Sport
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S3M-6498, in the name of James Kelly, on support for sport in Scotland’s communities.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes the positive impact that sport can have on people right across Scotland’s communities and the physical and mental wellbeing that it promotes; considers that the advent of the 2014 Commonwealth Games represents an excellent opportunity through sport to improve public health, contribute to Scotland’s economy and help build strong communities; notes the contribution made to this process by the Scottish Sports Alliance, and welcomes the opportunity that such benefits have to grassroots sports organisations in communities such as Rutherglen and Cambuslang, which involve people of all ages in sport and encourage the values of team spirit and tolerance.
17:04
It is with great pleasure that I open this evening’s members’ business debate on supporting sport in Scotland’s communities. I thank all the members who signed the motion and those who supported the reception at lunch time today. I pay tribute to the Scottish sports alliance and to Kim Atkinson and David McColgan for the amount of work that they put in to promote that successful reception and a worthwhile subject. I pay tribute to the alliance for the work that it has done to promote its vote for sport campaign, which I commend to members. It will focus minds in the run-in to the 2011 elections. Many MSPs have already signed up to it and I am sure that many prospective candidates will do likewise. The campaign will give the issues to do with sport priority and will provide a good focus in the run-in to the elections. That is absolutely key.
There is no doubt that sport is an inspiration to many people in Scotland. We can all think back to our favourite sporting memories, such as Archie Gemmill’s famous goal in the 1978 world cup, Liz McColgan winning the world championships and the Scottish rugby team delivering the grand slam in 1990.
Stevie Chalmers’s winning goal.
Members are suggesting memories of their own from a sedentary position. I am too young to remember that, although I have seen the black and white photographs.
In more recent times—this week in fact—a Scot, Colin Montgomerie, led the European Ryder cup team to victory over the USA in a nail-biting contest. To date, we have six medallists in the Commonwealth games, including Robbie Renwick, who has won a gold medal in the 200m freestyle swimming. With silvers, we have the women’s cycling sprint team and the 4x200m freestyle swimming team. On bronze, we have David Carry in 400m freestyle swimming, Lauren Smith in synchronised swimming and Jennifer McIntosh and Kay Copland for the 50m rifle shooting. I am sure that I speak for Parliament in congratulating all the medallists to date and in wishing all the competitors all the best in future events. Let us hope that they can bring home a strong haul of medals for Scotland from the games.
Those medallists will no doubt give heart to the many people who participate in sport throughout our communities and the 900,000 members of sports clubs who participate vigorously and who are supported by volunteers, all the way from Cambuslang to Carnoustie and from Dumfries to Dundee. I pay tribute to the many coaches. In my time as a member of Cambuslang Harriers, I was ably coached by people including Jim Cunningham and Robert Anderson, who gave willingly of their free time. I compliment the many members of the Rutherglen and Cambuslang sports council, who do so much to promote sport in my constituency.
In the coming years there will be big events and opportunities for Scotland in the Ryder cup and the 2014 Commonwealth games. From an economic point of view, the recent open golf championship was worth £80 million to Scotland and it is reckoned that the Ryder cup in 2014 will be worth £100 million. It is also reckoned that, in the three years after the 2014 Commonwealth games, tourism will increase by 4 per cent, which will obviously bring much-needed revenue to the country. Key to the build-up to the Commonwealth games is the hope that participation in sport will increase, as that affects some of the other issues that we discuss in the Parliament.
It is often said that sport and politics do not mix, but never could a saying be more untrue than that one in the current times when we face tightening budgets and a difficult financial situation. Rightly, across all budget areas, all the spend has to be justified, but there is a fear that those who think of sport as a leisure activity and a bit of a luxury will believe that it could be an easy area in which to cut spending. That would be short sighted. There are strong arguments that investment in sport is crucial and could bring big dividends in some of the other areas for which the Parliament is responsible.
There is no doubt that a fitter and healthier nation will boost our economy. It is reckoned that if people are healthy, fit and active it improves their work performance by 5 per cent and that they have 27 per cent fewer sick days. We know from the recent obesity statistics that 1 million adults and 150,000 children in Scotland are categorised as obese. Think about it: there are more people in Scotland who are obese than there are members of sports clubs. If we can get those who are obese to participate in sport and join sports clubs, that will drive down the £6 million that we have to spend in the national health service purely on equipment for obese patients.
Some 25 per cent of all Scots will suffer mental health problems at some time in their life. A lot of the work that the Scottish Association for Mental Health does highlights the benefits of driving that figure down.
In the justice arena, there is an excellent example in Lothian and Borders, where a street rugby programme has driven down the number of calls that are registered with police: the number of calls on a Friday night is now down to the number that there are during the week.
All that shows that if we can get more people to participate in sport, it will help us in the other areas for which we are responsible in this Parliament and will, I hope, help us get more value for money out of our budget.
We should celebrate the successes that we have as a sporting nation. We should praise our communities who participate in sport, but we should also understand the benefits of investment in sport in the hard times ahead. We should not just celebrate the sporting triumphs, but celebrate a country where sport is seen as a contributor to a healthier and economically more successful nation.
17:12
I congratulate James Kelly on securing time for this important debate, which could not come at a better time, given that we are in the midst of the Commonwealth games in Delhi and that two very important football matches will soon take place.
Although sport has a significant role to play in our society, one of the many challenges that it has faced over recent years—most notably with the creation of the Scottish Parliament—is that it has been difficult to create a unified voice in taking forward a common agenda in sport. At times, people have been at pains to contradict one another when they should have been working in a more unified way to try to impress on politicians in all parties the importance of sport.
I am delighted that after many years of work in trying to create that uniform voice, we now have the vote for sport pledge and the sports manifesto that the Scottish sport alliance has produced. I congratulate Kim Atkinson and her team on ensuring that that has been achieved. I encourage all members in the chamber and all candidates who are planning to stand at next year’s elections to take the opportunity to sign the pledge.
In the present economic climate, to which James Kelly referred, it is extremely important that we do not lose the focus on the value of sport in our society. Given that 80 per cent of funding for sport comes from local authorities, it is important that sports budgets are not seen as being the soft option when it comes to making the cuts.
Sport clearly has an important role to play in making our society more cohesive and healthier, and in improving wellbeing overall. Given the significant health challenges that we as a society face, any undermining of the tools that we need to tackle our unhealthy diet and environment will only weaken our ability to meet those challenges more effectively—indeed, arguably, it could compound those problems yet further.
Although there are benefits from sport for health, wellbeing and social cohesion, we should also be prepared to celebrate sport for sporting purposes. It is important that we recognise that sport can be good fun, enjoyable and challenging, and that it brings a lot of wider benefits. We should be prepared to speak about sport for sport’s sake, because it is a good thing in its own right, as the vote for sport initiative acknowledges.
The athletes of team Scotland who are currently representing their nation in the Commonwealth games in Delhi have got there only because of the investment that has been made during the past few decades. It is important, if we want to have a team Scotland of which we can be proud in the Commonwealth games in 2014 and 2018, that we continue that investment here today. I hope that we can, through the vote for sport initiative, continue to maintain the necessary level of investment to ensure that we are successful as a sporting nation.
My message to members is that they should sign the pledge and stand up for sport. I wish team Scotland in Delhi and in Prague good luck.
17:16
Michael Matheson has twice exhorted members to sign the pledge. I come from a background in which signing the pledge had slightly different connotations, but this one is equally significant and important, and I commend James Kelly for giving members the opportunity to put on record the Parliament’s understanding of the significance of sport in our society.
A number of people who have been doing a tremendous job, such as Kim Atkinson and her colleagues at the Scottish sports alliance, have already been mentioned tonight. However, I want to pay tribute to the work of Margo MacDonald as the convener of the cross-party group on sport. It is probably one of the most active cross-party groups in the Parliament, and it regularly hosts stimulating speakers and discussions.
It also gives us the opportunity to get but a small glimpse of the variety of sport that is available the length and breadth of Scotland, and the tremendous work that is done by volunteers in their own time. Those people want to make a difference and are in love with the concept of sport as described by Michael Matheson, and they want to do their best for young people throughout the country.
Margo MacDonald, ably supported by her staff, is doing a tremendous job in stimulating a much-needed debate on the subject. I know that the people who participate in that group value the opportunity to come to the Parliament and present their case.
James Kelly and Michael Matheson have outlined the difference that sport can make. It is taken as read that sport can make a huge difference to the health and wellbeing not only of young people, but of everyone in the country.
It sometimes depresses me when I regularly go on holiday to France to see the type of sports facilities that are available in small towns and villages there, and which are often denied to young people in our communities. If we want people to participate in a healthy lifestyle, we must make it easy for them. We seem to be making it hard for people to participate in sport. That is not a political comment on any one Administration; it has been happening for generations. The facilities are not there and the money is not there to support coaching and development. If we are serious, we need—as James Kelly has said—to make the investment.
We also need to appreciate, as Michael Matheson mentioned, the difference that sport can make in reducing antisocial behaviour and crime. When people are engaged in positive activities and a positive lifestyle, they are less likely to turn to nefarious activities that damage themselves and the wider community.
I fundamentally believe—and I feel angry about this as an ex-teacher—that we do not pay sufficient attention to the contribution that sport can make to improving the educational opportunities and achievements of our young people, both in our schools and when they leave school to develop their careers. There is no doubt that those who participate in sporting activities go on to be better citizens and have a better chance to make something of their lives.
We are not being asked to do a huge amount today in respect of what James Kelly has outlined in the debate and the pledge that we are being asked to sign. That should be taken as a given. The more fundamental issue for all of us who have influence in society is what we can do to encourage everyone, collectively, to take sport more seriously. A relatively small short-term investment will have huge returns if we are prepared to make that commitment.
17:20
I, too, congratulate James Kelly on securing this timely and important debate, and I fully endorse his motion.
As a North East Scotland member of this Parliament, I am extremely proud to acknowledge the sporting success of a number of young competitors from my area. Robbie Renwick and David Carry, who are both double swimming medallists in the Delhi Commonwealth games, live near me on the outskirts of Aberdeen, and world champion Hannah Miley comes from Inverurie, which is just a few miles away. Shooting medallists Jennifer McIntosh and Kay Copland are also from the Aberdeen area, and three Nordic skiers from Huntly—Andrew Musgrave, Andrew Young, and Callum Smith, who was in reserve—were part of our team in the last winter Olympics. All those people deserve our warmest congratulations on their achievements and all can be held up as tremendous role models for the youth of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
World-class sporting events like the Olympic and Commonwealth games and this week’s Ryder cup do a great deal to stimulate national pride and patriotism and to bring communities together in support of their local heroes. Not everyone can aspire to being an elite athlete in whatever sporting discipline, but everyone can improve their fitness by taking part in physical activity such as walking, cycling, swimming or by participating in organised sport. There are many on-going initiatives in Scotland to encourage walking to school or walking for pleasure, cycling to work or even getting involved in allotment gardening, which is a pet hobby-horse of mine.
Sport has an enormous impact on the lives of very many people in Scotland. I was amazed to learn from the sports alliance that there are about 12,000 sports clubs across the country, with 20 per cent of the population participating in them. Beyond that, many more of our fellow Scots are involved in sport through gym membership or as active supporters of sports such as football, rugby and hockey who attend matches all over the country almost every weekend.
Sport is Scotland’s missing link, as it bridges the key policy agendas of health, education, communities, the economy, justice and the environment. In the limited time that is available to me, I will focus on the positive impact that sport has on our health—physical and mental—as a nation.
With over a million adults and 150,000 children in Scotland already obese, with obesity levels predicted to reach more than 40 per cent by 2030 and with an estimated 2,500 people dying prematurely in Scotland every year due to physical inactivity, there is an urgent need to encourage people to adopt an active lifestyle at an early age and to maintain physical activity throughout their lives into old age. That will contribute to the prevention and management of many common health problems that cost the national health service a small fortune, including cardiovascular disease and hypertension, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and some cancers.
Moreover, the benefits of physical activity are well recognised in preventing and relieving mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. As was said in evidence to the Health and Sport Committee,
“it is very hard to be active, sporty, obese and depressed at the same time.”
It is vital that we spread the word across Scotland of the value of physical activity and sport to society. That is why I have signed up to the Scottish sports alliance’s pledge for sport and why I, too, encourage all MSPs to do likewise, if they have not done so already.
I asked a teenage class from Dyce academy in Aberdeen who visited the Parliament this afternoon about their involvement in sport. They all said—boys and girls—that they currently play an active part in sporting activity. I found that quite heartening.
I have come nowhere near to dealing with all the many benefits that are to be derived from sport in our communities, but I will sum up by quoting England’s former chief medical officer. He stated:
“The potential benefits of physical activity to health are huge. If a medication existed which had a similar effect, it would be regarded as a ‘wonder drug’ or ‘miracle cure’.”
Presiding Officer, 2014, when Scotland will host the Commonwealth games and the Ryder cup, is fast approaching, and I cannot imagine a better legacy from those iconic events than to achieve a healthier Scotland.
17:25
I, too, congratulate James Kelly on bringing the debate to the chamber. The timing could not be better. It would be remiss of me not to congratulate team Scotland, as others have done, on its success in Delhi thus far and to wish it all the best for the remainder of the Commonwealth games. I congratulate Robbie Renwick, who has a Borders name but seems to have exported himself up to the north-east, on being the first to secure a gold medal. We hope that there are a few more to come. He showed tremendous bouncebackability—which I am assured is a real word—after his personal disappointment in the 400m event.
James Kelly is correct to highlight the fact that the staging of the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow represents a fantastic opportunity for a variety of reasons. However, the Public Audit Committee’s report on the potential final cost of staging the games is a concern. We must all concentrate on ensuring that the games are a success. As Nanette Milne and others said, we must not forget that the Ryder cup is to be held on these shores just a few weeks after the conclusion of the Commonwealth games here in 2014. We have only to note how gripping this week’s tense finale of the Ryder cup was to highlight how great and admired an event it is. Indeed, I suspect that some members—not I, of course—achieved little on Monday afternoon as the events at Celtic Manor reached a thrilling conclusion.
Scotland alone may never stage the world cup or the Olympics, so to have two major internationally recognised sporting events in our country in the same year is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we should seize it. Given the handling of the homecoming 2009, I am wary of the suitability of another homecoming as a means to capitalise on our year of opportunity. Last year’s event was a good idea, but in an era of limited public funds it is vital that we ensure that events are properly administered so that we maximise the gains from public investment.
As important as the economic benefits are, the societal benefits, such as the promotion of mass participation in sports and the health benefits that an active lifestyle delivers. The former chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, once stated in regard to participation in sport that
“The potential benefits of physical activity are huge. If a medication existed which had a similar effect it would be regarded as a ... ‘miracle cure’.”
Tennis courts are full in July and snooker halls are full in April. When sporting events that are staged in the UK are broadcast, people feel compelled to participate, and that is particularly true of young people. We have to take advantage of the large number of people who might want to take part in boxing, cycling, swimming or gymnastics for the first time. It is estimated that 2,500 people a year die due to physical inactivity, and people who take little exercise are three times more likely to develop some cancers. We have to nip that in the bud.
I would like the Parliament to engage with the national governing bodies of each sport that is featured in the Commonwealth games to ascertain whether they have strategies in place to increase participation in sport in communities throughout the country after July 2014. By having such meetings, we could establish whether we can offer any support or expertise to help them to create strategies for the future. We must remember that many of the governing bodies are small organisations, so we cannot rely on them alone to increase participation in their sports.
Sport can serve as a vehicle for community cohesion and togetherness. To realise that, we have only to look at the way in which junior football clubs such as Auchinleck Talbot and rugby clubs such as Melrose have become such staples of their local communities. Perhaps as a result of the Commonwealth games, local judo and boxing clubs can become the Auchinleck Talbots and Melrose Rugby Football Clubs of the future.
17:29
I add my congratulations to James Kelly on securing the debate. In his speech, he omitted to mention one of the most significant events in Scottish football history, which was Kilmarnock winning the league in 1965 by defeating Hearts 2-0 at Tynecastle on the last day of the season. I was there to see it.
I, too, can attest to being a shining example of the positive impact that sport offers, having run a few Glasgow marathons in my day—I managed a best time of 3 hours and 30 minutes or thereabouts. I played school football and, for several years after university, amateur football in Ayrshire. I can say honestly that that was an education that was far beyond what I had imagined was possible. My favourite memory that I must slip into the debate is this: Scotch Corner Thistle 3, Stevenston Dynamos 0. That was a triumph for the skilful Kilmarnock-based team over its lumbering adversaries from Stevenston.
Many of my former teammates still play, well into their 50s. One of them recently invited me back to the Friday night team meeting at the Galleon sports centre in Kilmarnock. I do not have too many opportunities to go to that, but it is fantastic that many keep up their sporting interests well into their middle age.
On a more serious sporting level, the debate takes place against the background of the Commonwealth games. It is great that team Scotland is beginning to make an impact on the medal table, as members have said. Our Scottish weightlifting team includes two representatives from my constituency: Graeme Kane from Crosshouse, who competes today—possibly now—and Peter Kirkbride from Hurlford, who starts his competition on Saturday. Peter is the current British champion at 94kg and is an old hand at the Commonwealth games, as he finished sixth in the Melbourne games of 2006. Graeme is the under-23 champion at 77kg and is making his first appearance at the full Commonwealth games. I wish them both well in their competitions this week.
The appearance of those two athletes at that level of competition is down to the good work that the Kilmarnock weightlifting club and its coach, Charlie Hamilton, have done for many years. As Graeme Kane tells it, he got into the sport simply through reading an advert in his local paper and going along to the club—it was no more complicated than that. That was six years ago, when he was 16. The work that he has done since then has taken him all the way to Delhi and the Scottish squad.
Such stories justify the emphasis in James Kelly’s motion on working at the grass roots and ensuring that as many people as possible have access to and take up the opportunities to participate in sports of all kinds. My constituency has several facilities for sport and leisure. Newmilns Snow and Sports Complex offers young and old the opportunity to learn and practise skiing techniques. The Galleon centre is a popular venue that offers a wide range of sports for every taste and ability. From football to rugby and from cycling to bowling, a huge amount of sport takes place in Kilmarnock and Loudoun every week, as I am sure is the case across Scotland.
Local clubs, many of which are run entirely by volunteers, are the entry points to sports for the potential Commonwealth games and Olympics stars of the future. They represent an investment in our future, not just for the medals tables at international events, but for the social and physical health of Scots of every age.
I know that dancing has not yet made it on to the competitive stage at Delhi, but I will finish by acknowledging another local participant in the games—Stewarton girl and dance student Joanne Allison, who is off to India to take part in the closing ceremony next Thursday.
I wish the Commonwealth games participants from Kilmarnock and Loudoun and team Scotland a safe and successful visit to Delhi. I look forward to the title of host city being handed over to Glasgow at the conclusion of this year’s event.
17:33
It gives me great pleasure to speak in support of the motion and to add my congratulations to James Kelly on securing this important debate. I thank the Scottish sports alliance, which has proved to be an excellent source of advice and information since I assumed my shadow sports brief.
I thank colleagues who have joined me in signing the SSA’s vote for sport pledge, which calls on every MSP to recognise the unique role, value and potential of sport in Scottish society. I urge colleagues who have not yet signed the pledge to do so. The SSA has also produced a manifesto for sport that contains many practical and sensible ideas and which I am sure will attract considerable cross-party support.
I congratulate our latest Commonwealth games medal winner, Lauren Smith, on an outstanding performance in the synchronised swimming. Her bronze medal is Scotland’s first in that sport at any Commonwealth games.
Four years from now, the eyes of the world will be fixed on Scotland, as we play host to the Commonwealth games in Glasgow. We all want to ensure that those games provide not just a grand spectacle but a lasting legacy for every citizen in our country.
The games will provide us with state-of-the-art sporting facilities and new housing, and it will make a massive contribution to the regeneration of Glasgow’s east end. However, the success of the Commonwealth games will not be measured in bricks and mortar alone; it will be gauged by the contribution that they make to building a healthier, fitter and more active nation whose citizens enjoy a better quality of life. If we are to grasp that opportunity, it is vital that the Government listens to and learns from the tens of thousands of dedicated people who give freely of their time to coach or officiate a variety of sports in Scotland.
The motion rightly mentions the importance of grass-roots organisations in local communities. In my constituency, I am lucky to have a host of such groups that provide a fantastic range of opportunities for participation in sport and cater for all ages and levels of ability.
I hope that members will recall that, last year, the Parliament celebrated the success of one such group—Drumchapel table tennis club—and its redoubtable leader, Terry McLernon MBE. Through his unique blend of passion and commitment during the past 20 years, Terry has taken a club with two tables and a couple of bats to a point at which it has become Britain’s premier table tennis club. However, titles and trophies testify only to part of the club’s success. As the minister’s colleague, Shona Robison, will know, having accepted my invitation to visit the club, thousands of members have passed through its doors since 1989. Some have won national or regional titles; others have found a sense of belonging and purpose, forged firm friendships, learned about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, and experienced at first hand the advantages of working together with others in their community. The club’s great strength lies in its commitment to catering for players of all ages and abilities, and in ensuring that they get the most out of their participation in sport and membership of the club. Its facilities are available seven nights a week, and no one who walks through its door is left out. It is an example of how sports clubs in communities can thrive and contribute to their area’s general wellbeing.
Sport plays a significant part in Scottish society. It can do even more with appropriate support. I am certain that we will all do our best to ensure that the 2014 games are successful, that they act as a catalyst for greater participation and that they leave behind an enduring legacy for all our citizens in communities across Scotland.
17:37
I add my congratulations to James Kelly on bringing such an important debate before us and on his impeccable timing, having landed it in the middle of the Commonwealth games.
Earlier in the debate, I was a little inhibited by sitting so close to the only other person in the room who is qualified to teach physical education—Margo MacDonald—and finding in front of me, assisting Nanette Milne, the only international sportsperson in the room, in the shape of Elizabeth Smith, who played hockey and cricket.
LIke many other members, I am speaking because I am keen on sport. I do not claim any particular prowess. I played a lot of rugby football, but also dabbled in cricket, rowing, football and golf—and I like it, which is okay. Because of that, I also like to watch good sport such as the Commonwealth games, the Olympic games and the Ryder cup. I am the sucker who is glued to my television screen until the early hours of the morning.
As Bill Butler said, those major sporting events are hugely important because they stimulate interest and ensure that those who have real talent and ability have a pinnacle to aim for. Nevertheless, we should be cautious. Bill Butler was absolutely right to say that one of the aims of the 2014 Commonwealth games is to leave a legacy for Scotland. We have to be cautious because the international evidence for countries achieving a substantial sporting legacy is thin indeed.
There is increasing evidence of countries and cities being able to achieve physical legacies that improve them enormously. Barcelona is an extraordinarily good example of that; Manchester is also a good example. Like Bill Butler, I hope that the same will be true of Glasgow. However, the member is right to say that we must also create a legacy that stimulates sporting activity.
We all welcome, praise and need to support our elite athletes, but the real purpose of sport is to stimulate activity in, around and among our communities. Sport, like the arts, can transcend all issues of class and other divisions, so it can make an extraordinary contribution to the social cohesion of our society. We have heard how many people participate at club level, but clubs exist largely because of thousands upon thousands of volunteers who give of their time and effort. Without them, many sporting clubs in a range of sports would not exist, as they do all sorts of things—maintaining equipment, dealing with travelling and giving huge amounts of time and money to ensure that we have that fabric.
The stimulus that we can get from major events is needed, but we must also recognise—as the vote for sport campaign and its manifesto recognise—the need to pay more than just lip service to the contribution that sport can make to a healthier and better society. In signing up today to the pledge to give the maximum number of people opportunities to participate in sport, we must also ensure, on a cross-party basis, that we take policies into and out of the next election that ensure that sport continues to play not just its current role but a bigger role, because it has the capacity to do so for the benefit of communities in Scotland.
17:42
I put on record my thanks to James Kelly for bringing this debate to the chamber. If he and others care to look back at the previous debate on sport, they will be gratified to find that the sort of thing that Ross Finnie described has come on a bomb. It used just to be about what medals we would win at the games and how we would get on in the Ryder cup, but tonight we have heard about sport and the people who take part in it.
I thank Hugh Henry for his kind and flattering remarks about the cross-party group on sport. I also thank Michael Matheson for saying that it is about fun. Many folk who are not in the best of health still take part in bowls. There are all sorts of sports in which people can take part even if they are a bit impaired in their physical movements—I should know. It is important to put on record that sport is not all about beating health targets—we must ensure that people enjoy it. That is what I told Christine Grahame when she said that she was put off the idea of sport when she had to run around a cold hockey field with her big blue knickers on. Now she does not need to do that—she can buy a nice wee skirt.
The cross-party group on sport has been able to influence some members; in part, that is what cross-party groups are about. We had the biggest turnout when the biggest hunky rugby players came to a meeting with the Calcutta cup; I think you were there, Presiding Officer. There was not a seat to be had. However, there was also a big turnout when Rangers came to talk not about its glorious history but about what it is doing in the community and the fact that it is reaching educationally the parts that many of our education authorities have not managed to reach. There is a growing programme to knit the affection for and ties to the sports clubs that exist in local communities into ways of coping with many of the social challenges that people face.
We had some cracking meetings when we discussed community sport. I confess that that is where my interest lies. I am of course glad about the people from Scotland who win Olympic medals and I am glad for some of the wee countries that go to the Commonwealth games with two or three athletes. That is great for them and it is good that there is room for them, but my real interest is in community sport and in getting everybody to join in.
I would like the benchmark for success under our sporting policy to be a wee country such as New Zealand. I do not know whether New Zealand has ever hosted a tournament like the Ryder cup—probably not. I do not know whether it has ever hosted the world rugby championships either—probably not. However, just about everybody in New Zealand gets out and plays some sort of sport. The same is true of Finland and Norway. Whoops—I nearly said “arc of prosperity”. It just shows that we do not need money to enjoy sport; countries can still develop a decent sporting policy anyway.
Jim Hume spoke about the importance of the governing bodies. That is where our priority for investment should lie. Sportscotland, the Scottish sports alliance and the people at the Scottish Sports Association can help to professionalise the management and administration of sport at community level. That is what gets kids in—if they can go along to a well-run local facility where there is good coaching and some local connection that they can identify with, and if it is not too rarefied for them. I was glad that Jim Hume mentioned the governing bodies, and I am glad that we have talked about that at the cross-party group on sport.
I am not meaning to criticise anybody, but spending money on extravagant opening ceremonies sits ill in countries that can hardly afford that sort of thing, where the organisers feel that they have to put on a show at the big sporting occasions. We will have to market Scotland to the world during Glasgow’s games, but we should use imagination more than cash if we do not want to run foul of the people who depend on us to make their lives a bit better—we should ensure that the legacy fits in with their needs.
The more people run, jump, throw and kick, the more people will become good at it and the more medal winners we will get. We do not need to work at it all that much, provided that we are all in it together, to quote a phrase. All I ask all members at this debate to do is ensure that our other colleagues sign the pledge for sport.
17:47
I, too, congratulate James Kelly on securing the debate, and I echo the point that this is a very good time for it, given that the Commonwealth games in Delhi are in full swing.
The Scottish Government is fully committed to supporting sport in our communities. As Margo MacDonald has just been saying, that is the backbone of sport in Scotland. In the past year, through sportscotland, we have provided significant support for sports clubs across the country, most markedly in South Lanarkshire.
We will wish to recognise the contribution of the sports alliance and its constituent bodies—the Scottish Sports Association, the Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils, and Scottish Universities Sport. The Minister for Public Health and Sport cannot be here today as she is in Delhi, but she meets members of the alliance regularly.
The Scottish Government echoes the sentiments that have been brought out in the motion and in some of the speeches this evening. Sport can make a significant contribution to Scottish society and, as a number of members have said, it can benefit our physical and mental wellbeing.
We recognise that we do not do enough as a nation. It is therefore essential that we increase our levels of physical activity, which in turn will help us to combat a range of illnesses—Nanette Milne mentioned some—and shake off our record of being a nation in poor health.
As Ross Finnie said, we love our sport, but we need to do more than just watch it from the sofa or the terraces. As well as helping us to become healthier, sport can bring significant economic benefit. That is particularly true when it comes to big events—notwithstanding the points that Margo MacDonald rightly made about the costs. She was also right to suggest that some countries that seek to hold such big events perhaps now feel themselves priced out of them, given the costs that can go with them. However, the Commonwealth games in 2014 will deliver an estimated net economic benefit of about £81 million at the Scottish level, with an estimated 1,200 net jobs, 1,000 of which will be in Glasgow.
The Ryder cup at Gleneagles, which will take place shortly afterwards, is expected to benefit the Scottish economy by £100 million—that is what it says in my notes, but I have recently seen an estimate that puts the figure at around £150 million—in the week of the event alone.
Tackling antisocial behaviour is another area in which sport can play its part, as James Kelly said. We fund that through, among other things, the Government’s cashback for communities programme. Funding is being provided from the proceeds of crime fund to a range of sports bodies, such as the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Rugby, to offer our young people the chance to keep fit and try new activities, in the hope that that will change attitudes and behaviours and, in turn, make our communities safer.
We must remember, as several members have said, that sport is meant to be fun. At the top level, athletes earn huge sums, but for the vast majority of people sport should be about having fun and enjoying themselves. Some members mentioned the prospect of cuts and the impact that that might have on sport. It is somewhat ironic that we are discussing that possibility when it is possible for some players at the peak of their sport to collect £200,000 a week for playing football. I am not saying that that is all that they do, but it marks the difference between the scale of private funding and what Governments can expect to spend.
I say to Margo MacDonald that it is true that New Zealand has hosted the rugby world cup at least once, and I think that it is to host the next rugby world cup. In addition, it is interesting to see a small country such as the Falkland Islands competing at the current Commonwealth games. It is taking part in the badminton competition, despite having only one club with 40 members.
By its nature, sport is competitive. As we have seen from the performances, that is at the very heart of sport. Whether it is winning a kick-about with mates or winning a championship final, sporting success makes people feel good about themselves. I am sure that the whole nation was delighted to see Colin Montgomerie lift the Ryder cup on Monday after leading the European team to victory at Celtic Manor and to watch Robbie Renwick taking gold in the pool on Tuesday. I was lucky enough to get down to one of the days of the Ryder cup—fortunately, it was the day when the scoreboard was almost entirely blue. The day after, we managed to go on to win the cup. It was phenomenal to see the level of interest in the event. Listening to “Flower of Scotland” being played as Robbie Renwick received his gold medal made us all feel extremely proud—it had echoes of Liz Lynch’s victories, as was mentioned.
Although sport is competitive, it is about more than winning. It is about what we can bring to individuals and communities alike. Not everyone will have the talent or the belief to win major events, but they should have the opportunity to have that ambition.
It is important to remember that even the physical infrastructure can have a legacy that is not physical. I have lived through two Commonwealth games in Edinburgh, the first of which was when the Royal Commonwealth pool and Meadowbank stadium were built. After the games, it was inspiring for those of us who lived in Edinburgh to be able to use the same pool that the athletes had used. Like Willie Coffey, I had the chance to run the five Edinburgh marathons in the 1980s, each one of which finished on the Tartan track in Meadowbank stadium. Although most of the race involved running around the back streets and the foreshore of Edinburgh, it was highly inspirational to come into the stadium, where the international athletes had been, for the end of the race. The physical infrastructure can have an important legacy.
As has been said, it all starts at the grass roots. It is essential that we have the appropriate infrastructure—I am talking about people as well as buildings—that will allow everyone to develop their basic skills at an early age and have the opportunity to try a wide range of sports and get the right coaching in a facility that is fit for purpose. In that regard, I take Hugh Henry’s point. Some of the early public-private partnership buildings were not open to the community at night, and I commend local authorities such as Glasgow City Council, which bought out the contract so that everyone in Glasgow could use all the facilities that were part of the original PPP programme.
Now that the Commonwealth games are under way, many of us have been glued to our seats watching top athletes compete. Such events have the ability to inspire and encourage others to do that little bit extra. We must capture that interest and enthusiasm if we are to have health at the heart of our legacy plan, and our clear aim is to create an active nation. Ross Finnie’s point about the lack of success of countries that have hosted events such as Commonwealth games was well made. To return to the Ryder cup, the club golf programme, which was born out of our bid to host that event, has been extremely successful in introducing thousands of young people to golf and it will have long-term benefits.
It has been mentioned that local grass-roots clubs can be a focal point for bringing communities together. Those clubs need to be supported and helped to thrive, and that support will be provided through the community sports hubs.
We should all enjoy and celebrate the Commonwealth games, but we should also recognise that we should not measure success just by the performances of the few; rather, we should measure it by the efforts of the many. We should use the games as an opportunity for Scotland to become a healthier and fitter nation.
Meeting closed at 17:55.