Swim Western Isles team member Marsailli relished the opportunity to come to Glasgow to compete in her first competition of 2023. She took everything in her stride at Tollcross International Swimming Centre when competing in the West of Scotland Regional Championships on Saturday 11 February.

It was Marsailli’s first time competing in the Disability Sport Glasgow Event in Tollcross but she rose to the occasion and enjoyed winning two Gold and two Silver medals. She continues to train as a member of Swim Western Isles ASC under the watchful eye of David Hanlon and Sarah Macleod.

Marsailli won the following medals.

• Gold 25m CLASS 10 Backstroke
• Gold 25m Class 8 Freestyle Front
• Silver 25m Class 4 Butterfly
• Silver 25m Class 10 Breaststroke

If you or anyone you know living with a disability would like to get involved in swimming, at any level, please contact  admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or telephone 0131 317 1130.

Boccia UK has today announced that four new athletes will join the World Class Programme. The athletes who have earned their spot on the World Class Programme, supported by UK Sport and The National Lottery are:

• Robyn McBride from Antrim, Northern Ireland
• Kayleigh Haggo, from Ayr, Scotland
• Fiona Muirhead from Blantyre, Lanarkshire Scotland
• Sally Kidson from Salisbury, Wiltshire

In total, there are now 12 athletes in the Boccia UK squad that receive funding as part of the World Class Programme. Each athlete on the programme is supported at day-to-day training and any competitions they attend, as well as services such as physiotherapy and strength and conditioning, thanks to UK Sport, The National Lottery and the DCMS.

Robyn McBride (BC3)

McBride, 24, made her debut for Boccia UK at the World Cup in Rio last April and has since demonstrated huge potential. She reached the last 16 at December’s World Championships, defeating highly ranked players such as Thailand’s Ladamanee Kia-Han, the then world number four, en route. Last year, the Northern Ireland star also won a silver in the BC3 Pairs with Will Arnott at the Veldhoven World Boccia Challenger as well as a bronze in the BC3 individual event.

The player – joined on court by Dad Davy as ramp assistant – was brought onto the World Class Programme for an initial trial period of six months but has now firmly cemented her place in the squad.

“I’ve loved every minute of being on the Boccia UK squad and am thrilled to be continuing on the World Class Programme in the build up to Paris 2024,” explained Robyn. “We’ve got a busy schedule ahead of us in which we need to gain vital ranking points but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’d like to thank the National Lottery players who make this all possible.”

Kayleigh Haggo (BC2)

Haggo is already known for her sporting prowess – but in the sport of frame-running as world record holder over 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m. The Ayr athlete set her first world record at the age of 12 and made her first appearance for Boccia UK at the World Boccia Poznan Challenger in August. She juggles training and competing alongside her job as an Active Schools Coordinator for people with additional support needs in South Ayrshire. In 2017, she was named as one of 30 most inspiring women under 30 by YMCA Scotland.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have been selected onto the World Class Programme. Words cannot describe how excited, happy and grateful I am for this opportunity. Huge thanks to UK Sport, The National Lottery and Boccia UK for their support and for believing in me. I can’t wait for this next opportunity.”

Fiona Muirhead (BC4)

2023 was also the breakthrough year for Fiona Muirhead. The Lanarkshire player reached the last 16 at the World Championships and has been making good progress in the BC4 Pairs with Stephen McGuire. The 40-year-old first tried her hand at curling but the cold conditions didn’t suit her. Switching to boccia, she says the sport has had a positive impact on her condition, muscular dystrophy.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to Great Britain and I’m really looking forward to events in 2023 and working towards the Paris Paralympic Games.”

Sally Kidson (BC3)

Kidson is 18 years old and is the youngest athlete currently supported by the World Class Programme.

At the age of just 17, she made her Boccia UK debut in style, finishing fourth in the female BC3 category at the World Boccia Poznan Challenger in August. Away from boccia, Sally is a keen musician and has performed with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Resound ensemble and the National Open Youth Orchestra.

“I’m so thankful for Boccia UK for giving me the opportunity to join the World Class Programme and to continue to compete on the international stage. I’m excited to see what the rest of the year brings.”

In total, there are now 12 athletes in the Boccia UK squad that are supported by UK Sport’s World Class Programme. Each athlete receives funding to help with training and competition as well as services such as physiotherapy and strength and conditioning.

Boccia UK Performance Director Greg Baker explains:

“To achieve selection to the World Class Programme, an athlete needs to demonstrate realistic medal winning capabilities for future Paralympic Games. We are really excited to welcome Robyn, Fiona, Kayleigh and Sally onto the programme which really improves our strength and depth at international tournaments.

“Boccia is a thoroughly demanding and exacting sport and we are confident that the new athletes joining the programme have got what it takes to be successful at this level. They have each demonstrated a problem solving and highly strategic mindset that is required to be a world class boccia player and we’re excited to see what the future holds.”

It was all about disability sport and embedding inclusion within sport and physical activity programmes when the Local Professional Officers Disability Sport Networking Group met virtually on Wednesday 8 February.  113 sports development professionals from 31 local authority areas came together to share good practice and identify how we can all work together to engage more participants with disabilities in Parasport Festivals and community sports clubs. 

Representatives from Active Schools, Community Sports Hubs, Sports Development and SDS Member Branches discussed the key topics of Parasport Festivals and inclusive approaches within Community Sports Hubs and clubs. 

The day began with Graeme Doig, Tayside Regional Manager presented an overview of the SDS Parasport Festival Programme, the support available to participants post event and the impact the programme has had on participants.  

Gemma Lumsdaine, recently selected player for the first ever female Wheelchair Rugby Team and will compete in Paris later this year gave an inspiring overview of her experiences in sport and the difference sport and physical activity has made to all areas of her life including her identity, mental health and social network.  

The second session of the day was kicked off by Greg Welsh and Audra Booth, both Community Sports Hub Officers in Aberdeenshire who shared their experience of working with partners to offer opportunities to participants with disabilities within mainstream clubs in Aberdeenshire.  

In both the morning and afternoon sessions lots of great discussion took place, with many officers  sharing best practice. Many conversations provoked ideas which will be shape future practice across the country.  

SDS Boccia Development Officer Joshua Thomson, provided an overview of the forthcoming inaugural National Schools Boccia Competition and an update on training for Community Sports Hub Officers and the Inclusive Club Resource E-Learning Module was given from Alison Shaw, Regional Manager for Grampian and Shetland.  

Gavin Macleod SDS CEO said “We were delighted to see the large numbers once again in attendance at the recent Local Professional Officers Disability Sport Networking Group.  This demonstrates the significant commitment to equality and inclusion at a local level and the role that SDS continues to play in embedding inclusion for participants with disabilities within strategic planning and operational delivery.” 

If you would like further information about the meeting or the next meeting of the group, please contact admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or telephone 07800 523 740.  

Scottish Golf is the national governing body for the sport of golf in Scotland. Based at Rosyth, we provide support to Scotland’s affiliated golf clubs (c580), representing and adding value to over 200,000 golf club members. As Scottish Golf embarks on a new five-year strategic cycle, the Board seeks to appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to oversee and drive the execution of its growth plans in the coming years.

Full details can be found here:

Executive Jobs Opportunities | Odgers Berndtson

Age range: 13+ 

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We are delighted to announce details for the upcoming Scottish Disability Sport Central Parasport Festival 2023.

Date: Tuesday 28^th March 2023

Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm (9.30am arrival and registration)

Venue: Grangemouth Sports Complex, Abbots Road, Grangemouth FK3 9JB

Cost: Free

The Central Parasport Festival, kindly hosted by Falkirk Council, is designed to introduce pupils from mainstream schools with a physical, visual or hearing impairment, aged P1-S6 to try new and exciting sports. It has been identified that these individuals are significantly under-represented when it comes to participating in weekly sport or physical activity. The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and the key impact of the event is to provide a multisport opportunity to these pupils, identify talented individuals within specific sports, alongside channelling pupils onto local, regional club programmes and sessions.

We would like to welcome back all pupils who have attended in the past, alongside engaging new pupils to attend for their first experience. During previous Central Parasport festivals video footage was captured highlighting the impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.  We hope this footage will prove a useful tool in providing an insight to the event.

Central Parasport Festival 2019 – YouTube

Pupil testimonial: Central Parasport Festival 2018 – ATHLETE – YouTube

Parent testimonial: Central Parasport Festival 2018 – PARENT – YouTube

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, Active Schools from Active Stirling, Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council and Forth Valley Disability Sport Branch. In addition we have support from Scottish Governing Bodies along with local community club coaches to offer sessions in badminton, boccia, football, wheelchair basketball, athletics, swimming, archery, and adapted bikes to young people across Central Scotland. We are also hopeful to have guest speakers on the day to inspire our pupils to take part in disability sport.

Booking information: How to apply

If you would like your son/ daughter/ pupil to attend the festival please complete the online registration form in the link below before the closing date of Tuesday 14^th March 2023:

Central Parasport 2023 Registration Form

Hard copy registration details can be found here: Central Scotland Parasport Festival Information Pack and Entry Form 2023

As a parent / guardian / carer/ teacher/ Active Schools Coordinator we would also welcome you to attend the event. Please note all pupils must be accompanied by an adult through the duration of the event.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the Central Parasport Festival or disability sport in Central, please contact:

Cheryl Lappin– SDS Regional Development Manager for Central Scotland

Email: Cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Tel: 07577 830 360

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid equalled the record for most Grand Slam men’s doubles titles won by a pair in the Open Era today after the British second seeds beat Dutch duo Maikel Scheffers and Ruben Spaargaren 6-1, 6-2 to seal their fourth successive Australian Open wheelchair title and their 16th major title together.

Contesting their 14th successive Grand Slam final, second seeds Hewett and Reid raced to a 4-0 lead over Scheffers and Spaargaren before wrapping up the opening set in 27 minutes as Spaargaren sprayed a forehand wide of its intended target.

A week ago Hewett and Reid, who are supported by the LTA’s Elite Wheelchair Programme, beat Scheffers and Spaargaren in a deciding match tie-break in the semi-finals of the Melbourne Open Super Series tournament, but they showed no signs of being taken to such extremes this time. They won 12 points without reply for a 5-1 second set lead before Reid served out the match on the third championship point after a double fault on the first.

Reid, who now has 22 major titles to his name across singles and doubles after an injury-hit 2022 season when he and Hewett still won two majors together, said:

“It’s never easy but if we can play like we did today and go on court with the mindset and the intention we had today then it certainly can be slightly easier that we sometimes make it. We’re really pleased and there are lots of positives to take away. Obviously, there are always things that we can try and improve on as well, which is another thing we’ll take out of the day, but overall we’re really happy. As a lefty, a slider out wide is my favourite serve, so it was good to finish on one of those.”

Hewett, who will now play Japan’s Tokito Oda on Saturday as he bids for a first Australian Open singles crown, said: 

“It feels really good to get the win today in such a short space of time because last week when we played them it was three and a half hours. I think that shows the improvements we’re making as a team and we’re just trying to find our levels again and Performances like today really help the confidence and we can build on that.  We’ve got ambitions to kick on and it’s 18 months until the (Paris 2024) Games. For me, personally, it’s just great to have him (Reid) back. I played with quite a  few different players last year, so I missed him a bit.” 

Hewett and Reid’s latest major title sees them equal the record of 16 Grand Slam men’s doubles titles as a pair won by American twins Bob and Mike Bryan. When winning their third Australian Open and third French Open titles in 2022 they created a new record of 10 successive Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair, beating the previous record of eight won by Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. 

Photo courtesy of Getty Images for the LTA

Scottish Disability Sport is delighted to announce our next Girls in Boccia event will take place on Saturday 4^th March at Menzieshill Community Hub in Dundee. This event is open to all women and girls who have a physical, learning or sensory disability. Whether you are a boccia regular or never played before, this event will cater to all. So come along, meet some new people, try out boccia and hear of the impact boccia has had on the lives of some of our leading female players!

To register please click here