National & Regional Facilities Strategy

National – Regional Facilities Strategy

The experience of research from other countries and other sports clearly demonstrates a correlation between the quality of the environment for the sport and subsequent levels of participation and athlete performance development. In other words, availability and access to quality facilities will promote enhanced performance and increased participation by young people and adults alike.

scottishathletics alongside our core partners aim to create a National Facilities Strategy by 2012 that will provide clear direction and guidance to local authorities and private organisations. Resources can then be allocated from the main national and local agencies to ensure a coherent development across Scotland linked to the implementation of the National Strategy for Athletics.

The key focus at a local level should be the development of community athletics/sports facilities linked with the idea of creating sustainable community athletics clubs. The vision that athletics clubs will be based at their own facilities in their own area with pathways for all levels of participants, working together for the betterment of local communities and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity is vital.

It is widely acknowledged that it is crucial that facilities across each Region are improved and that ‘community clubs’ should be given the opportunity to work in partnership with local authorities to develop appropriate facilities in order that the community concept works in practice. Each region must work with local clubs to ensure that athletics plans and priorities are being included and acted upon by the local authorities to develop facility strategies.

On a performance level it is critical that talented athletes and coaches in each region can access appropriate high level training facilities. If we are to support coaches to enable them to develop world-class athletes it is crucial that facilities are appropriate and accessible to elite athletes and Regional Performance Centres are identified and enhanced to ensure effectiveness of delivery.

The aim is to develop the strategy over the next 9 months and whilst significant work and discussion is required at a national level amongst the key partners with specific reference to funding the project, a great deal of the preparatory work can be undertaken now in terms of working with local clubs and LAPs and supporting the key providers of athletics facilities in terms of strategy direction and planning for facilities at a local level.