Sport and Leisure
The Sport and Leisure Service provides and promotes a diverse range of opportunities, services and facilities for sport, physical recreation and play for people of all ages and abilities throughout Shetland.
Latest News
The Community and Leisure Service Latest News page includes information on forthcoming sports events, coaching courses and other relevant sports news.
Active Schools Shetland
Working in partnership with SportScotland the Active Schools Programme has been developed in Shetland over the last three years. Examples of the projects developed are; TOP Play & TOP Sport, Get Active programmes, Walking Bus Programme, Class Moves programme. Please visit the new Active Schools Shetland web page.
Sports Development
A varied programme of activities and programmes are developed through this area of work e.g. summer holiday activities for children, event management (Shetland Cup), coaching courses for volunteers, Island Games developments, advice to volunteers, coaching resource service, child safe Shetland, Sport and Recreation Strategy development, New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport Programme etc.
The Shetland Coaching Resource Centre based in the Shetland Library stocks a wide range of sports coaching materials, including textbooks, interactive CD-ROMs, and DVDs. For more information and a list of items held, please look here
Outdoor Education and Activities
This service has been introduced through the Council’s successful application to the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) for PE and Sport. This service will provide outdoor educational opportunities for everyone in Shetland and is particularly aimed at 5 –16 year olds. The outdoor programmes will include a variety of activities such as hill walking, coastal walking, canoeing, kayaking, orienteering, rock climbing, coasteering etc. Activities will be available to schools, youth clubs, uniformed organisations and the general public.
Leisure Facilities
The Sport and Leisure Service has responsibility for various leisure facilities across Shetland, including:
- 74 play areas, from Unst to Fair Isle
- 13 multi-courts
- Knab golf course
- Seafield and Clickimin playing fields
- Gilbertson Park playing field and Games Hall
- Jubilee Flower Park and Bowling Green in Lerwick
- Fetlar Camp site
- and numerous footpaths and amenity areas within Lerwick
Gilbertson Park Games Hall is available for indoor bookings throughout the year, including special events, birthday parties and regular club activities. For more information please contact Sport and Leisure on (01595) 744006
Throughout the summer months (from April - September) outdoor pitch bookings for Seafield, Clickimin and Gilbertson playing fields can be made through Shetland Recreational Trust. Please contact Clickimin Centre on (01595) 741000 for more information.
Bookings for Fetlar Camp Site (open from April - September) can be made to Mr. Nic Boxall on (01957) 733227.
Shetland Recreational Trust operate eight leisure centres in Shetland, providing easy access to sport and recreation across the Isles.
Looking for a sport?
Shetland has a rich and diverse network of sports clubs. There are around forty different sports that exist in Shetland, from angling and archery to windsurfing and yoga, and over 250 different sports clubs.
Contact details for these groups are shown online on the Shetland Community Directory If you still can't find the sport you are looking for, then please feel free to contact the Sport and Leisure Service on 01595 744006 or via community.development@shetland.gov.uk There may be some local information available that isn't available online.
NatWest Island Games XI - Shetland 2005
Shetland successfully hosted the 2005 NatWest Island Games that saw around 2000 competitors from 24 islands around the world take part this week-long event from 9-15 July 2005. It was a spectacular and colouful week with thousands of local people turning out to see some top-class sports action at venues across Shetland. With the Western Isles taking part in their first Island Games, sportsmen and women from the three Scottish Islands - the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland - all met together in competition for the first time.
Around 1500 local volunteers of all ages were involved with the Games, helping in a variety of different roles. Over 200 senior technical officials (umpires, referees etc) from Scotland, England and other islands oversaw the sports events.
As the smallest island ever to host the event, the Games presented a huge challenge to the people of Shetland. The event was however hailed a success by the overwhelming majority of locals and visitors. Convenor of Shetland Islands Council, Sandy Cluness, commented " The people of Shetland have given a warm welcome to all our Games visitors... It is a great demonstration of the strength of our community spirit that we have the capacity to host this major international event here."
Images, news, and archived video footage (courtesy of Scottish Media Group) from the 2005 NatWest Island Games are available on the Council's webpages here
The results service of the Games, including full match results and medal tables, is available here
The website of the International Island Games Association is www.islandgames.net
Grant Assistance to the Voluntary Sector
The Sport and Leisure Services is responsible for a variety of grant aid schemes, which are available to the voluntary sector in Shetland. For more information on the grants available to community groups, please click here.
Child Protection in Sport
Detailed information for voluntary and community groups in Shetland on good practice for working with children and young people is available on the Council's Childsafe Shetland website. This site includes guidance on the recruitment of volunteers, travel checklists, codes of conduct and how to obtain Disclosure checks, as well as other sources of help and support.
sportscotland also have detailed online resources for child protection in sport with further links to Children 1st - one of Scotland's leading childcare charities.
If you have immediate concerns or worries about anyone you know, you can find more details and local contact telephone numbers on the Council's Social Work pages here
Service Management
The service is managed by the Sport and Leisure Services Manager who is responsible for all aspects of the service including the budgets, facilities, equipment and staff. The work undertaken includes support and supervision of staff, setting targets and work plans for the staff, monitoring the work of the staff, providing and organising training opportunities for staff, budget preparation and monitoring, service planning and policy implementation etc.
Sport & Leisure Staff
Neil Watt - Service Manager
Michael Duncan - Grants
Co-ordinator
Elsa Manson - Grants Officer
Bob Kerr - Sports Development Officer
Magnus Malcolmson - Leisure Facilities Officer
Pete Richardson - Outdoor Education and Activities Officer
Lesley Spence - Active Futures Co-ordinator (p/t)
Philip Ashley-Smith -
Active Schools Manager
Mandy Henderson - Active
Schools Co-ordinator - Lerwick & Bressay
James Johnston - Active
Schools Co-ordinator - North Mainland
Jake Williams - Active
Schools Co-ordinator - West & South
Paul Woods - Active Schools
Co-ordinator - Central Mainland & Whalsay
Heather Hogg - Active
Schools Co-ordinator (p/t) - Anderson High School
Donna Murray - Active Schools
Co-ordinator (p/t) - North Isles
In addition there are a number of Park and Gardens staff employed full-time by the Service to maintain and manage outdoor leisure facilities.
Contact details
Sport and Leisure Service
Shetland Islands Council
Hayfield House
Hayfield Lane
Lerwick
Shetland
ZE1 0QD
(01595) 744006
community.development@shetland.gov.uk
Office hours are: 9am
– 5pm, Monday – Thursday
9am – 4pm, Friday
Further links
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland |
 |
