News from Edinburgh Rugby

Forget THAT match – it’s in the past now, and in the past it must remain … (that’s quite catchy, must try to put a tune to it sometime). Anyway, here are some local rugby events to look forward to, courtesy of Edinburgh Rugby …

Kid A Quid

Please see below information regarding our next home game against Munster on Saturday 7 November where all U18’s can get get a ticket, in advance, for £1. To buy tickets now please go to (https://www.eticketing.co.uk/scottishrugby/details/event.aspx?itemref=4494)

October Camp

We also have spaces left for our camp on Wednesday 21 October – that’s TOMORROW! For more information visit https://www.eticketing.co.uk/scottishrugby/details/event.aspx?itemref=4471)

Coaching Master class

Our next coaching master class will be on the 27 November at the Edinburgh v Dragons fixture. For more information please email bepartforit@edinburghrugby.org

Those who would like to participate in the masterclass should ensure they have a match day ticket to enter the game.

1872 Cup kid from a quid (under 18s)

On the 27 December Edinburgh Rugby will take to the field against Glasgow Warriors in the first of two legs to defend the 1872 cup. This is a spectacle of the rugby calendar in Scotland and is not to be missed please see the link below to book tickets.

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/scottishrugby/details/event.aspx?itemref=4444

For Information about Game On please see: http://www.edinburghrugby.org/GameOn

Maximum goals from Muirhouse Mini-Mums!

Fun Day at Kai’s Footie Match

Before the game the 2 teams formed a circle in tribute to young Kai. The crowd was substantial and the weather holding up as the teams lined up for photographs (writes James McGinty).

By half time we had witnessed six goals – shared equally – and 3000 rugby tackles!

The second half was a completely different story as the management team of the Mini’s team resorted to ‘St Trinian’s’ tactics, with all the ladies handed the dreaded water pistols and turned up the pressure!

Goal 8 for the girls was a bit weird: as the ball shot across the goals an unnamed spectator ran on and passed it into the net – referee a sure candidate for Spec Savers!!

More pressure from the ladies saw Paula distract the defence by dancing with the centre half as the girls bore down on goal. The final score – which is in much dispute! – was, by my count, Muirhouse Mini’s 10 Muirhouse Guys 6!

For a game that was played in the best of spirit both teams deserved the plaudits as the game came to an end, the teams formed a circle and put their own donations in the very heavy bucket. Many thanks to the large crowd who turned up and gave and gave.

Picture (above) shows the Raffle Prize in which the winners received all the food and drink on the table for only £1 a go!!

We will publish the total amount raised when all he monies from the raffle, tombola cake stand, and donations are counted.

Pictures: James McGinty

We’ll support you evermore?

Consultation launched to give fans greater voice

A consultation into the best ways of increasing supporter involvement in football clubs is being launched today.

The Scottish Government is launching the exercise to inform potential future legislation to protect the rights of football fans. The consultation, which will run until 15 January next year, seeks to gather the views of supporters and other stakeholders involved in the game.

Respondents will be asked to consider a number of different options that could be included in future legislation. These include a right to influence the way the club is run, to govern the club or to bid for ownership when it comes up for sale. The final option is to introduce a right to buy, where fans would have a right to buy their football club.

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June 2015. As part of the final legislation, the Scottish Government gave an undertaking to consult on a range of different options to enhance supporter involvement in football clubs.

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “I believe that football clubs are stronger when supporters are involved in the way they are run. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that fans have the chance to be involved wherever possible.

“It’s important to increase supporter involvement, but we also need to consider the long term stability of our clubs. We must make sure that whichever option we pursue does not result in any unintended consequences.

“This consultation is about gathering a wide range of views so we can decide the best way to achieve this. I want to hear from fans, supporters’ organisations, players and the clubs themselves – anyone who cares about this great game.”

The consultation paper can be downloaded here:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/09/8222

Work starts on Drylaw skatepark

‘This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active’ – Sarah Robertson, sportscotland

This week sees construction commence on a new £200,000 skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.

The new skatepark is the result of a collaborative project between the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust and local community organisations to develop, fund and deliver a new skatepark in Easter Drylaw Park.

The project was initiated by young people from the local community and was then taken forward via consultation and first stage funding for the development of a feasibility study, by the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, closely supported by the local community council, Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and sportscotland

The inspiration for the project came from the citywide skate park created in Saughton Park which has shown how successful a skatepark can be, and which has led to calls for a more local and convenient facility in the north of the city.

The new facility has received funding from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and the City of Edinburgh Council and secured £100,000 match funding from the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

The Greenspace Trust (ELGT) has overseen the project management of the skatepark since planning permission was granted in early 2013, and has taken the lead in developing and securing funding to ensure the delivery of the project for the community. The final elements of funding were secured by ELGT earlier this year and the construction put out to tender in the summer. With the final design elements agreed, and necessary planning conditions met, such as drainage, work can now start.

50% of the costs of the skatepark are being met by an award from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. The £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund has enable communities across Scotland to benefit from the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, by providing more and better opportunities to be active.

Sarah Robertson, Project Manager from sportscotland, said: “The new Drylaw skatepark is a fantastic example of what can be achieved by various organisations investing resources and working together and we are delighted to have invested £100,000 from the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

“Together with our partners, sportscotland are committed to building and supporting the development of a world-class sporting system at all levels, and this project will provide a great facility which will be available for the whole of the community to use.

“This skatepark is an excellent asset for the local community and I hope that it will encourage the people of Drylaw, and further afield, to become more active”.

The match funding is from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council -Culture and Sport. The new skatepark helps deliver the Neighbourhood Partnership’s key priorities of engaging young people, increased opportunities for physical activity and encouraging better use of green spaces.

Local Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the skatepark working group, said: “I am pleased the Drylaw Skatepark work has started. It has been a long road to get to this point and credit is due to the young people and local organisations who have worked tirelessly to make sure this project happened.”

Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) works across Edinburgh and the Lothians to create, improve and promote parks and greenspaces, and to provide opportunities for communities to be more active for leisure and travel.

Ross Woodside, ELGT’s Projects Manager, said: “We are pleased that the much-anticipated skatepark has reached the construction stage. We are confident that it will be a well-used local asset and make real contribution to more sporting opportunities in the area.”

The park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks, the UK’s oldest and largest skatepark design-and-build company. Construction is scheduled to last around ten weeks.

City gets set to welcome top cyclists

Edinburgh hosts Stage Four of the Aviva Tour of Britain cycling race on Wednesday. Cyclists will travel 218km from the Scottish capital to Blyth, Northumberland (see route), leaving the city at 10am.

Cyclists will face a spectacular journey through the heart of the city, starting in Holyrood Park, winding past the Scottish Parliament and up the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle.

The race will descend Johnston Terrace and travel through the Meadows before passing Arthur’s Seat and heading out of the city. After leaving Edinburgh, the race will move on to East Lothian.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Festivals and Events Champion, said: “This will be the first time in history that the UK’s most prestigious cycling race traces the winding streets of the Scottish Capital to launch the event north of the border. It’s going to be a spectacular sight!

“As the starting point and host city of the Scottish stage and with the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyrood House and ancient volcano Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh is the place to be to experience the thrill of the Tour of Britain.”

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland said: “Scotland is gearing up to welcome the Aviva Tour of Britain and the top international cyclists and enthusiasts it brings with it from around the world.

“Scotland is the perfect stage for events with a global reputation for cycling and I’m certain the stages unveiled today will offer up some of Scotland’s most iconic and picturesque locations as a backdrop across the handlebars, as well as a fantastic spectator experience for all ages.”

Chief Executive for Scottish Cycling Craig Burn added: “Scottish Cycling is continuing to see an upsurge in interest in all areas of cycling. The Aviva Tour of Britain is a great showcase for cycling in Scotland and the hard work of the daily activities of our 178 clubs and the 600 plus events staged annually by our clubs and members.”

The Aviva Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step.

Over twenty of the world’s top teams are taking part in the competition. Heading the lineup in Edinburgh for the event is Dutch cycling champion Dylan Van Baarle, who returns to the Tour of Britain to defend his title.

The Dutchman won the 2014 edition of Britain’s biggest bike race, snatching victory from Michal Kwiatkowski and Sir Bradley Wiggins. He will wear the #1 at the head of the six rider Team Cannondale Garmin line-up

Another confirmed participant is 2009 Champion Edvald Boasson Hagen who will lead the MTN Qhubeka p/b Samsung team, which also includes 2013 stage winner Gerald Ciolek.

Team Sky’s versatile Italian sprinter Elia Viviani (above) timed a late challenge to absolute perfection when he pipped Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel to win the opening stage of the Aviva Tour of Britain in a dramatic finish in Wrexham yesterday.

The race moves on from Clitheroe to Colne in the Ribble Valley today and Stage Three will see the cyclists battle it out in The Borders tomorrow. Then on Wednesday, it’s Edinburgh: it promises to be quite a sight – don’t miss it!

Follow news of the Edinburgh event on Twitter using #TOBEdinburgh.

Free walking and cycling festival at Inverleith Park

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership presents:

Inverleith On Foot and By Bike

Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun, try new things, get out and about in fresh air, win some great prizes and get fitter!

Sunday 13 September in Inverleith Park, 2.30-5.30.

Finalé of the event is the live screening of the Tour De Britain. Come watch it on large screen in our bike powered cinema!

More info here.

Anyone for tennis in Trinity?

Partnership serves up new free sports facilities

Councillor Lesley Hinds opened new tennis courts and a basketball court in Victoria Park yesterday. The Environment Convener was joined by Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn and Culture & Sport Convener Councillor Richard Lewis to open the new sports facilities, which came about following a consultation organised by Trinity Community Council.

Cllr Lesley Hinds said: “We have many wonderful parks and green spaces throughout the city and Victoria Park is a fantastic example of an excellent outdoor space that is enjoyed by the whole community.

“The consultation showed us that there is demand for free local sports facilities so the opening of these new tennis and basketball courts is great news. I hope it will encourage even more people to make the most of this beautiful park.”

The new courts are thanks to a £95,000 investment jointly funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and Sportscotland via the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund.

A community consultation found that some local residents were discouraged from using local sports facilities due to financial barriers and that there was a lack of quality free sports provision in the area. The results of the consultation led to the development of the courts, which will also benefit the three schools located nearby, Trinity Academy, Trinity Primary and Holy Cross Primary.

Culture and Sport Convener, Cllr Richard Lewis, said: “I am delighted that these new facilities are now open and the fact that they are free and accessible to everyone makes them an excellent resource for the community.

“A key priority for the Council is to provide more opportunities for people to get active and encourage greater participation in sports as part of healthy lifestyle. The new courts will help us to achieve this and will be a real asset for local people of all ages.”

Victoria Park was first awarded a Green Flag in 2011 and forms part of the North Edinburgh Cycle Network, National Cycle Network and North Sea Route.

Stars head North for roller derby showdown

Saturday’s second and final Edinburgh Fringe roller derby game, hosted by Auld Reekie Roller Girls, will be a stellar all-Northern all star line-up (writes Lucy Glennie).

Fabulous skaters from teams across Scotland and northern England will pit their speed, stamina and agility against each other to determine the victor.

The two all-female teams will each field a jammer, who will strive to get past four opposing blockers to score points. The teams will aim to outwit, out sprint and hit their opponents out of play using only the power of their bodies and minds.

This Saturday’s game comes hot on the heels of Auld Reekie’s All Star Reserves’ incendiary head-to-head against Glasgow Roller Derby’s Maiden Grrders on 8 August. Active Edinburgh’s sponsorship of the first Fringe game really helped things go with a bang!

The next game will be a special evening event, building on the excitement of the last, with a stadium full of fans and a licensed bar. This is an inclusive, family-friendly event celebrating strength, teamwork and friendship for young and old, regular and brand new fans.

All welcome at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh on Saturday 15 August, 7 – 9.30pm.

Tay-riffic fun at Youth Work Games!

Muirhouse Youth Development Group’s (MYDG) fourth annual youth work games took place on 14th & 15th July, bringing teams of young people, staff and volunteers from across North Edinburgh and Aberfeldy to compete in the decathlon event at the headquarters of Wildfox events, on the banks of Loch Tay (writes KATIE TUFF).

This event brings together youth organisations who may not necessarily work together on a regular basis, to show teamwork, companionship and friendship through the events and social interactions. Creating opportunities for young people to get involved in sport and exercise in a unique but inclusive way.

This year was the biggest yet with 13 teams competing for the sought after youth work games trophy. The ten events took place over the two days by the banks of Loch Tay, which was a beautiful setting for the first event, the cross country run, followed by the tandem bike ride race and finishing off the day in wetsuits with a swim and canoe on the Loch.

MYAdventure were working in partnership with MYDG , taking the lead on some of the events and were part of the staff team. Both Leaders and young people gave it their all to get points for their teams with some friendly competition and great participation from everyone.

As evening set on the athletes village, we were joined by the Dancing Feet Ceilidh band who gave a great night of live music with leaders and young people dancing around the marquee to some old Scottish classics, and learning some new moves (some a bit confusing!), culminating in everyone getting involved for a final rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ to finish off the night.

The second day was welcomed with beautiful sunshine and some tired but enthusiastic young people raring to get going. The Swamp football tournament kicked off the day’s events, accompanied by archery, tree climb, tug of war and long jump all leading up to our final and most anticipated event, the assault course.

This year we had Perth and District YMCA Ybounce bring along their inflatable assault course and slide. The assault course had everyone getting involved ending in a youth leaders vs. youth work games staff showdown. This proved to be the favourite amongst all the events.

The prize giving ceremony was next on the agenda with most teams receiving medals. This year our Youth Work Games trophy winners and overall champions were Kids in the Street from Craigmillar ,who annihilated any competition by winning most medals and scoring an impressive 25 points over the two days! Granton Youth Centre came second with 12 points and the Breathe project from Aberfeldy third with 10 points. Rowlands from Selkirk were the recipients of the Sportsmanship award for showing enthusiasm, teamwork and all round good spirit for the event.

This year we received funding from the North Edinburgh Partnership to run the event, without which it would not have taken place to the level that it did. It was great to see so much enthusiasm and excitement around the event, with young people coming together, getting to know each other and work as part of a team.

It is our hope that the experience can be looked back on and the skills learned can be transferable back in the youth organisations after the event. A huge well done and thank you goes to everyone involved!

Plans are now being set for Youth Work Games 2016 for a bigger and better event, if you are interested in hearing more or want to book up for next year, please contact MYDG office on 0131 332 3356.

Katie Tuff, Muirhouse Youth Development Group

It’s official: Memorial match at Spartans sets new world record

Craig Gowans memorial match smashes world record

The team behind the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund have officially become Guinness World Record Holders, smashing the record for the Longest Marathon Playing Football – in aid of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

The group of enthusiastic football fans played out of their skin at The Spartans Ainslie Park home last month, completing a 105 hour-long football match which finished with an impressive final score of 774 – 707!

The game, hosted in memory of the late Falkirk defender Craig Gowans, who tragically died exactly ten years previously, originally hoped to raise £37,000 for the SKFF – inspired by Craig’s professional number at Falkirk, number 37. With donations still coming in, however, the final total is set to reach around £100,000!

The money raised will be used by the Sick Kids Friends Foundation to fund enhancements to the new Sick Kids hospital at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France, specifically a state-of-the-art Snoezelen room in Craig’s name. The space will be a calming room with multi-sensory equipment providing a relaxing and stimulating space for children with sensory impairments.

Ex-Rangers, Hibernain and Scotland boss, Alex McLeish attended the landmark fundraising event, as well as the current Scottish Cup holding manager, John Hughes. Footballers Scott Arfield and Thomas Scobbie were also there to cheer the players on.

Dario Alonzi, a member of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund organising committee, said: “We’re over the moon to have been officially granted Guinness World Record Holder status – the football match itself was an epic challenge and one that pushed us all to the very limit.

“To come away from the experience with official recognition of our efforts in the form of a World Record, as well as putting Craig’s name in the history books and raising £100,000 to gift to the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, is just priceless.

“Again I would like to thank absolutely everyone who played a part in making this match possible, as well as everyone who has donated so generously.”

Roslyn Neely, chief executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We have been blown away by the funds raised by the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund Football Match. The heroic lengths they have gone to in order to raise this money is something that will never be forgotten.

“Congratulations to the entire team, I’m absolutely delighted to hear that they have become official Guinness World Record Holders – and deservedly so. The money they have raised will help us transform the experience of the young people who visit Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital when it opens its doors in 2017.”