Sport Matters
Sport matters, that was the message that the Scottish Sport Alliance took to the Scottish Parliament where they launched ‘A Manifesto for Scottish Sport’.
At the heart of the manifesto is the intrinsic value of sport – fun and enjoyment. The manifesto also outlines the benefits that participating in sport/being active can bring to individuals, including: improved physical and mental health, enhanced learning and employability. Taking part in sport/being active has been described as the ‘best buy in public health’, hence the manifesto also indicates the benefits for Scotland if the population was more active, including enhanced economic productivity, crime prevention and enhanced learning. Mark called for Scotland’s politicians to endorse and prioritise the contribution of sport to Scotland and to take forward the asks within the manifesto towards a world class sporting system for Scotland.
Cowdenbeath constituency MSP Alex Rowley caught up with the group and supported the manifesto stating that sport and general fitness is crucial for health and wellbeing and should be supported at all levels of government.
Mr Rowley said; “As a Fife MSP I am proud that our local council has prioritised sport and despite the cuts we are seeing major developments with new facilities in Kelty, Cowdenbeath, Lumphinnans and Cardenden as well as upgrades to the community use facilities at Inverkeithing and Lochgelly High Schools. The Cowdenbeath leisure centre is going from strength to strength and the new developments of a cycle track at Lochore Meadows, fleet grounds at Rosyth, new skate parks across the constituency and a climbing centre in Lochgelly will add to the wider range of different sports including gymnastics at Dalgety Bay, mountain biking at Crosshill and Blairadam and the massive amount of local sports clubs and groups in every town and village that makes up the Cowdenbeath constituency.
The Labour politician explained that The Scottish Sport Alliance had five key ‘asks’ from all the political parties in Edinburgh and these are;
An entitlement for everyone to realise the benefits of sport/being active, an entitlement for every child to be equipped with the skills to be active for life, an entitlement to easily access local, inclusive and quality sporting places, an entitlement for everyone to be supported as a volunteer and an entitlement for all talented individuals to achieve their potential through the sporting system.
He concluded; “Fife has shown that investing in sport and leisure are key for investing in people and in the future and I will continue to work with organisations like the Scottish Sport Alliance to make the case for sport”.
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