Assessment 2 Sport Policy

This essay will seek to compare and contrast sport policies in Scotland with policies in the

Republic of Ireland. This will involve the deconstruction of policies by examining the

differences in emphasis i.e. sport for all, age, gender, elite and grass roots sports.

Brief Background History and Timescale of Scottish Sport

The Central Council of Physical Recreation decided in October 1957 to enlist an independent

committee to look at the position of sport in the UK. CCPR wanted to see what roles were

taken by constitutional and voluntary bodies in their promotion of health and well-being in

the community. The CCPR is in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. However the

readiness of the Scottish Council of Physical Recreation made it feasible for the inquiry to

cover the United Kingdom. The committee was worried with the decline in sports

particaption when children left school. The proposals from the Wolfenden Report were

mainly targeted at younger people and it saw the importance of them as the future of the

country who could possibly compete at an elite level. Sport Development. (2009). Sport and

the community: The report of the Wolfenden Report on sport 1960.

The report that resulted was the Wolfenden Report in 1960. The main findings of the

Wolfenden Report for Scotland were that the Scottish Council of Physical Recreation is a

fully independent body. Its council is made up of representatives of 117 Scottish national

organisations and 33 individual members. Since the 1st of April 1960 the Scottish Education

Department took over from the Scottish Home Department which was in charge of the

running of the Physical Training and Recreation Act 1937. Wolfenden, J. (1960) Chapeter 4,

Scotland.

Furthermore in 1959 the Glenmore lodge near Aviemore was completed for winter and

outdoor sports training. It was financed by the Scottish Education Department. The S.C.P.R is

also in charge of the Scottish National Recreation Centre at Inverclyde, Largs ; it helps to

create sporting excellence in many sports through the range of their indoor and outdoor

facilities. Wolfenden, J. (1960)

Scottish Political System/ Ideology

Scotland has two governments: the UK government at Westminster, which is accountable for

areas including, defence, foreign affairs, the economy, social security and the constitution.

And the Scottish government which is responsible for matters such as health, education,

justice and policing and local government. The first democratically elected Scottish

Parliament was set up in 1999 following the Scotland Act of 1998. GOV.UK. (2013)

Maintaining and strengthening the Scottish devolution settlement.

In 2007 the Scottish National Party (SNP) won the third Scottish Parliamentary election. This

in turn stopped the Scottish Labour party which had formed the government in the previous

two elections. Again in the 2010 election SNP won. The political spectrum of the SNP is

considered centre- left. The SNP’S left wing nationalism is based on equality, popular

sovereignty and national self- determination. Princeton University. (2013) Scottish National

Party.

Irish Political system/ Ideology

Ireland is a parliamentary elected democracy. Elections take place at least every five years.

There are two houses of parliament: The Dail Eireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad

Eireann (Senate). Unlike Scotland, the Republic of Ireland has a president, who serves as

Head of State and is elected by the people. The current president who was elected in 2011 is

Michael D Higgins. ARCHIVE.eu.ie. (2013) Irish Political System. The president’s role is

largely ceremonial. The current government which was elected in 2011 is a coalition between

Fine Gael and Labour. The Taoiseach (Prime minister) is Mr Edna Kenny. Department of the

Taoiseach. (2013) Biography of the Taoiseach. He is also the leader of Fine Gael. Fine Gael

values are that it is a party of the progressive centre. Meaning that it acts in a way in which is

seen as right for Ireland, regardless of belief or ideology. Fine Gael. (2013) Values. Fine

Gael political ideology can be seen as similar to that of the SNP in Scotland. However a way

in which the political landscape differs between the countries is that in Ireland it currently has

a coalition government. Labour is a centre left political party. Labour’s ideas and policies in

Ireland are that it will further forward and develop policies to help it achieve its image for a

fairer and better Ireland. Labour. (2013) Our ideas and policies.

The Role of SportScotland

The Scottish government sets out the sports policy and strategic aims and objectives. The

Minster for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison MSP is responsible for national

sport policy.

SportScotland is the top organisation for sport in Scotland. Its goal is to ensure that sport is

seen as a way of life in Scotland. SportScotland’s main aim is to aid development and to

support a world class sporting system at each level. SportScotland. (2013) Background note.

SportScotland’s see the legacy of both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012 as

a positive opportunity to further develop sport in Scotland. Also with future events coming to

Scotland such as the Commonwealth games and the Ryder cup in 2014. SportScotland.

(2013)

SportScotland’s vision reinforces the Scottish Governments vision that by the end of the

decade people in Scotland will enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore it sees

sport as a social mechanism that contributes toward the Governments 5 strategic intentions

that bring together all public organisations in Scotland: wealthier and fairer, smarter,

healthier, safer and stronger and greener. SportScotland. (2013)

The funding for SportScotland comes from the Scottish Government in the form of grants and

National lottery funds. The revenue for SportScotland is approximately £70 million.

SportScotland. (2013)

The SportScotland trust company has a separate board and it looks after the running of the

three national centres of sport. The centres are Glenmore lodge, the Isle of Cumbrae Centre

which focuses on watersports, and Inverclyde. SportScotland. (2013)

Scottish Goverment Reaching Higher/ Government and criticisms

Reaching Higher Building on the success of Sport 21: The strategies of the Reaching Higher

document are:

• A vision for Scotland as a sporting nation.

• The importance of sport for individuals, communities and the nation.

• The national outcomes and priorities for sport.

• The roles and responsibilities of the key delivery agencies.

• Principles for planning and delivery

• The monitoring and implementation framework.

Reaching higher was produced after a review of the Sport 21 document 2003-2007. The key

points that emerged from the previous Sport 21 document which need to be delivered in

Reaching Higher. Scottish Executive. (2007) Reaching Higher Building on the success of

Sport 21

• For greater clarity of roles across the sporting sector between various organisations

particularly in relation to player pathway.

• Improve links between sports governing bodies and share resources

• Improve coach education.

• Provide a large range of sporting opportunities at an early age. Scottish Executive.

(2007)

Improve provision of sporting facilities; greater use of school estate facilities. However this

seems like it is failing to deliver. Scotland’s youth workers are angered at schools which were

built under the controversial Private finance initiative scheme for restricting the opportunity

for children to play sports. Under this PFI scheme schools are charging very high rates to

open buildings after hours to clubs and community groups. Youth Link Scotland the national

youth work agency say that, “in some parts of Scotland, clubs pay up to £45 per hour to hire a

school sports hall”. Chief Executive of Youth Link Scotland Jim Sweeney highlighted from a

recent report carried out by Sport Scotland that only 35% of available indoor space was

utilised during term time across schools in Scotland. The figure drops to 17% during school

holidays. The PFI scheme was seen as the answer to address the problem with poor facilities

and run down school buildings. However many of these buildings are now unaffordable for

national voluntary organisations. Duffy, J. (2013) Youth sports clubs struggle due to cost of

hiring PFI halls.

Sport 21 helped to deliver:

• The introduction of the Active Schools programme.

• The establishment of the Scottish Institute of Sport network.

• The professionalisation of sports governing bodies.

• Building programme for national sports facilities. Scottish Executive. (2007)

A criticism of the Reaching Higher document can be that it does not particularly go into any

great detail about what the barriers are for participation levels in Scotland. It includes a few

graphs and figures which mention that there are factors such as social class, location, time

constraints and work and family commitments, but the detail is insufficient.

In Scotland in 2006-2008 a survey was compiled by the Scottish Government looking at the

most popular sports. For adults the most popular sports for aged 16 and over were: swimming

15%, cycling 10%, football 10/% and golf 8%. For children aged 8 to 15 they were: football

52%, swimming 38%, cycling 33%, dance 16% and golf 9%.From these figures of sport

participation it highlights that there is a considerable drop off of participants in sport after the

age of 15. SportScotland. (2008) Sports Participation in Scotland 2008.

There are many different factors and barriers that can effect sporting participation as you

grow older. In the Reaching Higher document it states that sport participation can be linked to

factors such as social class. For example if you are in the AB bracket you are likely to take

part in sport at least once or more times a week. The figure in the Reaching Higher document

was more than 50%. On the other hand if you are in the DE bracket you are 60% more likely

to take part in no sport. If you are in the AB bracket you are classed as having a high

positioned job in society; for example a doctor or a sheriff. As a result these people will have

a much greater access to disposable income and this will lead to a greater opportunity to take

part in sport compared to people in the DE section. Scottish Executive. (2007)

In Scotland a study was made to analyse regional variations in sports participation. The study

found that there was a considerable difference in participation levels across the councils.

Another example which is highlighted is gender differences in sport. Moray had over 69% of

males and 61% of females taking part in sport at least once a week. The lowest was Glasgow

which had only 41% of males and 29% of females taking part in sport. This may be seen as

somewhat strange as Glasgow receives the most money when it comes to the provision of

sporting facilities. But it might be understood in the various factors which interplay in

Glasgow including diverse socio- economic group; fairly large scale social and economic

deprivation: considerable social problems caused by drug and alcohol abuse. These factors

serve to decrease participation rates. Coatler, F and Dowers, S. (2006) An Analysis of

Regional Variations in Sports Participation in Scotland

Local Authorities

The Scottish Government and SportScotland understand the importance that local authorities

have in delivering and developing sports. Councils have a legal duty to ensure a high standard

of facility for sport. Councils are responsible for almost 60% of Scotland’s 11,528 sport and

facilities. SportScotland. (2013). Acknowledging investment into local authorities and leisure

trusts.

Spending on sport differs among councils. The population size of councils varies across

Scotland. The higher the population the more money will be spent per head. The councils

receive funds from the Scottish Government using a formula called the Grant aided

expenditure. In Scotland Glasgow and West Dumbartonshire councils get the highest amount

per head of the population; allocated £100 and £80 respectively for sport. The lowest council

funding per head is Argyll and Bute which is around £30 per head. Audit Scotland. (2008) A

Performance overview of sport in Scotland.

An example of a local authority sporting policy is Active Schools. Active Schools works in

partnership with all 32 local authorities to deliver Active Schools activities across Scotland.

SportScotland. (2013). Acknowledging investment into local authorities and leisure trusts.

According to Sport Participation (2008); teenage girls amount to over 1 million of the

Scottish Population. Of the number of girls in their early teens74% take part in sport at least

once a week. However there is a notable decrease in involvement in sport as the girls get into

their later teenage years; the figure drops down to 25%.

As a result of these figures SportScotland in partnership with Active Schools and Active girls

devised the programme Fit for Girls in 2008. The goal of this programme is to increase

physical activity for girls aged 11-16. SportScotland. (2013) Fit for Girls.

Statistics prove that the programme is having a success. Between S2 and S4 62% of girls had

taken part in physical activity that they had not done before. Nearly 40% now tried and were

actively taking part in sport after school. Also girls in S4 reported that since the programme’s

inception 83.9% were enjoying physical activity. Fit for Girls. (2010) Fit for Girls evaluation.

Sport for all

Sport for all can be defined as a government policy designed to increase physical activity

among the general population. Historically Sport for all was seen as a way in which the

government could increase the fitness levels of the population and this, in turn, would help to

reinforce the military’s capacity to hire new recruits after the end of National Service. The

early sport participation policies were predominately focused on different segments of the

population especially the young. They were based on instrumental values and specific social

objectives. Bergsgard, N et al. (2007) Sport for all.

Currently the main aims and objectives of Sport for all in Scotland include that the Scottish

government say that it is highly committed to ensure that people from all ages and

communities in Scotland have the opportunity to take part in many different sporting

activities. This, in turn, the Scottish government believes will lead to sporting opportunities

and excellence in Scotland. From this statement it appears to be that in Scotland the

government is mainly targeting sport for all. It believes from using this model of Sport for all

that it will help further develop and enhance peoples’ skill level and ability which then may

lead onto elite sport. The Scottish Government. (2013) Sport for all.

An example of a Sport for All policy in Scotland would be the Club Golf programme. For

someone who has not played the sport of golf before they may see golf as an elitist sport.

However the Club Golf programme is trying to address these issues by making golf a socially

inclusive sport. Club Golf was set up in 2003 under the Scottish government. Club Golf’s

main aim is to provide every child in Scotland with the opportunity to take part in and

experience the joys of golf. This programme shows that SportScotland’s aim is to increase

levels of participation and equal opportunity. The Club Golf programme was just one of

many areas which proved successful for Scotland in getting to host the Ryder cup in 2014.

Club Golf. (2013) Welcome to Club Golf.

List of Club Golf achievements

Introducing almost 222,000 children to golf since inception.

38,135 children participating in Club Golf in primary schools.

12,675 children in club coaching stage 1-3.

303 golf clubs and facilities delivering Club Golf coaching programmes.

Elite Sport

Elite sport in Scotland is the responsibility of SportScotland Institute of Sport high

performance expertise. In January 2008 Scottish ministers decided to bring together

SportScotland with the Scottish Institute of Sport. Its objective has the clear focus to prepare

Scotland’s best athletes to perform on the world stage. There is a similar body in Ireland

namely, Irelands Institute of Sport. SportScotland Institute of Sport. (2013) About.

Since 1998 there have been many successes through the years in terms of medals and

performances on the world stage when it comes to sports people working with the

SportsScotland Institute of sport. This includes 18 world champions, 19 Olympic gold

medals, 14 Olympic silver medals and 4 bronze medals. Also there is been great success at

the Paralympic, Commonwealth games and European championships. SportScotland Institute

of Sport. (2013) Achievements.

In Ireland it has found it much more difficult to showcase its talent on the world stage.

Ireland’s rugby union team has been successful in the past; winning grand slams and six

nation titles. However the rugby union team comprises players from Northern Ireland as well.

This is similar to the Irish golf as it also includes Northern Irish players. At the recent London

Olympics Ireland finished 41st in the medal table with 1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze Olympic

Medals. On the other hand Scotland, which was part of the Great Britain team, at London

2012 won 13 out of the 65 medals. RTE Sport (2012) US top medal table as Irish finish 41st.

Whilst Scotland enjoyed shared success with the rest of the UK during the Olympics, there

was some controversy too. Scotland wondered if there would be any legacy from the games

for Scotland. For example £114 million of lottery funding was used to support the Games.

Some notable MSP’s were angered at that decision as they believed a proportion of it could

have gone to local Scottish sports clubs and charities. In the end the Westminster government

agreed to give the Scottish government £16 million of Olympic funding to spend on sport in

Scotland. Herald Scotland. (2012) What will the Olympics do for Scotland?

A recent example of an Elite sport legacy from the London Olympics is that in December

2013 an agreement was reached between Scottish swimming and its partner’s British

swimming. After the poor performance at the 2012 Olympics for team GB they have decided

to fund four high performance centres for swimming in Scotland. This will include Stirling

which runs in partnership with SportScotland Institute of Sport, Glasgow’s Tollcross Centre,

Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth pool and the forthcoming Aberdeen Sport Village. Forbes

Dunlop the chief executive of Scottish swimming believes that, “This will give Scottish

swimmers the best possible opportunity to develop and become top swimmers and can

represent Scotland on the world stage. This will be achieved with the access to four high

quality facilities which includes Olympic size 50 metre pools and the best coaches will be

available.” Woods, M. (2013) Funding deal struck by authorities.

A recent survey conducted by the BBC found that 27% of people in Scotland believed that

the Olympics have had a positive effect on sport. Bond, D. (2013) London 2012: Has Britain

made the most of its Olympic legacy?

Furthermore with Glasgow hosting the Commonwealth games in 2014 there has been a large

amount of investment in not just athletes but in the infrastructure which will be hosting the

sporting events. For example the brand new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in the East end of

Glasgow. Bruce Robertson the chairman of the Glasgow Commonwealth Commission said,

“The fact that a number of venues are completed, or nearing completion says to the

Commonwealth Games Federation that this has the potential to be the best Games ever”.

Glasgow 2014. (2012) CGF CoComm impressed with Glasgow 2014 progress.

Ireland and Scotland compare and contrast

The population of the Republic of Ireland is approximately 4.5 million. Euro Strategies.

(2011) Ireland. Study on the funding of grassroots sports in the EU. This is similar to

Scotland’s population according to the most recent census which is around 5.2 million.

Scotland.org. (2013) Population of Scotland. Scotland’s GDP figures compared with the

Republic of Ireland. GDP per person including oil and gas revenues is £26,424 and the GDP

excluding oil and gas revenues is £20,571. BBC news. (2013) Scotland in numbers. In Ireland

the GDP per capita in 2008 amounted to 33,663 euros; which is 56% above the EU average.

Sport participation in Ireland according to the Eurobarometer survey in 2009 states that 58%

of the population took part in a sport at least once; also Ireland has the highest level of

participation than any other EU country in that 23% of the population play sport 5 times or

more per week. In the UK/ Scotland the average is much lower at 46% of the population who

take part in sport at least once a week. Also the UK/Scotland figure for people playing sport 5

times or more a week is at only 14%. Eurobarometer. (2010) Sport and Physical Activity

Sports with the highest amount of members in Ireland are: GAA (2300) clubs estimated

550,000, Football- 250,125, Golf- 166,419 and Rugby- 62,596. Euro Strategies. (2011)

Ireland.

The largest sporting organisation is the Gaelic Athletic Association and it is a voluntary

organisation. It is solely focused on the provision of Gaelic games; Gaelic football and

hurling. The GAA launched a National Strategic Vision Action plan 2009-2015. It states that,

“Every player in the country has the prospect to play meaningful games in a relaxed, safe and

enjoyable environment, this will make people more active and create a healthier society in

which to live.” GAA. (2009) The GAA Strategic Vision and Action Plan 2009-2015

Scottish sport would find it in its interest to look at the example of the GAA. The GAA.

(2009) believes in sport being led from a strong community, it is socially welcoming and the

GAA is totally against sectarian behaviour. Especially the sectarian behaviour may be seen as

a good example for the West of Scotland to follow because there is still a large sectarian

divide. Furthermore as the GAA is a non-profit organisation it automatically renews all

profits back into sport. For example profits in 2008 amounted to over 45 million euro and that

was then reinvested back into sport and the volunteers how help deliver an effective

programme. GAA. (2009)

When it comes to sport policy in Ireland it comes under the responsibility of the government

through the Ministry of Art, Sport and Tourism and the Irish Sport Council. The current

minister for that department is Leo Varadkar. The mission for the Ministry is to enrich Irish

society by increasing the levels of participation in sport at all ages. It is the Ministry’s main

goal that by increasing participation there will be a knock-on effect and interest in sport will

increase. This, it hopes, will lead onto better performances at both local and international

sporting events. Euro Strategies. (2011) Ireland.

Similar to Scotland is that Ireland has an (Irish) Sport Council which is similar to

SportScotland. The Irish Sport Council is an agency which is under the responsibility of Leo

Varadkar. Its mission statement is to plan and develop a sustainable coordination of

competitive and recreational sport. The Irish Sports Council. (2013)

The Irish Sport Council state that there were 33 local sports partnerships in Ireland in 2008.

There is at least one local sports partnership in every local authority. The purpose which they

serve is to raise the levels of people taking part in physical activity. It targets specific groups

such as young girls, women and disadvantaged people. Euro Strategies. (2011) Ireland.

The local sports partnerships are in charge of the delivery of sport at a local level and to help

deliver the Irish Sport Council’s national programmes. This can be seen as similar to

Scotland in relation to the councils in Scotland which have a statutory duty to provide sport

and facilities for the local population. A few examples of sporting programmes which the

Irish Sport Council want the LSP’s to deliver are: active leadership, code of ethics and good

practice for children’s sport. Euro Strategies. (2011) Ireland.

Another comparison between the two countries is in the way the sporting bodies receive their

funding. They both receive funding through their respective governments and through lottery

funding. In 2008 in Ireland the minister for sport received 25% of a 268 million euro lottery

fund. This was then passed down to the Irish Sport Council which has an estimated annual

budget of 57 million euro. Euro Strategies. (2011) Ireland.

In Scotland £558 million a year is spent on sport. The majority of the money is spent on the

up keep of facilities and implement action programmes to encourage participation and

support elite athletes. Of the £558 million figure Scottish councils are responsible for almost

90% of this (£551 million). SportScotland receives on average £21 million a year. Audit

Scotland. (2008)

A current report has found that there is almost universal participation in sport by Irish

children. Approximately 90% of children are involved weekly organised exercise by the age

10. This is according to, “Keeping Them In The Game.” Scotland compares favourably with

Ireland in that 81% of 8-15 years olds are involved in sport at least once a week. Again the

study highlighted the fact that there is a considerable drop off; which is again similar to

Scotland. When children enter secondary education and their work load begins to increase

and exams begin this has a major effect on sporting participation levels. Also it found that if a

child is less likely to play sport during exam time this will have a lasting effect in later life.

The Score. (2013) Almost all Irish children take part in sport – but how do we stop them

dropping out?

Conclusion

In conclusion it appears that both Scotland and Ireland have much in common. Populations

are similar, demographics, types of sports played etc. Also both SportScotland and the Irish

Sports Council have the main aim in that they want to see an increase in participation in sport

across the population.

It will be interesting to find out what would happen to Scottish sport if Scotland became an

independent country. Scotland could use Ireland as a prime example of a country that used to

be part of the Britain and used sport to showcase sporting tradition. The GAA played a

critical role in the resistance to British rule and stirred Irish Nationalism. From the previous

statistics it highlights to this day that the GAA is popular. Houlihan, B (1997) Sport, Policy

and Politics a comparitive analysis. London: Routledge. pg.41-44.

Furthermore I believe that in Scotland the Reaching Higher document is out-dated. There

should be a new document produced either before or just after the Commonwealth games and

the Ryder cup in 2014. This should set the Scottish Government aims and objectives for sport

and see if there will be a lasting legacy from these major international events.

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