The Athlete Travel Award Scheme (ATAS) opens today for new applications to the first round of 2023/24 funding
The scheme offers Shetland-based athletes financial support for competition and training on the Scottish Mainland. Applications to the first round funding for activities taking place from 1st April to 30th September 2023 are now open. The deadline for applications in this funding will be Monday 13th March.
Applications to a second round of funding will reopen in September, for programmes beginning October 2023. For both rounds of applications, up to £750 will be awarded per athlete based on their training and competition schedule. Successful and unsuccessful athletes in Round One will be able to reapply in Round Two.
The scheme is funded by sportscotland and Shetland Islands Council and is administered locally by Shetland Islands Council.
In 2022/23, the scheme supported 12 athletes from five different sports, including athletics, football, swimming, triathlon and parasports.
Jack Clubb, Sports Development Officer, Shetland Islands Council said - “We are delighted to enter our fifth year of the Athlete Travel Award Scheme and to continue supporting athletes to travel to the Scottish mainland for training and competition. The scheme has helped to make a huge difference to those we’ve supported, with some athletes now involved in high performance programmes. A particular standout is young footballer George Robesten, who has signed a two year professional contract with Ross County Football Club.”
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said: “The aim of ATAS is to level the playing field for athletes in communities like Shetland by addressing the specific challenges they face and making it easier to access the training and competition they need.
“In addition to providing financial support to athletes, we also work closely with Shetland Islands Council to ensure that athletes can access specialist services locally through the sportscotland institute of sport. This complete support package makes a huge difference as we have seen with Shetland-based ATAS-supported athletes who have made real progress in their chosen sports.”
For more information on the Athlete Travel Award Scheme, including guidelines and how to apply, please look here