Our next item of business is a debate on motion S7M-00208, in the name of Maree Todd, on summer of sport.
15:34
Tapadh leibh, Oifigeir Riaghlaidh. I am pleased to open the debate on Scotland’s summer of sport. It is my first debate since being reappointed as minister for sport. This is the first time that I have spoken in the chamber since being re-elected, so I thank the people of the Highlands and Islands for electing me. I wish the very best of luck to my successor, David Green, in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross.
Many members will be aware that I have had the privilege of serving in the role of sports minister since 2021. During that time, I have seen at close hand the profound and positive difference that sport and physical activity can make to people’s lives across Scotland. Sport improves physical and mental health, strengthens communities, boosts resilience and confidence, enriches lives and opens doors to new opportunities. That is why sport and physical activity play such a central role in our population health framework and our wider ambition to reduce health inequalities across Scotland. Introducing young people to regular, enjoyable physical activity at an early stage significantly increases the likelihood that they will remain active throughout their lives. It is during those formative years that we nurture physical confidence, develop fundamental skills and foster a lifelong appreciation for movement.
That is why we announced significant additional investment of £20 million in the 2026-27 budget to deliver a nationwide summer of sport programme, which is designed to make this a truly transformational summer for children and young people across Scotland. The Deputy First Minister officially launched the summer of sport programme on Monday 25 May at Pollok United football club. It was a glorious, sunny day that was full of energy, with young people being inspired not just by the activities that were on offer but by a visit from Scotland and Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon. The event captured exactly what the programme is about—inspiration, opportunity and inclusion—because this will be a landmark summer for Scotland.
The minister makes an important point about inclusion. In rural areas, kids at school cannot get the bus transport to get to the activities and events, and the pools and other assets. What more can the Scottish Government do to support local authorities to ensure that the facilities and events become inclusive for everyone?
I will come on to some of the summer of sport activities that are particularly targeted at rural areas. As I represent a rural area, I recognise that challenge. On bus travel, we are piloting the £2 bus fare cap in the Highlands and Islands, which has been transformative. We have seen an increase in the number of bus routes that are participating. Once the scheme is rolled out all over Scotland, it will make a significant difference to the opportunities that young people have. That is one of the good reasons to support it.
This summer, our men’s national football team will be competing at the FIFA world cup for the first time in 28 years, and the Commonwealth games will return to Glasgow. Alongside that, Scotland’s women’s teams, from cricket to hockey, are also competing on the world stage and providing inspiration for the next generation.
We have made a clear choice as a Government that inspiration must not be passive. It must translate into real opportunity—opportunity for every child in Scotland, regardless of their background or circumstance. However, for too many children and young people, we know that the opportunity does not yet exist or is out of reach. We know the barriers that they face: cost, transport, lack of confidence and, in some cases, feeling that sport is just not for them. That is why we have worked collaboratively with sportscotland and partners to design a programme that directly addresses those barriers.
At its heart, the summer of sport programme will deliver free, targeted or low-cost opportunities for children and young people to get active, try something new and stay active. It is a deliberately inclusive programme that is designed to reach those who are currently underrepresented in sport, particularly children who are experiencing poverty, those who live in remote and rural areas, disabled children or those who are not currently engaged in physical activity.
The overarching purpose of the summer of sport fund is twofold. The majority of the funding has been allocated directly to all 32 local authorities. In addition, £1.75 million has been made available to Scottish Government sport bodies, national partners and national organisations that have applied through an open and competitive process. The model ensures both universal reach and targeted impact and recognises that, although national leadership is important, the real strength of Scottish sport lies in our communities and in the partnerships that bring activity to life.
The minister might be aware that many young people across Scotland, including pupils from Hopeman primary school in my constituency, will be taking part in the world cup day of dance next week. That initiative is inspired by the success of the men’s world cup team and promotes and celebrates Scottish country dance. Does the minister agree that we should do all that we can to support participation in, and celebration of, Scottish country dance in our schools?
Absolutely. It was not until I travelled to France as sports minister that I realised that only in Scotland do we learn the country dances that we carry through our lives and use at every opportunity for celebration. That is unique to Scotland and I think it is a fantastic thing and a great way to celebrate. I come from a community that absolutely loves to have an Orcadian strip the willow right along our seafront, which is now a beautiful promenade thanks to Scottish Government funding.
Across the country, local authorities, leisure trusts, active schools networks, clubs and the third sector are working together to develop plans that reflect local need. Those plans include universal discounts on and free access to programmes; activities targeted at priority groups, including children living in property, those with additional support needs, young carers and care-experienced people; increased capacity and subsidised access; festivals, events and multisport opportunities; leadership pathways and employability opportunities for young people; and outreach into communities that are currently underrepresented.
Critically, those plans are not just about delivering activities but about building pathways from positive experience in summer programmes into what we hope will be sustained participation in school, community and club sport. That is because we know that one of the biggest challenges in sport is not about just getting people active but about helping people to stay active.
The role of our national partners and governing bodies is equally important. Across those programmes, some of the plans that we have had sight of so far focus on inclusive access, partnership-based delivery, local place-based approaches, workforce development and long-term sustainability. Those programmes are designed not simply to deliver a one-off experience but to create lasting engagement, confidence and belonging. That is absolutely central to our ambition because the legacy of the programme must extend far beyond this summer.
I now turn to some examples of what that will look like in practice. Although plans are still being developed, we have some details about specific programmes. The Camanachd Association, working in partnership with Scottish Golf, will deliver a joint programme designed to increase participation in shinty and golf among young people in rural Scotland. The programme will provide free or subsidised holiday camps in rural communities, removing barriers such as cost, travel and equipment, and will, I hope, develop our next Scottish golfing star. It will focus on fun, inclusive and beginner-friendly activity while creating clear pathways into club sport and developing a local workforce of young coaches and volunteers. That is a powerful example of what we are trying to achieve: locally delivered and inclusive provision that creates lasting impact.
I welcome some of what the minister has outlined, but does she agree that it is concerning that the percentage of children who engage in one hour of physical activity per day has declined by 8 per cent since 2016? How will those initiatives help to turn that around in the school setting?
The member will be aware that schools are expected to deliver at least two hours of physical education for all primary school pupils, and at least two 50-minute periods of PE for all pupils from secondary 1 to secondary 4, in each school week. Scotland also developed, and has given to the world, the daily mile programme, which encourages 15 minutes of walking, wheeling or running three times a week.
There is a huge body of evidence to support the impact not just on physical and mental health but on learning ability in schools. I would be more than happy to pick up those issues with Miles Briggs over the course of this session. They are a passion of mine, and I would be more than happy to work with him to ensure that we are delivering for children in schools.
At local authority level, the project that is planned for delivery in Stirling focuses on community provision—on strengthening clubs, developing the workforce and ensuring that activity is available not just during the summer holidays but all year round. In Renfrewshire, there are proposals for a planned focus on co-ordinated local delivery, inclusive programmes, additional support needs provision, the development of young leaders and work to ensure that programmes are shaped by the needs and voices of young people.
What unites all those examples is a clear commitment to inclusion, partnership and sustainability. We hope that the summer of sport will lead to an enhancement of the sporting system in a number of ways. We want more children and young people to access local sport, facilitated by the wider partnerships that have been developed through the investment, which will support the transition from summer of sport activities into club and community activity. We hope that the programme will result in more inclusive provision that is facilitated by the inclusive training that will be made available to the delivery workforce across Scotland.
I have spoken quite a lot about partnerships, but we expect stronger and more effective partnerships to be formed, leading to better joined-up local delivery.
Ultimately, we hope that more children and young people in poverty will access sport regularly. We want to ensure that no child is left behind, no matter where they live or what barriers they face. Of course, achieving that ambition requires more than funding alone. It also requires leadership, collaboration and the dedication of partners across Scotland, and I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been or will be involved in designing and delivering the programme, from local authorities, leisure trusts and governing bodies to coaches, volunteers and community organisations.
Work is well under way, with plans continuing to be developed and refined, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the plans in action and visiting projects across the country over the coming months.
As part of the summer of sport, we are also working with the Scottish Football Association to deliver a celebration of football fund that is aligned with the momentous occasion of the FIFA world cup. It will support organisations to use football to drive positive outcomes in communities. We are also delivering a health in the community programme to target those with the lowest activity levels and help them to become and remain active. In Glasgow, the Commonwealth games will be accompanied by a free, family-friendly live site in Kelvingrove park that will bring people together to celebrate sport, watch live action and take part in accessible activities. Together, those activities represent a comprehensive approach that connects inspiration at the elite level with participation at the grass roots.
The summer of sport is about much more than a single summer. It is a strategic investment in Scotland’s future. It is about ensuring—
Will the minister take an intervention?
The minister is in her last few seconds, Mr MacGregor.
It is about ensuring that the child who attends a session this summer has the opportunity to still be active in a year’s time and throughout their life. If we get it right, the impact will be felt long after this summer’s event. This has the potential to be a truly transformative summer—a summer when inspiration leads to participation, participation leads to habit, and habit leads to lasting change. The message of this summer is clear: game on.
I move,
That the Parliament welcomes Scotland’s Summer of Sport programme, which aims to capitalise on the landmark summer of international sport taking place this year, with Scotland’s men’s football team competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow in July; recognises that it will provide opportunities for children and young people to take part in free and low-cost activities across the country; believes that providing positive, inclusive and inspiring sporting experiences for children and young people is one of the best things the people of Scotland can do to support physical, mental, and social health, and hopes that these experiences will encourage lifelong participation in sport, whether through playing, or as future captains, coaches and volunteers across the sporting sector.
15:48
Like others in the chamber, I suspect, I remember the world cup campaign in 1998—hard to believe, I know—and the hope, aspiration and sheer joy that is the tartan army. I have to say that, although we have never yet made it into the second round, this could be our year, and the expectation is huge.
Despite reports to the contrary, this is not the first time in nearly 30 years that a Scottish football team has been at the world cup, because Scotland’s women were there in 2019. That was all the more impressive, given that the Scottish Football Association banned women from using club facilities for much of the 20th century and took charge of the women’s international side only in 1998.
Although it is right that we celebrate the fact that the men’s side is competing in this year’s tournament, let us also celebrate the way in which football has changed for the better. Football is now the number 1 sport for girls and women in Scotland; there are more than 1,000 grass-roots teams, I think.
However, women’s football still has significantly less investment, less coverage and less support than the men’s game. I hope that we will change that. The United Kingdom Labour Government has committed some £8 million to Scotland for grass-roots sports facilities, with an emphasis on women’s football. I encourage the Scottish Government to match that, or indeed to go further, so that we can expand the women’s game.
In my area, Dumbarton Football Club has started work on a new astroturf pitch, so that the women’s team can train locally, and the Vale of Leven football club, which also has a women’s team—a very successful one—has ambitious plans to improve the facilities at that long-standing community club.
The debate is about the summer of sport, not just football, although I think that many members—some on the Government benches—hope to attend the tournament. In July, Glasgow will welcome athletes from across the world for the Commonwealth games. That has not happened by chance; thanks to the hard work of all who put Glasgow’s plan together, at very short notice, we will be able to cheer on the Scotland team.
Aside from an expected huge medal haul for the Scotland team, what will be the legacy of those games? I think that we would all acknowledge that, despite the fact that the 2014 Commonwealth games were supposed to lead to a more fit and healthy Scotland, healthy life expectancy is going down. Only around six in 10 adults carry out the recommended physical activity to stay healthy. Worryingly, children and young people are spending ever more time in sedentary activities. Not often in government or in life do we get a second chance, so, this time around, the Scottish Government must ensure that the Commonwealth games leave a legacy of more investment in community and grass-roots sports, primary care and preventative health and more opportunities for the athletes of the future.
The Scottish Government made a commitment to free swimming lessons for every primary-school child in Scotland. That has the support of all parties in the chamber, and many included similar commitments in their manifestos. We want the Government to make progress on that, and I press the minister to say how it will be delivered. In my area, we currently have a waiting list for swimming lessons. That backlog is a hangover from Covid; however, there is also a shortage of swimming teachers and facilities. Only 16 per cent of young people from disadvantaged areas take part in swimming lessons. That is a massive inequality. I am therefore genuinely interested to know what steps the minister will take and whether she can tell us when the commitment is likely to be delivered. We lodged our amendment to try to accelerate progress on that, and get an indication of when the Government will do so.
I wish all Scotland’s athletes and players the very best of luck for this summer. We will all derive great joy from their competition, and I am sure that those sportsmen and women will do us all proud.
I move amendment S7M-00208.1, to insert at end:
“, and calls on the Scottish Government to publish a plan and timetable for the provision of free swimming lessons for every primary school child.”
15:53
We all know the evidence about the benefits of physical activity in helping to prevent and manage conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. The benefits to overall wellbeing, including tackling loneliness and enhancing brain health, are not referred to as often but are just as important. Sport can reinvigorate communities and give people purpose and somewhere to go when other spaces put barriers in their way.
I have previously referenced in the chamber the wonderful work that the community trusts at both Motherwell and Falkirk football clubs in my region do week in, week out. For me, that is an example of the biggest takeaway from the debate: although big, set-piece sporting events should be a catalyst for participation, we need to make sure that promotion and, crucially, funding keep sport accessible for the long term. I am pleased that the minister has recognised that that is essential, and that her examples extend to a diverse range of sports.
The Scottish Greens believe that universal access to sport and physical activity is a right, not a privilege, because it is necessary to support the health of the nation. Unfortunately, however, too many barriers still remain.
Taking part in sport and attending sporting events as a spectator can be prohibitively expensive, whether because of the cost of tickets, uniforms, equipment or membership of clubs. Watching sport can be a gateway to people getting involved in it, whether playing or volunteering. That is why the Scottish Greens want to work with Scottish Professional Football League clubs to introduce a price cap of £25 for tickets for travelling away fans. That would widen access and ensure that fewer people were priced out of Scotland’s national game.
A cap has been in place in England for more than a decade that means that travelling fans do not pay more than £30 for a ticket. In March, it was announced that the £30 price cap on away tickets has been extended for a further two seasons, and clubs voted unanimously to keep the cap in place until the end of the 2027-28 season.
In the United States, just two months ago, in order to tackle persistent concerns about sky-high ticket prices for the 2026 world cup, New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, proudly announced a deal that would allow residents in New York to buy 1,000 world cup tickets for $50 each.
I am a football supporter—a Kilmarnock sufferer—so I support the £25 cap on tickets. In England, television money dwarfs admission money, and clubs get much more revenue from that. In Scotland, clubs rely on the money that is coming through the door. So, how would the price cap work in practice? I am for the measure, but I am worried that some clubs would suffer financially.
We need to do more work at the national level to promote Scottish football, particularly in the Scottish Professional Football League, outside Scotland, in order to generate more money from TV rights.
Falkirk is already selling away tickets for £25. Other clubs could look at its model and consider adopting that approach themselves.
A £25 away ticket price could also serve as a starting point for the conversation. There is potential to reach a level that clubs are comfortable with, while, crucially, ensuring that fans are not priced out of the game. However, we should work with clubs and supporters’ organisations to drive that forward.
The First Minister said in January that he would be happy to consider the issue. Now that the minister for sport is back in place, I hope that she will join me in making calls to cap away ticket prices.
The summer of sport is an opportunity to break down some of the barriers to sport and physical activity. I am pleased that the motion mentions the provision of
“opportunities for children and young people to take part in free and low-cost activities”.
We should be using those opportunities for young people to get parents, grandparents or whichever adults accompany those young people back into sport, too.
However, to secure the legacy of the Commonwealth games, we must get the basics right. Across my region, a number of publicly owned sport and leisure venues are under threat of closure or are coming towards the end of their lifespan.
I have backed calls from constituents who are rightly concerned about the proposals to close Aquatec Motherwell. That leisure facility has been a vital part of the community for decades. It is one of the only accessible venues with good public transport connections and has been a lifeline for residents seeking a place to exercise, socialise and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Venues such as the Aquatec, and many similar facilities across Scotland, are important not just for fitness but for community cohesion. If we want to improve the mental and physical health of the nation, we must invest in local facilities where friendships are built and people come together to support one another.
We need to ensure that the next generation of elite athletes, coaches and lifelong sports enthusiasts have local and accessible places to go to.
We must also make sure that people can walk, wheel and cycle in their local areas and that having access to a car is not necessary for them to take part in sport. We rightly provide exercise referrals to allow people to improve their health with cheap or free access to exercise. Those people are less likely to drive, so local facilities are vital. That is not to say that regional or national facilities are not important, but, realistically, a velodrome will not be accessed by as many people as a green space that is suitable for cycling.
The summer of sport has to be the catalyst to get people involved, but the investment must keep up to ensure that the summer of sport lasts longer than a Scottish summer usually does.
We believe that sport should be about the joy of taking part in physical activity and not about huge profits for industries that harm our health and extract wealth from sporting achievements. That is why we want sport to take place in an environment that promotes health and is free from sponsorship by industries that would harm it. It is disappointing, therefore, that two of the partners involved in the Commonwealth games are Coca-Cola and Jubel Beer. I cannot see how that is not at odds with an event that is meant to be about promoting healthy lifestyles through sport and physical activity. I would be grateful if the minister could advise members what conversations she has had with organisers about alcohol sponsorship of the games and what message that sends, particularly given that there is a focus on the participation of children and young people.
The summer of sport is an opportunity to spread the joy of taking part in sport to people all over Scotland. It is a truly worthwhile investment that has the potential to improve Scotland’s health and wellbeing immeasurably. On behalf of the Scottish Greens, I wish all those taking part the very best, and I hope that the next debate that we have on sport is about celebrating their success.
I move amendment S7M-00208.3, to insert at end:
“and believes that to maintain participation in the long term, measures such as a £25 ticket cap for away football fans and support for local authorities to keep local sports venues open, including Aquatec Motherwell, are essential.”
16:00
This is my first contribution since being returned to serve as a member for the Edinburgh and Lothians East region, so I will start by paying tribute to a number of colleagues who have not been returned. In particular, I thank my former Lothian MSP colleague Sue Webber for her service to my region over the past five years. I also pay tribute to my former colleagues Ash Regan, Martin Whitfield and Angus Robertson for their service to my community.
As is the case at the start of every parliamentary session, it has been refreshing and positive to hear new members make their first speeches, and I look forward to hearing more of those this afternoon. I think that it takes new members about six months of being in this building before they start to become cynical, but it is good to hear the positive energy that they bring to our debates. I distinctly remember our former colleague Bruce Crawford saying to me, when I was elected 10 years ago, that my five years would fly by and I should ensure that I used my voice in this place to make a difference. I did not believe that those five years would fly by, but they certainly did. Therefore, my advice to any new members who will take it is to make sure that, in this session, they do what they want to do as MSPs for their communities, because that is what we are here for. I wish them all well in that.
This debate offers a great opportunity to highlight the cross-party support that exists for the summer of sport that we are all about to enjoy, and how it could make a real difference. I hope that it will inspire our nation, especially given the pressure that is being placed on Scotland’s men’s football team as it competes in the 2016 FIFA world cup, as well as on our athletes who will compete in the Commonwealth games here at home in July.
I am sorry and disappointed that, to date, the Parliament has had little or no opportunity to host an event relating to the Commonwealth games ahead of our summer recess. I hope that that can be urgently corrected and that such an event can be hosted for our athletes, to inform MSPs and our communities about the games and to ensure that, ahead of the opening ceremony, our Parliament has welcomed them here. Glasgow 2026 presents Scotland’s opportunity to turn a landmark summer of international sport into lasting participation, pride and opportunity for communities across our country.
It is telling and important that all the amendments to the motion, including my own, recognise that sport should be accessible to all people in Scotland, irrespective of their backgrounds or personal circumstances, and also recognise the commitments made to ensure that physical education is supported in schools—specifically, as Jackie Baillie outlined, in relation to the manifesto commitments that we all made on swimming. It is important that we see a timetable for how that policy, which has cross-party support, can be implemented.
As is always the case when countries host major sporting events, there is concern about overpromising, about legacy, and about how sporting events can deliver a positive impact on the health of a nation. However, I have been impressed by Glasgow 2026’s organisers and the realistic goals that they have set to date.
For example, the Glasgow 2026 schools programme invites every school and youth organisation in Scotland to get inspired, to get active and to get involved as the city prepares to welcome athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations. The programme is designed to be inclusive and accessible, with flexible activities that can be delivered in classrooms, assemblies, playgrounds and youth settings. School and youth leaders can draw on free, ready-to-use learning resources covering different subjects around curriculum areas, from early years to upper secondary. Organisers of the schools baton relay invited children and young people to design batons and then relay them between classes or schools to enable them to take part ahead of the games themselves.
I hope that, after the games, we will be able to look back at how the sporting stars who will soon become household names across the country inspired our young people, helping to turn a summer of elite sport into opportunities for participation, learning, confidence and wider engagement.
The work that is being done to make these games some of the most para inclusive on record is welcome. Glasgow 2026 will feature 47 para sport medal events, making it the largest integrated para sports programme in Commonwealth games history. Para sport will be fully integrated across six of the 10 sports in the 2026 games, which is a really welcome step forward. They will include para athletics, swimming, track cycling, bowls and power lifting, and also wheelchair basketball.
Finally, I take the opportunity—as the minister did—to pay tribute to, and to thank, the more than 3,000 volunteers who are known as the Glasgow 2026 legends. I met many of them when the games were last held in Scotland, when we hosted the diving here in Edinburgh. They really helped to make those games a success—that was so welcome, and I know that they will do the same again.
This summer has the potential to truly inspire us all. Scottish Conservatives send our best wishes to all Scotland’s athletes who are competing.
I move amendment S7M-00208.2, to insert at end:
“; recognises that sport should be accessible to all people in Scotland, irrespective of background or personal circumstances; recognises the commitments made to ensure physical education is supported in schools, including swimming lessons, and considers that sport in school and in extracurricular activities is the best way to ensure access for all young people; believes that physical education should reflect the sporting opportunities in local communities and local clubs, and considers that investment in sport should reflect the positive impact that it can have in the health of the nation and attainment in Scotland's schools.”
I call Victor Currie to make their first speech.
16:06
Thank you for calling me, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome you to your new place, and I congratulate the minister on her reappointment.
It is a privilege to make my maiden speech in the chamber; I am deeply honoured to stand before members today as a newly elected Reform member for the Highlands and Islands electoral region. I offer my thanks to all those who made our successful electoral campaign possible, including our party director, our leader and the regional chair; all the candidates, activists and volunteers; and, of course, the voters who have put their faith in my party.
I also offer my thanks to all the staff and volunteers across Scotland who took on the role of tellers, for their admirable display of concentration and stamina for hours and hours as they counted votes one by one. They are an often-overlooked group at elections, but their contribution makes our precious democracy possible.
Like other members, I take this opportunity to congratulate our national football team on their qualification for the world cup—we offer them our best wishes for the campaign. I notice that the First Minister is not in the chamber. I wonder if he is sitting by the phone, hoping for a call-up from Steve Clarke for a place in the squad, perhaps in the position of striker—after all, his independence strategy has given him plenty of practice at kicking the can down the road.
In keeping with parliamentary tradition, I pay tribute to all my regional predecessors, regardless of their parties, who have served the region diligently. Although members here will inevitably hold different political views, we can all respect the hard work, dedication and long service that those former members have given to the people of the Highlands and Islands. I step into my role with a commitment to build on their efforts and to advocate for the needs of those communities, and I look forward to spending the next years travelling to every corner of the area to do just that. One thing is for sure: my camper van will not be spending much time on the driveway.
The Highlands and Islands is a region of unmatched breathtaking beauty—from the bustling streets of Inverness and the shores of Argyll to the furthest reaches of our island communities, it is a vast and diverse region. It gives Scotland so much: Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest peak; Orkney’s rich Viking history and fertile farmlands; the wool industry of Shetland and the Harris tweed of the Western Isles; the best whisky in the world—it is home to four of the five Scottish whisky regions; an encyclopaedia of tartans; and Highland dress itself. The Highlands and Islands give us not only world-class industry and tourist destinations, contributing much to our economy, but much of what we regard as our Scottish culture.
I am delighted to be in the chamber for my first debate, which addresses the Government’s motion on sport. I submit that discussion of that area is often overlooked in the ebb and flow of political discourse. Human beings have evolved to be active creatures, and our modern sedentary lifestyles have pulled us away from our natural state. As we have heard, an active lifestyle is an important tool in both the prevention and the management of mental health conditions and long-term physical conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cardiac problems, with all the costs that they bring to the taxpayer, the national health service and patients with lived experience. In the promotion of an active and healthy lifestyle, sport has a huge advantage over other elements of health strategy such as diet changes and habit cessation.
It is really good fun so long as individuals have equal and regular access to a wide range of different sporting activities to try, so that they can find out what works for them and what they enjoy most. It does not work if we simply force everyone to do one sport, or offer only a few; people need accessible infrastructure and opportunities to figure out for themselves where their passion lies so that they can see the benefits, keep up consistency and improve health outcomes.
I welcome much of what the minister said today—certainly in terms of her intention—and I salute her aspiration and ambition. However, my party’s main criticisms of Scotland’s 2026 summer of sport revolve around the risk of missing the most vulnerable low-income families due to hidden costs, and the economic instability of creating a one-off funding spike following years of stagnation.
Although we have heard the £20 million of investment being championed as a major milestone, sporting bodies, local councils and anti-poverty campaigners have raised critical concerns about structure. The programme mandates that councils prioritise families who face socioeconomic disadvantage, but critics argue that offering free or low-cost sessions is not enough to guarantee equal access, because there is a worry about hidden cost barriers. Even if a sports session is entirely free, low-income families still face steep secondary barriers, including the high costs of specialised sportswear or equipment if they want to take it on in the long term, and having to use expensive, unreliable public transport to get children to venues. Rural isolation also presents a disadvantage, which means that rural and remote low-income families are systematically sidelined. Although all local authorities have received funding, as we have heard, where localised extended overnight camps take place in, for example, Inverness or Oban, they will be functionally inaccessible to island families or isolated communities if transport links such as ferries or roads are not properly funded and maintained.
There is also a worry about nutritional shortfall. Although some regional programmes, such as that in Dumfries and Galloway, have attempted to integrate free food provision, there is no standardised nationwide mandate to ensure that all children are fed.
There are also criticisms of the long-term funding aspect. National sporting bodies have welcomed the funding injection, but point out that it highlights severe systemic funding flaws. Reform agrees that the initiative merely papers over the cracks presented by years of standstill budgets. Prior to this sudden overall cash boost, sports organisations in Scotland endured five consecutive years of standstill funding. The running on empty campaign led by sports governing bodies highlighted that years of inflation and flatlining budgets have left grass-roots sports facilities critically weak. Reform argues that this package provides a temporary Band-Aid rather than a sustainable financial model.
We face a cliff edge. The funding for the summer of sport is explicitly structured as a fixed, finite pool that is scheduled to run out by spring 2027. Club operators argue that wilfully spiking public interest via major events such as the FIFA world cup and the Commonwealth games will create a massive wave of youth demand that local clubs will lack the long-term infrastructure, staff or funding to support once the campaign ends.
Then we have the issue of volunteer burnout. The rush to roll out a massive, short-term, regionally focused programme relies heavily on volunteer labour and youth leaders. Sports analysts warn that, without sustained long-term funding to recruit and retain paid qualified coaches, this sudden pressure on local volunteer systems will make them unsustainable and it will risk the rapid burnout of those volunteers.
For those reasons, Reform UK has well-founded reservations about this initiative. It involves money that should be used to fund and expand our existing infrastructure and to promote grass-roots engagement and mass participation in order to achieve a wealthier, healthier Scotland. That is the vision of Reform UK, and it is an ambition that should be shared by all members across the chamber. There is a real danger that, in the way that it is currently structured, the initiative will look a lot like fee-free university tuition, and like the help-to-buy scheme that has just been announced, in that it will disproportionately benefit middle-class families at the expense of working-class taxpayers.
I am looking at my remaining allotment of time. Unless the Deputy Presiding Officer is willing to award me a generous, Celtic football club level of added injury time, I should probably come to a close. I will finish by saying this: as a Reform member for the Highlands and Islands region, I will strive to be a robust champion for our communities, always advocating the union as the bedrock of our peace and prosperity, now and in the future.
Let me be clear: if anyone from the SNP—be they a member, a minister, a cabinet secretary or a First Minister—comes to this chamber with fanciful, poorly thought through bills or motions, Reform UK will be here to scrutinise them, challenge them and send them homeward to think again.
Liam McArthur will make the final opening speech before the open debate.
16:14
I congratulate Mr Currie on his first speech, and I welcome the minister back to her position, which I know that she is absolutely passionate about. I also strongly associate myself with Miles Briggs’s wise advice at the beginning of his speech.
At the risk of potentially traumatising Jackie Baillie, I vividly recall being in the Nezahualcóyotl stadium on the outskirts of Mexico City to watch Scotland crash out of the 1986 world cup—the last time the competition was played in Mexico. A drab 0-0 draw against 10 doughty Uruguayans heralded our most recent ignominious exit and left me and the tartan army, resplendent in our kilts and sombreros, crying into our Coronas.
I certainly share the mounting excitement of the nation, despite the best efforts of Trump and FIFA to suck every last drop of joy out of the experience. I am alive to the pain and despair that may inevitably be just around the corner, but that mounting excitement points to the potential legacy that the Scotland men’s team’s success could have. For those of us who are old enough to be guilty of taking world cup qualification for granted, we are now witnessing the joy and disbelief of all those who are under 30 for whom this is wholly uncharted territory.
The Glasgow Commonwealth games later this summer may not have the same novelty factor but, as we have previously seen, it too can inspire future generations to get active in sport. By active in sport, I do not just mean participating as athletes or footballers. Yes, to build a genuine legacy, we need facilities and equipment to be available and accessible, but we need coaches, officials and volunteers, too. It is they who open up opportunities, nurture talent and facilitate involvement.
I saw that at first hand last summer, when Orkney hosted the international island games—the largest multisport event anywhere in the UK in 2025. It was an outstanding success that showcased Orkney at its best with regard to the hospitality, organisation and overall quality of experience for all who were involved—including the splendid Orkney 2025 ties. It raised the bar for sport in Orkney and, no doubt, in Shetland and the Western Isles, too. It highlighted what can be achieved if we provide athletes, coaches and volunteers with the tools and support that they need.
However, it is not just about the elite level; it is about encouraging and inspiring people of all ages and abilities to get involved in sport or physical activity of any kind—for the physical and mental health benefits, the friendships and social opportunities and even just for the chance to shut out the never-ending news cycle for a bit.
Orkney 2025 was positive in so many ways, but seeing Orcadians feel such pride and joy in sharing their home with 3,000 fellow islanders was something that will live with me forever. It demonstrated the true power of sport.
While the island games takes a year off before landing in Faroe next year, there is plenty to look forward to in Orkney for the summer of sport, starting with the junior inter county this weekend. Orkney’s young footballers, netballers, athletes, swimmers and hockey players will seek to retain the Stuart cup for a fourth year against their Shetland counterparts, who will be desperate to turn the tables. While competition is always fierce, this unique contest has created lifelong friendships and bonds between our island communities over the past 80 years.
The same can be said of the North Isles sports, now in its 76th year, which will take place in Stronsay later this month. Westray will again be the team to beat—that pains me to say as a Sanday man—though the host, Stronsay, is the reigning champion in the blue-ribbon event, which is the tug of war.
The junior inter county and North Isles sports may not grab the same headlines as world cups or Commonwealth games, but entry is free, travel costs are reasonable and there is little prospect of being left crying into your Corona.
We move to the open debate. Members who wish to speak should press their request-to-speak button.
16:19
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome you and your colleagues to your posts. I also congratulate my colleagues Siobhian Brown and Maree Todd on their re-elections, and I welcome Maree Todd back to her sports portfolio—I know how much she loves it.
Ms Todd and I have a common goal, which is to increase the amount of Gaelic that is spoken in the Parliament. I am on my sixth year of Duolingo and, on Friday, this phrase popped up on my screen:
“Is lugha orm poilitigs … is fheàrr leam iomain”.
That means, “I dislike politics … I prefer shinty”. That is not entirely true. However, those two subjects are linked not only in Duolingo, but in my life. Shinty could be described as the beating heart of sport in Argyll and Bute. It was only after being elected that I experienced the excitement of a shinty match—from the joy of seeing the young players tournament at the Dalmally show to attending the Macaulay cup final in Oban last year—and I look forward to the Camanachd cup and the Macaulay cup in Oban this September. The passion, the camaraderie, the rivalry, the pride of winning, the pain of losing and the togetherness are all part of life’s skills, whether one is playing or spectating.
I am so pleased to hear the minister's fantastic announcement about the joint working between the Camanachd Association and Scottish Golf. My constituent Bob MacIntyre is a great example of shifting from one discipline to the other, having played with Oban Camanachd and now playing on the greens of golf courses across the world.
As I have just said, togetherness and life skills are what we see on a shinty field. That is one of the many reasons why the summer of sport is so important and why I believe that ensuring that there are opportunities for participation in sport, regardless of where you live, is absolutely key. Sport teaches not only life skills, but a healthy way to thrive. The Atlantis Leisure centre in Oban and Lorn and Oban Healthy Options promote exactly that, through their fitness, prehab and rehab sessions. I have heard from young and old about the difference that a focus on swimming, exercise and sport has made to their health and recovery, and it is inspirational. The Happy Wee Health Club in Oban also finds colourful ways to engage young people in sport and fitness.
As the minister said, the summer of sport links clearly with the population health framework. As the minister and Gillian Mackay have noted, physical activity provides opportunities to connect and come together in activities that inspire and motivate.
Sport in Argyll and Bute is inextricably linked to its landscape and seascape. I disagree with what Donald MacKinnon said in his opening speech—my apologies—but Argyll and Bute is Scotland’s most beautiful constituency, not just because of the landscape and the seascape but because of the people. I thank them for returning me as their MSP. To serve the people of Argyll and Bute is the biggest privilege of my life.
Two weeks ago, I attended a Surfers Against Sewage event, or, as the schoolkids in Tighnabruaich say, a jobbie-free sea event. I spoke to many people who emphasised how much they valued having the wonderful sea resource on their doorstep, especially as it gives them the ability to exercise and enjoy sport. We have to ensure that we keep our seas as clean as they can be, so that people can take part in paddling at Tighnabruaich, wild swimming in Seil, surfing in Tiree, stone skimming in Easdale, yachting around the nooks and crannies of the coastline of Argyll and its isles, or the international clipper race that is sailing into Oban in July. Those are all fantastic opportunities for us to showcase Scotland, and Argyll and Bute, on the international stage, as well as for us to keep active. We need to continue to invest to ensure that our coastline and waterways are at the highest standard.
I welcome, too, the investment that has been provided for every primary school child to learn to swim. That policy will make a real difference, not only in supporting swimming facilities in our communities but in building skills that will undoubtedly save lives.
For the length and breadth of Argyll and Bute, communities continue to work together to ensure that sport and exercise are accessible. The fabulous Adventure Oban is a community-led outdoor activity charity that supports equal access for all to Oban’s natural playground. This weekend, its big bike weekend is returning with lots of fun for all the family. Tayinloan has just confirmed that it will be building a biking pump track—a fantastic example of a village community working together, thinking big and using sport and exercise as the focus of their community cohesion and so invigorating their community.
I will briefly touch on ferries. The ferry timetable can be a barrier to participation in sport for island children. That was raised with me by a group of parents on the fantastic new Isle of Islay ferry. I met Caledonian MacBrayne this morning and pressed home to it that I hope that it, along with Transport Scotland, will ensure that the community voice is heard in future timetable discussions.
I am drawing to a close, Presiding Officer. I started with a Gaelic phrase and I will end with one. It is the final line of the poem “Iomain”, written by our Gaelic makar, Peter Mackay, which he penned for the opening of the Shinty museum in Inverness. I think that it rings true for all sports, and especially for the summer of sport.
“Seo e a-nis: nach tig sibh a dh’iomain?”
Okay, then, won’t you come and join me in shinty?
I remind colleagues that there should be no interventions or interruptions on a first speech. I call Colm Merrick to make a first speech.
16:24
Thank you, Presiding Officer, and congratulations on your election to your new office.
Generations ago, a young man named Patrick left Sligo and crossed the sea to Glasgow. Patrick drove the city’s trams, carrying people through the bustling streets of a rising powerhouse. In Glasgow, he met Annie from South Uist—two communities, two traditions bound by love and shared resilience. Patrick and Annie married and raised five children in the heart of the city. One of those children was John. In their house, alongside faith, education was held in the highest regard. For them, learning was the ultimate deliverer.
John took that lesson to heart and became a teacher—a dominie, in the truest sense of the word. History has a way of moving in circles. John eventually crossed back over the sea to Ireland and fell in love with an Irish lass named Una. Returning to John’s Scotland, they began their married life, renting a small attic room in Anniesland in Glasgow. But the pull of home was strong, and Una longed to be nearer her family, so they boarded the literal boat back to Ireland, where for decades John raised the educational bar for generations of young people.
Yet the song of my family remains the same, and its chorus always involves a sea to be crossed. So it was that, one day, Una drove one of her sons to Belfast and on to Larne to catch the boat to Scotland, and I arrived in Glasgow, where I met Catriona from the Isle of Lewis. We fell in love and now, gathered round us, we have our own crew.
That is an abridged version of how I came to be standing here in our Scottish Parliament—a story of chance encounters, packed suitcases and quiet sacrifices across generations and of a long, winding road that has led me to the immense privilege of representing the people who sent me here. They are the constituents and residents of Glasgow Anniesland, whose trust I will work every day to repay.
It enhances the privilege to follow in the footsteps of someone who served Glasgow Anniesland with such distinction. My much-loved predecessor also earned international recognition for his work on nuclear disarmament, including being named in a Nobel peace prize nomination through his leadership of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. He was and remains the indefatigable Bill Kidd. [Applause.]
Turning to today’s debate, this summer represents a unique opportunity. Scotland hosts the Commonwealth games while our men’s national football team returns to the world cup stage—just in case anybody missed that. The games will bring together around 3,000 athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories. I have already been in contact with the organisers and look forward to meeting them next week to ensure that the games are a huge success and deliver a lasting legacy for the city and beyond. However, it will not only be the lifting of the world cup or medals at the games that mark success; it will be the legacy that is created.
The offer of free inclusive sporting opportunities for children and young people is particularly welcome. For many families, the cost of participation can be a significant barrier. By removing those barriers, we open doors for more young people to discover a sport that they love, to build confidence, to make friends and to enjoy the many benefits that participating in physical activity can bring. We now know that participation in sport can improve mental wellbeing, reduce social isolation, strengthen community connections and create a sense of belonging. Whether it is a child learning to swim for the first time, a local football club welcoming new members or community volunteers supporting activities throughout the summer, those experiences help build stronger and healthier communities.
I am especially encouraged by the universal learn-to-swim offer for primary school children. Swimming is not only a sporting activity but an essential life skill that can save lives. That is particularly true when we think of the many tragic water-related deaths in the recent UK heatwave. Our thoughts and wishes go out to the families and friends who are affected by those terrible tragedies.
If such initiatives are to create a lasting legacy, we must ensure that today’s investment delivers long-term opportunities. I am keen to learn more about how success will be measured, how we will assess whether young people remain active and how we will measure the impact on health outcomes, community engagement and the reduction of barriers to participation. In Anniesland, that legacy will see the new world-class athletics track at Scotstoun stadium being gifted to the city of Glasgow, which will ensure that local clubs and athletes have continued access to a state-of-the-art sporting facility. The stadium is also home to the hugely successful Glasgow Warriors rugby team, which will kick off Scotland’s summer of sport this Saturday when they play in the semi-finals of the BKT United rugby championship at Murrayfield. I wish them every success.
The greatest success of Scotland’s summer of sport will be seen not in the excitement of a single summer but in healthier, more connected communities for years to come.
To make a first speech, I call Irshad Ahmed, who has five minutes.
16:31
In my first speech in this Parliament, I thank the voters of Edinburgh and Lothians East for their trust in me. The Scottish Labour Party has given me a political home. I thank and acknowledge the support of Anas Sarwar, Jackie Baillie and Kate Watson, and the members who supported me.
When I came to Edinburgh 32 years ago, my first job was as a dishwasher in a restaurant. A few years later, my wife and I opened our own shop in Musselburgh. We worked hard. The shop was open all hours. In those early days, it was only us who were running it, often with our young children in a pram behind the counter. The business flourished, and it is now managed by my sons. Running a shop is never dull. You experience the highs and lows of life. We met the most wonderful people in the community, and they are now our good friends. I learned so much from them.
Across the diverse area I represent, there are thousands of stories like mine. The great city of Edinburgh has given me so much. It is the place where I have lived, worked and brought up my family over the past three decades. Our children went on to study information technology, science and law. I want to ensure that all Scottish children have access to the best possible education, which will help them develop into confident and skilled citizens.
Although the Edinburgh and Lothians East region is a fantastic place to live, it also has serious challenges. We should never forget that many people are experiencing very hard times. I know the pressure that many people in the area face. I will do my utmost to speak for them and represent them. I have experienced the pain of seeing loved ones stuck for years on a national health service waiting list. In this Parliament, I will speak up for patients and for their right to get the treatment that they need. I will also campaign for better public health.
That brings me to sport. There is no better way to stay healthy than regular exercise. For me, it is playing badminton twice a week—sadly, my days as a fast bowler are over. However, sport is special because it brings communities and nations together. Scottish Labour wants to promote the health and community benefits of sport across the country and for people from all backgrounds.
This summer, we can celebrate the very best of sport. Like everyone in Scotland, I will be cheering on Steve Clarke, Andy Robertson and the tartan army. We all wish the Scotland team well in the world cup.
Then, this summer, the Commonwealth games will be returning to Glasgow, and the city’s sporting bodies are to be congratulated on making that happen. However, Edinburgh will be represented, too, and has hit gold before, famously through Sir Chris Hoy and Allan Wells. I wish all our athletes the very best of luck.
While we cheer on our elite sportspeople, let us not forget the community sports that take place every day. The 2014 games were supposed to leave a legacy, but, sadly, that was not delivered. I hope that the Scottish Government will not miss the opportunity again. The Commonwealth games should be the start of a new focus on promoting sport in Scotland. There should be investment in our community sports halls, swimming pools and pitches, and there should be investment in schools so that every child can live up to their potential. That should be the legacy of the 2026 Commonwealth games: a healthier and happier Scotland where everyone can thrive.
I call Alyn Smith to make a first speech.
16:36
It is a pleasure to see you in your place, Deputy Presiding Officer.
I am delighted to make my first formal contribution in this chamber in this summer of sport debate. As we heard from our excellent minister, who clearly loves her job, it is about being upbeat and aspirational, celebrating excellence, supporting others and being part of something bigger than ourselves. Maybe there is something in that for all of us to think about with regard to how we do our politics in this Parliament.
If members will forgive a brief indulgence, I note that I am deeply proud to be making my third first speech, because this is not my first Parliament. I was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004—and no, thank you, I do not want to know how old some members were in 2004. I proudly represented Scotland there until 2019, when I was elected to the House of Commons to represent Stirling, my home. I served there for five years during a turbulent period.
I now find myself representing Stirling in this chamber—our national Parliament. I am deeply proud and grateful that the people of Stirling and Stirlingshire kept faith with the SNP and with me, and I am deeply grateful to my campaign team and everyone who supported me.
The only other person to have served in all three Parliaments was Winnie Ewing, the late, great and much-missed original Madame Écosse, so I am an obscure pub quiz question, if nothing else.
I mention that in order to stress to colleagues that, although I am new here, I have 20 years of front-line parliamentary experience. I am used to working across borders and party lines to cut through the chaff—the day-to-day urgent trivia—and get stuff done for the people whom we all serve. The election is over. We are all representatives of the people, and we all have a job to do.
The summer of sport is really important because, goodness me, people need something to look forward to. I am sure that, like me, colleagues knocked on a lot of doors over the past few months, and the national mood, however we define it, is not good. I have not seen anything like it since the 2009 European campaign at the height of the MP expenses scandal.
There is, at best, a disconnect—let us call it that—between politics and politicians of all colours and the people whom we serve. I do not think that it is a temporary scunner factor; I think that it is a symptom or factor of a much deeper malaise. There is real anxiety out there among the people whom we serve. In a rich country such as Scotland, we can do better than that. In a rich country such as the UK, we can do better than that.
People feel disempowered and fearful about the future. They feel powerless in the face of big macro stuff such as climate change, technological changes and demographic changes. Too many people feel that the system does not work. Too many people feel that the system does not work for them, and I think that we can do better.
The election was a remarkable, resounding, landslide victory for my party, but SNP members know that the job is not over; it is just beginning. We need to rebuild that trust, and we all need to work hard to do so.
For members who would say that the SNP has been in power for 19 years, I say: of course we have, and we take our share of the responsibility for that disconnect. Surely, however, in a spirit of intellectual honesty, we must also admit that we in the SNP have been in power in a devolved context, with partial, limited powers. We have been able to do a lot of stuff, but we have not been able to do everything. That is why we on the SNP benches, along with our friends the Greens—in the biggest pro-independence majority that the Parliament has seen—believe that we need to complete the powers of the Parliament with independence in Europe. The change that people need, yearn for and deserve will not be delivered by the Westminster parties; it can be delivered only by independence in Europe, taking the full powers of the Parliament to serve the people we all serve.
I believe that the people of Scotland have outgrown the devolution settlement that was endorsed in the 1997 referendum. The things that people are most worried about—the cost of living, energy costs, a sluggish economy, our place in the European Union and our voice in the wider world—are all objectively reserved matters, which can only be touched round the sides by this Parliament. We want to complete the powers of this Parliament and ensure that we can act on the issues that people care most about. I say to the Opposition parties that, if they cannot work with us on that, they should work with us in relation to the fact that change is coming, change is here and change is necessary. I did not come into politics to administer the status quo; I came into politics, as did everyone in the SNP, to change the face of Scotland. We all know that change is necessary. Let us all work on that together. Any member of any group who brings forward real proposals in good faith will have a willing partner and a willing colleague in me.
We have a lot to look forward to. As time is against me, I will say simply that Stirling is a place where we take sport really seriously. I represent a lot of people who are looking forward to this summer of sport. Sport is bigger than ourselves; it unites us. There is something for us all to look forward to in that.
I call Steven Bonnar to make a first speech.
16:41
Allow me to welcome you to your new place, Presiding Officer.
It is an incredible honour to rise to speak for the first time as the MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, my home town, in Scotland’s national Parliament.
Before I begin, I acknowledge my predecessor, Stephanie Callaghan, and I thank her and her office team for their service to the people of the constituency and indeed to the Parliament. I also thank every person who put their trust in me and the SNP at the recent election. Whether they voted for me, campaigned for me, challenged me on the doorstep or simply shared their frustrations or hope for a better future, I thank them.
Although I have the privilege of sitting here in this magnificent chamber, this seat does not belong to me; it belongs to the communities and the people I represent. From Viewpark to Whitehill, from Uddingston to Bothwell, from Bellshill to Mossend, from Holytown to Carfin and from Newarthill to New Stevenston, these are proud communities, shaped by hard work, determination and solidarity. For generations, we were the beating heart of industrial Scotland. These days, the pits are closed, the miners’ rows are gone and the steelworks, the brickworks and the Caterpillar factory no longer dominate the skyline, but the people remain, the families remain, and so, too, do the values that were so prevalent in those lost industries.
Those are the communities that helped build modern Scotland, from the invention of the Wilkie iron plough in Uddingston, which transformed agriculture across the world in the 1800s, to the achievements of two Nobel prize winners, Sir James Black of Uddingston and David MacMillan of Bellshill. Their contribution to our national story is immense.
From factory floors to the biggest stages in the world, our communities have never been short of talent, endeavour or success. Those values and that success are perhaps nowhere more abundant than in sporting circles. In a debate titled “summer of sport”, I can say with considerable confidence that Uddingston and Bellshill ranks alone as Scotland’s great sporting hotbed. My constituency has produced double Paralympian Michael Kerr, world champion boxer Lawrence Murphy, youth world boxing champion Michael McGurk and many more whose achievements continue to inspire through the generations. We have had European champion runners such as the Bellshill bullet, Tom McKean—who remembers him?—while footballing gods such as Sir Matt Busby, Billy McNeill, Jimmy Johnstone and John Robertson have all held aloft the European cup. Sporting greatness is indeed a forte of Uddingston and Bellshill.
During the election campaign, I spent many months on the doorsteps talking to voters about their priorities. I spoke to workers finishing long, gruelling shifts, pensioners worried about making ends meet, young people wondering what opportunities their future would hold, and shattered parents doing everything that they possibly could to stretch that pound a wee bit further. Although every conversation was different, there was one thing that I heard time and time again—that people felt disconnected from politics and from their politicians.
Too many people feel that decisions are made about them, not with them, and certainly not for them. That must change, and we must be that change, because when this Parliament works well, it improves people’s lives. For me, that is what representing Uddingston and Bellshill will always be about—being accessible, answering the call and helping people to navigate a system that, far too often, feels as though it is stacked against them. It is about standing up for those people who need a voice.
If we in this Parliament are serious about representing people, we must also be serious about listening to them and the democratic choices that they make, because democracy did not end in 2014. For many people—people like me—it simply began then. I cast my first-ever vote in the 2014 referendum at 33 years of age, and I have cast a vote in every election since.
People can support independence or they can oppose independence. In a democracy, both those positions are legitimate. What matters is that people continue to have a voice and that the democratic choices of the people of Scotland are respected. Those very people have just elected the biggest pro-independence Parliament ever. It is time that they were respected.
I am proud of the values that have shaped me and of the heritage that has made me, which were forged in the steel and the coal that powered these nations for generations. I am proud of where I come from and deeply honoured to represent its people in our national Parliament. As Scotland looks forward to a summer of sport and lifting the world cup, there will be moments when millions of us will come together for one cause—in hope and belief in our team, daring to dream about what might just be possible.
That spirit should not be confined to sport. The story of our communities has never been one of limitation; it has always been one of determination, resilience and hope. I believe in the potential of the people I represent, and I believe in the potential of Scotland, too. Every day that I have the privilege to sit here in this Parliament, I will seek to ensure that the people of Uddingston and Bellshill have a voice that is heard, a corner that is fought for and a future that is believed in.
I call Jack Middleton. You have 10—apologies; five—minutes.
16:47
I hope it is not 10 minutes.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am grateful for the opportunity to address the chamber on an issue that I care deeply about. Those who know me know how passionate I am about sport. I have been a keen runner for years. I had a short-lived career as an amateur rower in Stirling and, although I would strongly question the accuracy of its reporting, a few months ago, the Daily Record described me as a gym lover, which led to much hilarity in my friend group.
However, my real love has always been football. I have so many memories tied to the sport. Today, members have retold stories of McTominay’s aerial acrobatics last year, but, for me, 2025 was all about standing next to my dad, watching my local club, Aberdeen, lift the Scottish cup. I remember, as a boy, winning champion street, which was an annual summer youth football tournament in the city. I also remember the heartbreak of losing a schools Scottish cup semi-final. Next month, my old Sunday amateur team, Paisley Saints, will mark the terribly sad passing of our team-mate and friend Richie Fleming with the second charity memorial cup in his honour.
I share those memories and stories to demonstrate that sport—in my instance, football—builds in young people skills that they will carry for the rest of their lives. Those skills include loyalty, dedication and teamwork, although there are many more to pick from. However, the sad reality is that too many kids will not have the opportunities that I had.
I was not raised in hardship—I did not want for anything—although I was raised by a single mother in a small house. She did not have much, but every year she would get together the annual fees that had to be paid to enable me to play for my local boys club. I will always remember that that cost more than £300 and that carrying the money in an envelope to hand to the coach felt like a big responsibility, because I knew that it was a massive sum for my mum at the time. That was 20 years ago, and the fees for football pitch bookings, referees and tracksuits will have grown exponentially, not to mention the cost of new boots, new goalie gloves or the new football top that every kid wants every season.
The reality for those below the poverty line is that those fees and that kit are unaffordable for one child, never mind for those from households with three or four children. I worry that anything other than the very basic essentials will have to come to an end for the growing number of folk who are living on the margins and struggling to make ends meet.
Although I believe in the importance of organised sport, I appreciate that the beauty of football worldwide is that, at the most basic level, all you need is a ball. That is simply not the case for other sports. At the Paris Olympics, winning Olympians from these islands were five times more likely to have been privately educated than those from the general population. That figure can be even higher at the winter Olympics, because the cost of access to many of those sports is simply eye-watering and I would argue that, in many cases, people need wealth and privilege to have that access.
I therefore whole-heartedly welcome the SNP Government’s £40 million investment, which will ensure that this exciting Scottish summer of sport will provide more opportunity for kids. I especially welcome universal free swimming lessons, because swimming is one of the sports that can be most inaccessible to those from deprived backgrounds.
We know that sport can have a positive impact on young people’s lives, but those living in disadvantaged communities and in the poorest households still face many barriers to participation. I want to see us go further over the course of this Parliament. I want to see us supporting families with sports membership fees and more help to afford sports equipment. I want us to provide greater funding to drive down the price of booking facilities for youth teams and to work with clubs to improve access for kids to watch their sporting heroes in the flesh. If we do those things, we will secure a healthier and more confident future for the next generation of Scots.
We move to closing speeches and I call Adam Harley, who is making his first speech.
16:52
As this is my first speech, I pay tribute to my predecessor, Rona Mackay, who served the people of Strathkelvin and Bearsden for a decade. I thank her for her efforts in the community over that time.
This is the first time that the Lib Dems have won this Scottish Parliament seat, but I recognise the excellent local work done over the years by Jo Swinson and my current Westminster colleague, Susan Murray. From Bearsden in the west, through Bishopbriggs, Lennoxtown, Campsie and Torrance to Lenzie, Kirkintilloch and Twechar in the east, each part of Strathkelvin and Bearsden is brimming with history, natural beauty and, most importantly, the very best people. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of meeting thousands of them. As I said to many of them on the doorstep, I cannot promise to fix everything or to be perfect, but I do promise to work hard, to be centred on service and to bring their voices loudly and clearly to this Parliament. Being elected as the MSP for the area where I grew up and where I am raising my family is an honour and responsibility that I do not take lightly, and I will use the incredible opportunity that I have been given to push for positive change.
It is all about opportunity. Providing young people with the right opportunities at the right time is a big part of why I got involved in politics, and sport often provides a gateway for those opportunities. As we have heard, it has an important part to play in mental and physical health, providing challenge and community. It is important that the summer of sport that lies ahead helps to provide those opportunities at grass-roots level so that all people, from all backgrounds, can access them. To allow that to happen, we must ensure that local authorities are properly funded. The chronic underfunding of local councils has forced them to make cuts for years, with leisure and sporting facilities often the first to be impacted.
Key facilities such as the only diving school in the west of Scotland are under threat of closure right now. Thirteen-year-old Heather Graham from Bearsden, in my constituency, has won a gold medal for diving but will have to give up the sport entirely if her diving school in Ayr closes. I hope to hear a positive response on that from the minister in her closing remarks.
As we look ahead to the world cup, let us follow the lead of our national team. It was their grit, audacity and teamwork that got them to the world cup in the first place, and I think we could use some of that here, too.
I plan to be really robust in holding the Government to account and in holding power to account. However, in doing that, I will always be focused squarely on what truly matters to the people I represent. They want us to work together to find solutions—they are just not interested in party politics or the political bubble. So many of them are really struggling and have lost faith in politics. They have lost faith in this place improving their lives. They are tired of a political culture that rewards division with attention and punishes collaboration—and I am tired of it, too. We do not have time for all of that any more. We have to focus on fixing things and on getting things done. I know that members across the chamber want to make things better for their constituents, and we should all work together to make that happen.
I will end with a wee story. My late grandfather was raised on a farm on the remote west coast of Ireland. He used to walk to school in bare feet every day. He came to Scotland as a young man and worked hard to build a future for his family. I am sure that it is the same story for many of our grandparents. He bought me the suit that I am wearing when I was just 13 years old. [Laughter.] He said that it was far too big at the time—and it was—but that I would grow into it one day. I think that he would have got a real kick out of seeing me wearing it here, in the chamber, today. I dedicate this first speech to him and to my wee three-year-old boy. I hope that I have, in some way, started to grow into this jacket.
Now it is time to crack on with providing a better future for those who will come after us. At the end of the day, that is what all of this is really all about.
16:57
This summer is certainly going to be exciting. I hope that it will be non-political and that we can all enjoy it. Even if some people in the chamber do not like football, I am sure that everybody will wish the participants, the volunteers and the spectators well.
I will touch on a couple of the maiden speeches. Irshad Ahmed’s speech was excellent. I very much relate to his being a family man but running a business as well and bringing his young children into work. It is lovely to see that we have people in the Parliament who have run businesses and understand the challenges of running a business.
I also pay tribute to Adam Harley. I do not know him, but it is clear that he still fits his suit, because Alex Cole-Hamilton, whom he worked for, kept him very busy running around. Mr Harley made an excellent speech, and he is absolutely right about removing party politics from the topic that we are talking about this afternoon. I was also really touched by what he said about the individual who has such talent but is worried about losing facilities. That stems from the real issue that we see here.
I congratulate everybody who made their maiden speech today.
I was really proud of being a netball coach and umpire at Earlston high school. We had 45 kids in the group, and we used to take them to matches. We went to the Scottish schools cup and played Gordonstoun, which is a renowned private school. Earlston—a state school—came second in the Scottish schools cup. Liam McArthur is absolutely right that the roles of umpire and coach are really important and we should support them.
I pay tribute to Borders wheelchair racer Samantha Kinghorn. She is originally from Gordon, in my constituency, and many of you will know who she is. She is a key participant in the 2026 Commonwealth games in Glasgow. Rather than competing, this time—because she is expecting a baby—she is serving as an official athlete ambassador, having stepped back from racing to start her family, which is fantastic.
Sammi was one of the first athletes to be selected for team Scotland in 2014, and she made her Commonwealth games debut in front of a home crowd. After finishing fifth in the T54 1500m final in Glasgow and improving on that result by finishing fourth at Gold Coast 2018, she secured her long-awaited podium moment at Birmingham 2022, where a nail-biting finish saw her clinch the bronze medal.
My colleague Miles Briggs noted that, to date, the Scottish Parliament has not held a function or event to mark the Commonwealth games. We should recognise them. I realise that it is a new parliamentary session, but we really need to get behind the teams and support the athletes. I hope that the parliamentary staff will consider having a parliamentary event before we go into recess, which is not that long away.
The health benefits of sport have been articulated—Gillian Mackay talked about them.
Although the support for grass-roots sport is welcome, Scottish local authorities are under huge financial pressure and face challenges that are hampering progress towards the goals that are set out in Maree Todd’s motion. The words that she uses in that motion, such as
“inclusive”
and
“physical, mental, and social health”
should not be used without meaning—Maree Todd will know exactly what I mean by that. We should strive to achieve those goals. If we are to seek short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions, we must also ensure that local authorities have financial sustainability.
I see the time, Presiding Officer. I had only four minutes and I am not used to that. We used to be a very effective Opposition—perhaps we still are, because I note that, yet again, Reform has not even lodged an amendment.
If there is a division, the Scottish Conservatives will support every amendment today, and we will support the Scottish Government’s motion, as amended, at decision time.
17:02
I congratulate all members who have been returned to the Parliament. I thank a number of members who have given their first speeches in the debate. I say to Adam Harley that that suit fits him very well, and I congratulate him.
Alyn Smith is right. We have just been through a really hard election, particularly in Stirling, and we all look forward to some downtime this summer. A summer of sport sounds pretty good to me. For hard-pressed families, the free activities will help to fill those long summer holidays. For some young people, a new sporting dream and ambition will be ignited, or maybe they will learn how to dance the Orcadian strip the willow. Lots of opportunities will be available to get active and to be part of communities.
First, however, we have 15 June. Clearly, all eyes will be on our men’s team. It is 28 years since John Collins thumped that goal into the back of the Brazilian net, and 40 years since a teenaged—I think—Liam McArthur sweated his way around Mexico with the tartan army. [Laughter.]
[Made a request to intervene.]
He is exasperated. I give way to Mr McArthur.
For the record, while I was in the Nezahualcóyotl stadium, I was exasperated, but I do not think that I was sweating overly.
That is a feat in itself, to be honest.
I return to my speech. The national holiday on 15 June is welcome, but I note that only one council in Scotland is giving staff the day off, and I really pity the teachers and students who will be forced into class having been up the entire night before.
These are important collective national memories, whether someone watches them on TV or they are in the stadium or by the track side. They should be accessible—fans should not be priced out by exorbitant ticket prices or pay per view.
I am really pleased that my colleague Gillian Mackay helped to secure the commitment for free-to-view matches for our national football teams and that she is, today, taking the campaign to the next stage, calling for a price cap on stadium tickets. It is good to see, stateside, the mayor of New York following Gillian Mackay’s lead. I am sure that more conversations will take place about exactly how a cap could be introduced.
I welcome what I think will be Government support for the Green amendment today—with backing even from our colleagues in the Conservative Party, too.
Clubs, at their best, are all about community—where no one is left behind, regardless of who they are and what they can afford. Jack Middleton made a very moving speech about his personal experience and the importance of that accessibility.
I pay tribute to the volunteers who power grass-roots sport. They are the people who turn up week in, week out—setting up pitches and tracks, providing taster sessions for four-year-olds through to performance pathways for promising teams, and fundraising for better facilities. They are always there, in all weathers—offering friendly advice, marshalling, providing first aid, and washing the kit. It is the grass-roots scenes, across so many sports, that nurture talent and build that sense of community.
I really enjoyed listening to Liam McArthur talk about the island games. I wish that I had been in Orkney in 2025—I can imagine the excitement and the community building that come from such an event. It would be as exciting as the Olympics.
For my part, I have just spent another slightly terrifying weekend living in a field with my son, supporting him race in the SDA Scottish downhill mountain bike series. The camaraderie and support for people of all ages and abilities at these events make them a wonderful experience to be part of.
For some, there is a part to play, whether that is on a bigger stage or as a future career, in their sport. Across sports, we are seeing an elite pathway alongside inclusion at the grass-roots level.
The legacy of the Commonwealth games, the world cup and—let us not forget—the Tour de France next year needs to be one in which grass-roots participation is grown through better facilities and more confident volunteers.
As the minister mentioned, we need partnerships to deliver long-term growth. We need to throw open the doors, so that everyone is invited to join the party and get involved in whatever way they feel inspired to.
We also need women’s sport to be visible, inspiring and supported, not an afterthought. Jackie Baillie raised an important point about the past 100 years, in which women have been largely denied access to pitches and SFA facilities.
Will the member take an intervention?
I need to move on a little bit.
Nobody should be left behind.
I share concerns with other members, including Jackie Baillie, about the long-term funding issue. We should not need the Commonwealth games to provide the impetus to teach swimming in schools. Alongside Bikeability Scotland training, it should be part of the experience and life development of every primary 6 and 7 child.
Miles Briggs raised an important point. There is cross-party commitment to have swimming lessons in every school. We should get behind and deliver on that.
Steven Bonnar talked about the talent, the endeavour and the success in our communities and how that is epitomised by sport. That is the summer of sport that I am looking forward to. Yes, there is a scunner factor out there, but let us get the positivity back. Let us have a great summer of sport and let us inspire communities and get everybody active.
I call Jenny Young to make her first speech.
17:08
It is a privilege to make my first speech in Parliament as a representative of the people of Central Scotland and Lothians West.
My sporting career—if I could call it that—began in the early 2000s at Linlithgow Athletic Club, the Irene Langlands Stenhouse school of dance and the Linlithgow tennis club, peaking in the lower reaches of the University of Cambridge tennis leagues. It is safe to say that sporting blues were certainly never on the horizon and, Deputy Presiding Officer, I have stuck with the reds ever since.
I share my region’s pride in our historic achievements as the beating heart of Scotland’s industries, from shale oil, collieries, the Carron ironworks, fire bricks at High Bonnybridge and Whitecross to the Grangemouth oil refinery and, of course, the Ravenscraig steelworks.
Our brass bands, our gala days—so many of our towns and villages’ proud traditions have their origins in the industries that made Central Scotland the industrial powerhouse of our nation through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but our area is more than its past, and I have come here to fight for a better future.
My own working life has mostly been spent teaching French and Spanish in West Lothian secondary schools. Any teaching career, it is safe to say, is the sum of the joys and woes of the young people we spend our days with and our nights worrying about. There was the boy in my French class who could barely read a word of English. He was a native speaker of English, with seven years of primary education in this country, and he was functionally illiterate. Some days, there was a support assistant with him, but with support stretched ever thinner across the school, that became less frequent as the months went on—a boy’s life chances diminished by a school system that was going backwards and by the growing gaps in support that saw him falling through the cracks.
It is clear to me that the choices and opportunities on offer to our young people today are narrowed and diminished below what any of us knew and I refuse to accept that this is as good as it gets. I refuse to tolerate blaming these choices on other people in other places. I refuse to endure the constitutional bickering that elevates subjective identity politics above the objective fact that kids in Scotland are a year behind kids in England in maths—why is that?—because that boy and all those children deserve a much better future.
A future can be won where our schools are improving, not sliding down international league tables; where kids struggling with their mental health do not wait years for an appointment; where our colleges are adequately resourced and appropriately joined up with business and the needs of our economy—a future where sporting facilities are enhanced and growing, rather than shuttered by local authorities that are starved of funds by central Government. It is pretty hard to take advantage of a free swimming lesson when there is no swimming pool where you live.
It is never guaranteed that the future will be better than the past. The people of Central Scotland know that all too well. Too many in our region feel left behind by those in politics, those with power and those who know only privilege, but I believe in that better future for all our children and I have come here to fight for them. Thank you.
I call Jamie Langan to make his first speech.
17:12
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I congratulate you on your new role, as well as the minister on her reappointment and all those speaking in the chamber for the first time today.
It is a true honour to be elected to represent South Scotland in the seventh session of the Scottish Parliament. I know that every member is likely to claim that their area is the best part of our fine country but, from its dramatic North Sea coast to the rolling hills of the Borders and the dairy pastures of Galloway, I would make a strong case that there is nowhere quite like the south of Scotland.
While the wonderful parliamentary staff were providing our induction talks for the new cohort of MSPs, I was struck by just how few people have ever had the privilege of serving in this chamber. Since 1999, only 415 individuals have sat on these seats and debated in this chamber. It truly is a rare privilege that we all have to be here. That rare privilege places an enormous responsibility on each and every one of us. A common theme that many members, new and old alike, have mentioned in their remarks so far in this session of Parliament is the deep sense of frustration and unhappiness that they encounter at the doorstep right across Scotland. That sense of frustration that is felt by hard-working Scots was apparent across the weeks and months of campaigning in the Borders and across South Scotland. People feel that their lives have materially deteriorated in recent years despite their individual hard work; that their communities feel increasingly strained despite the care that they show for them; and that they are governed by a political class that increasingly cannot or will not address those challenges.
I truly hope that, despite our many political differences across the chamber, we can work together to improve the lives of millions of hard-working Scots who have placed their faith in us to just that and that, in the years to come, we can look back on a Parliament that made a meaningful difference—a Parliament of prosperity.
Sport is one of the great defining features of Scottish society. If we were to ask any man or woman in the street who the greatest Scot is, they would almost certainly respond with a sportsperson: Sir Kenny Dalglish; Katie Archibald; the late, great, Doddie Weir. Those people show us the very best of what it means to be Scottish: hard work, dedication, a brilliant mercurial streak and bravery in the face of adversity.
What a great year it has been so far for Scottish sport, with a thrilling Scottish premiership title race, famous six nations victories and now our return to the biggest stage in world football. After 28 long years, Scotland is going back to the men’s world cup, thanks to the hard work of Steve Clarke and his squad. That is a truly once-in-a-generation achievement; indeed, it is perhaps a useful reminder to some members in the chamber of what once in a generation really looks like.
Of all the sports that are enjoyed across all four corners of Scotland, football is truly our national pastime, with hundreds of thousands of Scots from all backgrounds and walks of life, including many in the chamber, regularly playing and watching football. Of all the 55 UEFA members, Scotland consistently ranks as the best-supported nation per capita in Europe. From Annan Athletic in the south to Ross County in the north, and everywhere in between, Scots across the country passionately follow their clubs through thick and thin, in a unique bond of love for their community.
However, that passionate support has not always been reciprocated by Parliament and the Scottish Government. From 2012 to 2018, football fans were subject to the onerous Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012—a clear and targeted assault on the civil liberties of match-going fans. Although the repeal of the 2012 act was very much welcome, it was superseded, at a society-wide level, by legislation in the previous session of Parliament that significantly curtailed freedom of expression across Scotland.
In that draconian environment, law-abiding match-going fans are also currently unable to enjoy alcoholic beverages in Scottish football stadia—unless, of course, they have the privilege of being in a hospitality area. Those two-tier restrictions are not applied to other sports or events, they do little to target genuine troublemakers and they punish regular fans and deprive smaller clubs of a vital source of revenue. I hope that we can work together in the current session of Parliament to reform that area and provide a better match-day experience for those hundreds of thousands of Scots who cheer on their club on a Saturday afternoon after a long week of work.
It is incredibly important to remember that it is not just team or ball sports that make up an important part of Scottish society. Traditional and country sports are inextricably linked to the cultural identity of rural Scotland, and that is nowhere more apparent than in South Scotland. Whether it be angling in the River Tweed, race meets at Ayr or driven shooting in the Nith valley, country and traditional sports have been enjoyed across South Scotland by generations of families and throughout entire communities.
Towards the end of the previous session of Parliament, a ban on greyhound racing was brought into effect, despite the last greyhound racing track in Scotland having already closed. That suggests an ideological aversion to traditional and country sports rather than an evidence-based and pragmatic approach, focused on continued sustainability, that ensures the highest levels of conservation and welfare. Instead, it is those who interact with Scotland’s animals and natural environment daily, and who care for it most, who feel that they may be targeted with similar draconian legislation. I know that many of my constituents in South Scotland and those in rural communities across the country feel that this session of Parliament may see the targeting of their beloved sports, which form the bedrock of their community identity and often play an invaluable role in local economies as an important source of local employment and prosperity that would be very hard to replace.
On the back of what has been such a successful year of sport for Scotland to date, I ask the Parliament to carry on a positive attitude towards the fantastic institutions and traditions of Scottish sport and those who support it. Whether it be match-going football fans or those who enjoy country sports in our rural areas, the many people who make up the fabric of Scottish society should be allowed to get on with their pursuits with fewer interventions from this chamber, and should instead be celebrated for their rich contribution to our identity.
I call Siobhian Brown to wind up the debate on behalf of the Scottish Government and to take us through to decision time.
17:19
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer—I congratulate you on your new role.
I thank all members for their contributions today; it has been lovely to hear members speak about the upcoming summer of sports and the opportunities and outcomes that we hope that it will deliver. I welcome the amendments to the motion that have been lodged by colleagues across the chamber, which further emphasise the collective value and importance that we all place in the transformative power of sport in our communities.
I am happy to confirm that the Scottish Government will support all the amendments. However, in relation to the Green amendment, we should be clear that local governments are responsible for funding local facilities such as Aquatec Motherwell, which is mentioned in the Green amendment.
I know that there have been discussions—no doubt there will also be further discussions—regarding the ticketing cap. We absolutely recognise that sport should be affordable and accessible.
Football is the country’s most popular sport, and our leagues are the best attended in Europe per head of population. We will continue to work with local football authorities to maintain and grow those levels of attendance and to make football more affordable and enjoyable for fans. The summer of sport is an ambitious and inspiring programme that sits at the intersection of many of my responsibilities as Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise.
I am sure that, like me, the minister has really enjoyed this debate about sport. However, I picked up on only two members who actually admitted to currently taking part in any sport: badminton ace Irshad Ahmed and top footballer Jack Middleton. I may have missed some. Nonetheless, will the minister join me in encouraging all members, in this summer of sport, to take part in at least one over the next few months?
I absolutely support that suggestion.
The summer of sport connects to children’s rights and services and outdoor play, and to my work supporting looked-after children and young people and those with learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence. This is not just a sports programme; it is a children’s rights programme and a wellbeing programme. Fundamentally, it is about equity, belonging and opportunity.
As we look ahead to what promises to be a truly exciting summer, we recognise that sport has a unique ability to unite people and to inspire the nation, and we are determined to harness that power.
As chieftain of Inverkeithing highland games, I want to ensure that the role of highland games is not forgotten in the debate on the motion. Does the minister recognise the cultural importance of highland games to Scotland’s summer of sport? I also extend an invite to everyone across the chamber to attend Inverkeithing highland games on 8 August.
Yes, absolutely. We also need to recognise the importance of highland games; they are not to be left out.
Crucially, activities within this programme will be free, targeted or low cost. That matters because, in the midst of a cost of living crisis, cost remains one of the biggest barriers to participation for too many children and young people. At a local level, we will see commitment in action, with funding distributed across all 32 local authorities, ensuring that every community in Scotland can benefit.
From my perspective as minister, what matters the most is who the programme is designed for. Yes, it is universal and open to all children and young people, but it is also deliberately targeted. The summer of sport will prioritise children who too often face structural barriers to participation: children living in poverty, children with additional support needs, care-experienced young people, young carers and those in rural and isolated communities. That is absolutely the right approach.
When we talk about children’s rights, we are talking not only about access in theory but about meaningful, equitable access in practice. That means recognising that some children need more support than others to participate. Inclusion is not simply an add-on in this programme—it is central to it. Although local authorities and national partners still have a few weeks to finalise plans, what we have seen so far has been extremely encouraging.
Across local authorities, national governing bodies and partner organisations, there is a strong and consistent focus on reaching underrepresented groups, creating accessible and welcoming environments, and removing barriers, whether they are financial, physical or psychological. Many of these plans are rooted in communities, delivered in familiar, trusted community spaces and supported by trained and inclusive workforces. That is particularly important for children with learning disabilities and neurodivergence.
Through community-based delivery and partnership with a third sector organisation, delivery will help to create spaces where children can take part, feel included and build relationships. For example, work in Glasgow will include an alternative engagement programme, class to clubs, which is designed as a targeted intervention for identified pupils who are currently disengaged and will use a progressive engagement model that begins with small-group support. The programme will focus on those who are least likely to participate in physical activity, helping to build confidence and create pathways for pupils into school-based and community sport.
I am interested in the points that the minister made about the importance of there being facilities in our more deprived communities that people and, particularly, children are familiar with. In the previous session, we in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee published a report on the use of school facilities, which I know that everybody across the Parliament is keen for us to pursue. Has the minister worked with people on that? It can be expensive to rent some school facilities because of the cost that is involved.
I will take the member’s point on board. The detail of the programme is still being developed, but once it has been, I will be happy to share that with the member.
Alongside that, Glasgow Life will deliver a broad programme with a strong focus on removing barriers for care-experienced young people. That targeted support will sit alongside universal provision, ensuring that those who have the greatest need will receive tailored opportunities to engage and thrive. Similarly, in Aberdeen, care-experienced young people will be prioritised by expanding access to free or subsidised opportunities.
The summer of sport will not just deliver activity for young people; it will create opportunities for them to shape and lead it. For example, Youth Scotland is developing proposals to support young people who are facing barriers such as poverty, rural isolation, disability or low confidence. Through its network of more than 600 youth organisations, it will deliver inclusive, informal and locally tailored activities in trusted settings, shaped by young people and with opportunities for leadership and peer mentoring roles. The emphasis on young voices is a strength of the programme.
Because much of the delivery will take place outside, the wider summer of sport programme is also significant from an outdoor play perspective. We know that outdoor activity brings distinct benefits, from mental health to supporting risk taking and resilience and fostering a connection to a place and community.
What I find particularly powerful about the programme is its place-based, partnership-driven delivery approach. Across Scotland, local authorities will work alongside active schools networks, leisure trusts, clubs, community organisations and the third sector to design the programme; it is not a one-size-fits-all model. Local plans will be shaped by local needs.
We are beginning to see proposals that offer universal discounts and free access to existing programmes, targeted outreach into communities and leadership and employability pathways for young people. All that reflects a system that is working together to maximise reach and impact. Importantly, those programmes are being designed with pathways in mind—it will not just be a single-summer experience but a bridge into long-term participation. The investment in workforce and capacity building is vital to that. That matters because the legacy of the programme will not just be for this summer; it will be for the stronger systems and workforce that remain afterwards.
I will touch on a few speeches that were made during the debate. I recognise the first-time speeches and contributions from Victor Currie, Colm Merrick, Irshad Ahmed, Alyn Smith, Steven Bonnar, Adam Harley, Jenny Young and Jamie Langan.
I will also touch on a few points that Jackie Baillie made in her amendment. I acknowledge that there are some concerns regarding the roll-out of national swimming lessons, but we all agree that it is vital for our youngsters to learn to swim—it is a core skill that can save lives. That point was also made by Jack Middleton and Colm Merrick.
A school swimming working group has been set up with the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which will consider how swimming lessons will be rolled out across Scotland. I know that the Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs will be happy to meet with Ms Baillie to discuss that further.
In her speech, Gillian Mackay raised the issue of sponsorship. We recognise that the Commonwealth games was required to secure sponsorship because it was not given any Scottish Government funding. However, we are working with the organising committee and Team Scotland to ensure that healthy products are promoted wherever possible.
I thank Miles Briggs for his wise words for all the new members. Rachael Hamilton’s suggestion about having an event at Holyrood is a good idea; I do not know how it could be organised in the next couple of weeks, but maybe it could be organised after recess.
Colm Merrick asked about the evaluation and monitoring of the programme. An evaluation and monitoring plan has been agreed with partners and it will be arranged through sportscotland. Sportscotland is also contracting an independent evaluation of the fund to evidence the impact of the additional public investment.
Adam Harley mentioned the potential closure of Ayr Diving Club, which is at the only facility that offers diving on the west coast of Scotland. I recently met a constituent who was concerned about that local closure. She told me about her son, who did not have much confidence. She said that when he is on the diving boards, she sees him turn into a different boy—he is on top of the world, and he has all the confidence in the world. That really echoed with me. That decision is for the local authority, South Ayrshire Council, but I know that conversations are ongoing there.
That brings me to my final point. This programme is not about a moment—it is about a legacy. It is about making this summer a summer to remember, but more importantly, it is about creating habits that last, building confidence that stays with young people and embedding participation in communities for the longer term. We want a child who attends a free session this summer to still be active 10 years from now. We want those children to join clubs, become coaches, volunteer in their community club or simply carry a love of movement through their lives.
When I look at the summer of sport, I see a lasting commitment. I see a commitment to children’s rights, to equity, to inclusion and also to opportunity. I see a commitment that no child—regardless of background, circumstances or need—should be excluded from the joy, the benefits and the belonging that sport and physical activity can bring. I see a country coming together, across Government, communities and partners, with a shared purpose to make this not just a great summer but a transformative one.
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