No fewer that 270 budding sports coaches from all over Argyll and the Islands – Bute, Islay, Mull Coll and Tiree were all there – to a skills development weekend in Dunoon on 6th and 7th February, keen to harvest greater expertise to take home to the their communities.
Funded by Argyll and Bute Council in partnership with Argyll College and sportscotland., the event is aimed at encouraging the development of sport at grass-roots level. Its strategy is to make it easy for individuals and communities to get trained, make contact with other like-minded people in Argyll and get up to date with best practice in coaching.
The governing bodies of a range of sports provided experienced tutors and the developing partnerships with Football, Rugby and Shinty supports opportunities for newly qualified coaches to put their qualifications to good use in the games.
Councillor Neil Mackay, Argyll & Bute Council’s spokesperson for Sport, proud that no other local authority in Scotland does anything like this, says: ‘This reflects the Council’s desire to increase participation in sports and physical activity, fighting social inequalities by getting people more active in our unique natural environment.
‘The coaching weekend increases the number and quality of coaches in Argyll and Bute and this boosts participation in sport. I’m delighted it has been so successful again this year.’
The 2009 event was recognised at an example of Best Practice by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) in the 2010 Excellence Awards. In addition, the NHS Physical Activity Healthy Alliance is believed to be considering another award under the Active Nation programme, which is linked to the 2014 Commonwealth Games Legacy for Scotland.
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