Scottish sports clubs are to benefit from a £10 million funding boost to help cash in on next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The four-year funding plan will create almost 50 new posts for regional development officers and support the growth of individual clubs through a Direct Club Investment (DCI) programme.
Sportscotland said the investment will enable clubs across Scotland to meet growing demand.
Sportscotland chief executive Stewart Harris said: “We are making significant progress in implementing a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this investment demonstrates our commitment to the growth of clubs throughout the country.
“The connection between school sport, club sport and high-performance sport is crucial in our drive to provide more and better opportunities for people to become involved in sport and physical activity.
“The investment is a further commitment from Sportscotland to grow the club sport network across Scotland by providing every opportunity for talented club athletes to flourish, and paving the way for our future champions.”
Commonwealth Games and Sport minister Shona Robison said: “With the Commonwealth Games less than a year away, this new investment will play a pivotal role in developing the club sport network across Scotland and will leave a lasting legacy that can be enjoyed for years to come.”
Sportscotland is investing £5,813,500 over four years into the new regional development posts for Scottish governing bodies of sports.
An estimated £4 million will be invested into the DCI programme, which is designed to support large-scale club development projects over a two to four-year period.
It is expected that around 50 clubs will be supported through DCI in the first year.
So far 11 clubs have made successful applications across six different sports hockey, swimming, gymnastics, athletics, rowing, and basketball.
Carnegie Swimming Club in Dunfermline will be one of the first recipients. It will receive £41,000 over four years to employ a part-time coach and access additional pool time to grow membership and support talent.
Head coach John Szaranek said: “It gives us an opportunity to bring in another coach, which I’ve already done, and to grow the membership of the club.”
Photo by David Wardle