Scotland’s win over England at Murrayfield and the congratulations sent by Jack McConnell, the First Minister, have certainly thrown the issue of Scottish sport into the public and political arena.
Some sports are “lucky”; both the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Rugby Union invest heavily in training for young people, youth development officers and coaching courses. Other sports are not so “lucky”, relying on volunteers or development officers spread so thinly as to be almost worthless.
As for schools, the impact of both curricular and extra-curricular sport can be massive; it would be difficult to overstate their importance. Sadly, pupils’ access to these areas can be every bit as much of a postcode lottery as other aspects of Scottish life.
One of the key points supporting a swing towards schools as bases for investment in the future of sport, and indeed health and fitness, is the simple fact that the vast majority of young people attend school.
The very least young people deserve is a concerted effort at producing a well-funded, national approach to real sports development - not the piecemeal approach of initiatives, ring-fenced funding and photo-opportunities of the last few years Alastair Kidd
Principal teacher of PE Earlston High School
