Community Sport Hub
A Community Sport Hub (CSH) is a collective of local sports clubs and other community organisations that come together to improve the contribution that sport & physical activity has on a community.
The Community Sport Hub approach is to support and empower local people to improve sport & physical activity in communities across Scotland. It starts with understanding the needs within a community and then collaborating to facilitate and deliver activities and interventions.
Across Scotland, a network of Community Sport Hub Officers are on hand to work with local leaders. They provide support to help understand barriers and develop inclusive approaches that ensure everyone can get active. They help establish partnerships, and develop plans and resources to build capacity and capability in community organisations.
Sportscotland’s approach allows for each Community Sport Hub to be unique and operate in the way that best suits their locality, however each are founded on the same three pillars:
- Meeting community needs
- Fostering community collaboration
- Empowering community leaders
In Shetland we have 9 CSHs:
- Unst
- Yell
- Whalsay
- North Mainland
- South Mainland
- West Mainland
- Central Mainland (Tingwall, Burra, Scalloway, Nesting)
- Lerwick
- Shetland-wide clubs (clubs that are not based in a particular area)
Who are CSHs for?
Most members of our CSHs are sports or physical activity clubs, but others include facility owners, community groups and any others who have an interest in health and wellbeing in their area.
What are the benefits of being a member of a CSH?
- Access to discounted or free sport-specific and generic training/education
- Priority for training places over non-CSH-members
- Other support including equipment to enable club development
- Updates shared around topics including funding opportunities, governance and more
- Sharing of information and resources between CSH members
- Ease of coordinating activities in a local area and avoiding clashes
- Excellent forum for local discussion around challenges etc
- Improved promotion of local clubs and opportunities
What does being a member involve?
Thankfully the ask is not too onerous! Short meetings are held online very occasionally – we expect one or two per year. Your Community Sport Hub Officer will keep in touch with everyone usually via email (or another method if the group prefers) to send updates and any relevant information. Hub members will also be kept informed of any support requests that meet the Hub aims and have been received by the Hub Officer, and asked if they have any objections.
How to join?
There is a quick and easy form to complete online which will then be sent to the relevant CSH Officer who will add your club/facility the group list. The information contained in this form will be reviewed annually to ensure that contact details etc are still correct. If you have any questions you can contact the Community Sport Hub Officers here:
| Lerwick and Shetland-wide CSH | jack.clubb@shetland.gov.uk |
| Yell and Unst CSHs | linda.thomson@shetland.gov.uk |
| West Mainland CSH | jacqui.murray@shetland.gov.uk |
| North Mainland CSH | danny.peterson@shetland.gov.uk |
| South Mainland CSH | jennifer.thomson@shetland.gov.uk |
| Central CSH | eoin.leask@shetland.gov.uk |
| Whalsay CSH | lesley.spence@shetland.gov. |
I’ve received support from my CSH, what happens next?
We are very grateful if you tag us in any social media posts [Shetland Sport and Leisure] about the support received and mention/use the hashtag ‘Community Sport Hub’. There is no formal reporting, but your CSH Officer will ask for some feedback as to how the support was used and the difference this has made to your club/organisation.
How to leave a CSH?
If a club no longer exists, or no longer wishes to be part of the CSH, they can email the CSH Officer and ask to be removed from the group list.