New Sports Development Team announced

Friday 19 December 2008

sportscotland, the national agency for sport, today announced another raft of senior appointments to the restructured team as it prepares for its imminent relocation to Glasgow.

The five appointments, including two internal candidates, will form the new Sports Development Management Team, reporting to the Director for Sports Development, Mike Roberts.

Jacqui Lynn will join the organisation in the new year as Head of School and Community Sport. Jacqui is a familiar face in sport, both in her role as Sport and Physcial Acitvity Manager with Active Stirling and also as manager of the team who won Britain’s first ever Boccia gold medal at the Paralympics in Beijing earlier this year. Three of our important programmes – Active Schools, Community Regeneration and Community Sport – will come under Jacqui’s remit in the drive towards increasing participation in schools and communities.

The Facilities Development Team will continue to be headed up by Ian McKenzie. With facilities a focus for the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and beyond, Ian’s team will have an important role to play in working with our partners to develop a network of quality sports facilities at local, regional and national level.

Forbes Dunlop has been promoted from Lead Manager to Head of Sporting Pathways. Forbes will work closely with national governing bodies to create and implement a structured development pathway for athletes and coaches.

Alan Clark, Active Schools Manager with Highland Council, will take up the position of Head of Partnership Management. Drawing on his experience of partnership working within the Highland region, Alan will lead the team responsible for developing and maximising relationships with governing bodies and local authorities to deliver our corporate plan objectives.

Completing the new management team is Fiona Wernham, who will assume the role of Head of Coaching and Volunteering from her current position as Sports and Service Development Manager with Edinburgh Leisure. Fiona’s sound management skills and strategic knowledge will be focused on co-ordinating coaching and volunteering activities as part of our drive towards increasing participation and improving performance.

Welcoming the new members to the team Chief Executive Stewart Harris said: “This is a very exciting time, both for sportscotland and for sport as a whole and I am delighted that we have secured the services of five outstanding individuals.

“All of our department heads will play a role in shaping the direction of sports development in this country and I look forward to working with them to deliver great things for Scottish sport.”

• The sportscotland HQ will be based at Templeton Business Centre, Doges, Glasgow Green for an interim period, until the completion of its permanent new headquarters on the site of the National Indoor Sports Arena and Velodrome.