sportscotland medical scheme.
- Scottish Swimming is the national governing body for swimming, diving, water polo, synchro, open water and masters.
Swimming
Ranald Falconer (City of Aberdeen Swim Team), ABERDEEN, AB11
Martin Leel (City of Aberdeen Swim Team), ABERDEEN, AB25
Adrian O’Neill (City of Aberdeen Swim Team), ABERDEEN, AB15
Robbie Renwick (City of Aberdeen Swim Team), ABERDEEN, AB15
Gemma Sutherland (South Aberdeenshire), ABERDEEN, AB10
Carrie Simpson (South Aberdeenshire), ABERDEENSHIRE, AB32
Stuart Grieg (Alloa ASC), ALLOA, FK10
Kerry Buchan (South Aberdeenshire), BY BANCHORY, AB31
Megan Gilchrist (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), BATHGATE, EH47
Andrew Hunter (Stirling Swimming), BERKHAMSTED, HP4
Scott Houston (Stirling Swimming), DALRY, KA24
Stuart Houston (REN 96), DALRY, KA24
Craig Houston (Stirling Swimming), DALRY, KA24
Jenni Kilgallon (Tayside), DUNDEE, DD2
Ross Clark (Tayside), DUNDEE, DD2
Fiona Booth (Warrender Baths), EDINBURGH, EH17
Kristopher Gilchrist (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), EDINBURGH, EH14
Emma Harrison (Warrender Baths), EDINBURGH, EH3
Malcolm Kerr (Warrender Baths), EDINBURGH, EH14
Robert Lang (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), EDINBURGH
David Leith (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), EDINBURGH, EH9
Louise Pate (Heart of Midlothian ASC), EDINBURGH, EH12
Hayley Preston (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), EDINBURGH, EH16
Billy Purnell (Warrender Baths), EDINBURGH, EH6
Joel Roberts (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), EDINBURGH, EH9
Lewis Smith (Warrender Baths), EDINBURGH, EH10
Fiona Andrews (REN 96), GLASGOW, G76
Rebecca Hillis (REN 96), GLASGOW, G78
Michael Jamieson (City of Glasgow Swim Team), GLASGOW, G33
Ruth MacLean (City of Glasgow Swim Team), GLASGOW, G12
Charles Mills (REN 96), GLASGOW, G44
Aileen Stirling (City of Glasgow Swim Team), GLASGOW, G73
Taylor Wamberg (REN 96), GLASGOW, G76
Rachel Hanna (Highland Swim Team), INVERNESS, IV2
Hannah Miley (South Aberdeenshire), INVERURIE, AB51
Mark Branch (REN 96), IRVINE, KA11
Jamie Parkinson (Falkirk Otters ASC), LARBERT, FK5
Kirsty Hart (REN 96), LARGS, KA30
David Shewan (City of Glasgow Swim Team), LARGS, KA30
Euan Dale (Loughborough University), LOUGHBOROUGH, LE11
Lorna Smith (City of Glasgow Swim Team), PAISLEY, PA2
Lauren Greenshields (City of Edinburgh Swim Team), PEEBLES, EH45
Michael Adams (City of Aberdeen Swim Team), PETERCULTER, AB14
Steven Sutherland (City of Aberdeen), PETERHEAD, AB42
Robert Lee (Stirling Swimming), STIRLING, FK9
Christopher Chasser (South Aberdeenshire), WESTHILL, AB32