Sport in Scotland: report

Section 6: Key Recommendations and Observations

RO1 Scottish society is changing and sport needs to adapt. A number of organisations claim to be the voice of Scottish sport, but to thrive, sport needs a clear agreed common purpose in order to be more joined up and work effectively. This could be achieved by sport organisations aligning themselves around shared, agreed and well defined outcomes, perhaps in line with the Active Scotland Outcomes Framework.

RO2 The demands placed upon small and medium sized sports governing bodies, means that their capacity and in some cases capability, to deliver core objectives and outcomes is currently compromised. Necessary back office functions, such as human resources, legal and accountancy services should be shared much more across Governing Bodies. This could be achieved by one collaborative body facilitating a step change in the current level of support across, for example, governing bodies of sport.

RO3 Scottish sport would be helped if budgets were fixed over a longer period to allow for long term strategic planning.

RO4 The ability of Scottish sport to attract philanthropy as a significant additional income stream to support social outcomes is in its infancy.

RO5 The sector would benefit from a comprehensive organisational map and shared understanding of Scottish sport, including the remits of different organisations.

RO6 A number of sporting organisations have historical remits, capacity and capability creating overlap and duplication. The strengths of these organisations should be harnessed to improve overall capacity and capability.

RO7 Scotland has given a lot to the world of sport but it also needs to consider further embracing opportunities that are presented.

RO8 A UN sport specific remit around sport for development and the 2030 sustainable development goals provides sport with an international mandate that should be grasped by Scotland.

RO9 The growth and advances in digital technology should be captured.

RO10 The review recommends that steps are taken to establish an independent Advisory Group for Sport or A National Sports Forum with a clear aim and terms of reference.

RO11 The review recognises the desire and aspiration for the sporting sector to attract funding from areas such as charitable foundations and corporate business. It is recommended that this is an area for further exploration^[22].

RO12 The review recommends that Scottish sport is supported to develop its potential as a soft power asset to advance Scotland’s cultural relations^[23].

RO13 The Scottish Government has stated its ambition to embed human rights across all areas of policy in a way that makes a difference in the lives of people in Scotland and demonstrates global leadership in setting standards. Sport and human rights is an area where Scotland could aspire to be a world leader^[24].