Why We Do It
Scotland is synonymous across the world with sporting passion; whether our athletes and teams are participating in, or the Tartan Army are following, football, cricket or golf, be that in Glasgow, London, Atlanta or Sydney, Scotland is always known for our sporting passion.
With one fifth of our population participating in sport in membership of one of Scotland’s 13,000 sports clubs, sport is Scotland’s greatest social movement; inclusive of age, gender, race, sexuality and creed. Sport unites communities and inspires a nation.
From cheering Sir Chris Hoy to win three Olympic gold medals in 2008; to those of us that joined David Sole’s team in singing Flower of Scotland before Scotland’s monumental 1990 Grand Slam victory; from playground re-enactments of Archie Gemmill’s legendary 1978 World Cup goal; to the millions of us who watched captivated as Rhona Martin’s Scottish rink claimed Olympic gold in Salt Lake City - sport intrinsically links all corners of society.
Sport’s impact on society however extends far beyond winning medals - sport is Scotland’s missing link, a vehicle for change; it impacts on all areas of society from health to justice to education - sport has a major role to play in supporting, uniting and improving our nation.
Sport liberates potential – it allows individuals to take part in, and to be part of, something that is greater than themselves. Sport gives people the opportunity to interact, respect and support each other.
The Scottish Governing Bodies of sport recognise these benefits and believe now is the time for sports to show how much they can achieve on and off the field of play.