Sport – Page 50 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Saltire Society awards for prominent Scots

Professor Sue Black, Sir Chris Hoy and Dr Ann Matheson honoured for their contribution to Scottish culture

Leading international scientist Professor Sue Black, Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and celebrated Academic Dr Ann Matheson have been named as this year’s winners of the Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award.

Established in 1988, the award forms part of the Saltire Society’s annual awards programme, which recognises and celebrates Scottish culture and heritage. It celebrates the legacy of Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, often remembered as one of Scotland’s true patriots, by recognising significant contributions made to Scottish culture.

Previous recipients include Tom Fleming, Donald Dewar, George Davie, Dolinna MacLennan, Robin Jenkins, George Mackay Brown and in 2013, William McIlvanney.

Nominations for the award are made by the Saltire Society Council who this year decided to broaden the scope to now include three different categories and thus three awards so as to recognise a wider range of achievements and to engage wider public interest. These categories are: Arts and Humanities, Public Life and Science.

The categories for the 2014 Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award are:

Arts And Humanities – awarded to Dr Ann Matheson, member of the Board of the Scottish Poetry Library, for her lengthy and continued championing of Scotland’s literary and linguistic culture;

Public Life – awarded to Great Britain’s most successful Olympian and most successful Olympic cyclist of all time, Sir Chris Hoy;

Science – awarded to Professor Sue Black, Director of Dundee University’s Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification.

The ceremony took place at a reception at Edinburgh’s City Chambers on Saturday afternoon where winners were presented with a bespoke award by Convenor of the Saltire Society, David Ward.

Commenting on the Saltire Society Council’s selection Mr Ward said: “As a Council, we are thrilled to have been able to award one of our most prestigious accolades to three undisputable Ambassadors of Scottish culture.

“This year in particular Scotland finds itself in a spotlight on the world’s stage and we felt it appropriate that we should honour as wide a range of achievements as possible in order to truly be able to reflect the rich and varied cultural heritage that Scotland has to offer and that we support.

“2014’s Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun Award recipients do that and more with their remarkable achievements highlighting some modern day examples of Scottish achievement.”

2014 award recipient Professor Sue Black of Dundee University said: “It is both an honour and a privilege to be selected as a recipient for this award, particularly when I see the calibre of fellow recipients past and present. “I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to the Saltire Society Council for electing to bestow this honour on me.”

Commenting on her award, Dr Ann Matheson said: “I am deeply honoured to receive the Fletcher of Saltoun Award from the Saltire Society. It has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to be associated with Scotland’s literary culture, past and present, and with all those who work so steadfastly on its behalf, during an inspiring period in the nation’s history.”

For more information about The Saltire Society go to:

http://www.saltiresociety.org.uk/

News from Blackhall Athletic

The club currently has five teams (4 boys and 1 girls ), we are in the process of starting up another boys team and girls team and in January another boys team will be launched. That will give us 105 boys and girls having the opportunity to take part in active sport.

As well as the sporting element, there are other benefits too. All of our boys and girls will, through training and playing, undertake over 180 hours of physical activity which is a health benefit.

And then there’s teamwork. Our players come from all over the area; they go to different schools and come from different backgrounds but they are all the same when they put on the club strip. This teaches them that they must all work together to achieve success and the young people learn the life skills they will need as they grow into adulthood.

Recently the Inverleith Partnership awarded a grant of £1164 to equip some of our teams and we have just heard that Scotmid have awarded the club a grant of £450 which will be used to equip a new girls under 13 team .

The club would not exist without this financial support and the dedication of the 25 adult members of the club who carry out a variety of tasks such as coaches, first aiders, admin duties and committee members .

John Adams, Blackhall Athletic

Craigie Amateurs call for community support

Craigroyston Amateurs is your local adults football team, based in Craigroyston Boys Club on Muirhouse Parkway.

We currently have 19 registered players and play in the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Football Association (LEAFA) Edinburgh Central League. So far this season we have played five games and our stats sit at four wins and a draw, and we have upcoming games in the East of Scotland Cup and The Scottish Cup.

What we would like is to get the whole area behind our guys – build a following, so to speak – so if you have a spare afternoon on a Saturday and enjoy a good game of football, come along and support your newest and freshest amateur team in the area!

The club also has teams at age levels from 08s to 00s …

Check out our website for more details

www.craigroystonamateurs.co.uk

On your marks for Festival of Sport

The annual action-packed Festival of Sport kicks off in the Capital next weekend, showcasing a huge variety of sport and physical activity opportunities between 20 September-5 October.

Beach volleyball is heading for Porty!

A host of free events will run during the two week festival across Edinburgh, including taster sessions, demonstrations and competitions to encourage people of all ages to discover the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Now in its sixth year, the 2014 programme has been designed to embrace the summer buzz of the Commonwealth Games and appeal to all age groups, activity levels and abilities.

Launching on the first day of the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup on Portobello Beach – the Festival will kick off with a selection of free activities on the beach to celebrate Portobello paving the path to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games! (But wrap up warm, people, it’s Porty not the Copacabana!)

Building on the success of previous years, the Council is working to drive interest and membership of local clubs. A Club and Coach Development Workshop Series will also be delivered as part of this year’s Festival, featuring workshops designed to support club volunteers and coaches.

Coaching highlights include a one-of-a-kind seminar with Werner Kern, world renowned coach for Germany’s Bayern Munich Football Club. Kern will address a host of football industry professionals – including representatives from Edinburgh’s Hibernian and Hearts of Midlothian Football Clubs – about nurturing young sporting talent.

This event is being held in partnership with the Scottish Football Association and forms part of Edinburgh’s 60th anniversary celebrations of being ‘Twinned’ with Munich.

The City’s Festival and Events Champion, Councillor Steve Cardownie, expects the excitement of this summer’s Commonwealth Games to create an extra buzz around the Festival. He said: “I fully expect this year’s festival to prove the excitement of the Commonwealth Games has really boosted interest and participation in sport and physical activity in Edinburgh.

“The Festival of Sport is an important part of the Council’s legacy programme, and this year’s programme looks set to be another great year with so many free local opportunities on offer for everyone to take part.

“It is especially exciting to be marking the launch by supporting a world sporting debut for Portobello Beach, as it plays host to the qualifying rounds for the upcoming Beach Volleyball event as part of the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.”

As an integral part of the Activcity year-round programme, the 2014 Festival encourages residents and visitors to have a more active and healthy lifestyle. The key partners in delivering the event include Edinburgh Leisure, ClubSportEdinburgh and sportscotland.

How to get involved:

For further information and to register, visit Festival of Sport.

To find out more about the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup taking place at Portobello Beach, visit the Scottish Volleyball Association website.

To see what coaching and club workshops are taking place, and attend an event, visit the Coaching Edinburgh website.

Enjoy your sport!

Cancer charity fundraiser at Spartans this Sunday

The Jordan Houston Trust, a charity established in 2012 to support children suffering from cancer and their families, is holding a fundraising family fun day event at Spartans on Sunday.

Jordan, who died aged eleven from a rare type of brain tumour, was a football fanatic so it’s fitting that the highlight of the family fun day is a match between the Jordan Houston Trust Select and the mighty Hibs (kick off 4pm)!

For further information on the charity visit www.jordanhoustontrust.org

Fans First! Greens set out plans for fan-owned football

Hearts were on the brink, there’s deep disquiet about investment at Hibs and the mighty Rangers are in trouble once again. All is far from well in the world of football finance, so can the Scottish Greens score with Fans First?

The Green MSPs have confirmed long-standing plans to bring changes to land reform legislation to give football fans the right to buy their clubs.

The proposals were set out in a consultation response to Holyrood’s Local Government and Regeneration Committee, which is about to start consideration of the Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment Bill.

The submission also sets out plans by Green MSP Alison Johnstone, who is leading the Greens’ “Fans First” campaign, to broaden the 2003 Land Reform Act to include intangible community assets, not just land, in line with the general principles of the Scottish Government’s proposals. This would help communities to take on and run vital services like pubs, local cinemas, and even public transport.

Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian, said: “The time has come for the Scottish Parliament to give fans the power to take on their clubs when they come on the market or when they go into administration, or possibly even at any time for a fair price.

“We’ve always argued that fans will tend to be the best custodians of the clubs they love, and that the long-term security and strength of Scottish football requires a move towards the kind of community ownership common elsewhere.

“Scottish Ministers have set up a working group under Stephen Morrow to look at this issue, which we support. However, the group will report after this legislation has been considered, so it’s vital that this legislative opportunity shouldn’t be missed. The changes we’re proposing will still mean fans’ trusts will require Ministerial signoff, just as is already the case with land reform, so the only risk would be if Parliament rejects our proposals, leaving fans with no prospect of progress any time soon.

“So we’re encouraging all the trusts in Scotland to make their views known. Do they want to cross their fingers and rely on the current slow move to fan ownership, or do they want Parliament’s support to put them in the driving seat?”

Football tournament kicks off World Suicide Prevention Week

THE recent suicide of the much-loved actor Robin Williams highlighted how suicide can affect anyone. Sport can have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing, so a five-a-side football tournament will kick off World Suicide Prevention Week in Edinburgh next Saturday (6 September).

The Choose Life Challenge Cup will run from 9.30am until 12.30pm at Gracemount Leisure Centre on 2 Gracemount Drive with sixteen teams from Edinburgh, Midlothian, West Lothian and Dundee taking part. Among this particpants are two ladies teams from Edinburgh who will be copeting in the tournament for the first time.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will be there to present the trophy and other prizes.

Event organiser John Murphy, a project worker with Scottish charity Health in Mind, believes the Choose Life Challenge Cup is a fantastic event as it offers a comfortable space for guys to get together, reduces isolation and promotes a sense of belonging.

John said: “So many young men find it hard to talk about their feelings and in 2013, there were 795 suicides recorded in Scotland, with the rate for men more than three times that of women.”

John said the event provides a great opportunity for people to find out about the issues and the services available locally. “If there’s someone you know who you think might be considering suicide; ask them and be willing to listen and encourage them to get help – you could help save their life. Alternatively if you are feeling suicidal, don’t hide it; find someone you trust and talk to them.”

The Choose Life Campaign is part of the national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotland.

The partners supporting the Choose Life Challenge Cup – Lothian Five-a-Side Football Tournament are NHS Lothian, East Lothian Council, The City of Edinburgh Council, Midlothian and West Lothian Councils.

The fitba’s back!

For some, it’s almost like that childhood excitement of waking on Christmas morning – the fitba’s back!

Yes, okay we’ve had the World Cup in Brazil, but really – what’s that got to do with us? The waiting’s over and it’s time for the real fitba’ – the blood and snotters Scottish stuff!

The days of poring over the fixtures in The Wee Red Book have long gone, of course – TV demands mean you’re just as likely to be watching your team at some ungodly hour on a Sunday as you are on Saturday afternoon – but the Leagues get under way this afternoon and it promises to be a season like no other in Scotland. Who would have thought that all interest would focus on the second tier?

Champions League hiccups aside – and they seem to have been very, very, lucky -, it’s inconceivable that Celtic will be allowed to lose the SPFL this season – possibly their last without the company of their dear Glasgow rivals. Aberdeen, Motherwell and Dundee United have all shown signs of being able to narrow the gap but it would be foolish to expect any one of them will pose a serious challenge to Celtic in the top flight this season. Celtic need Champions League cash – and they have the resources on and off the field to ensure they are back in the draw for next season. Whether their current manager will still be leading them into Europe is another issue, of course …

So if the top flight – the Premiership to give it it’s posh name – is a one horse race, what about the Championship (that’s Division Two for our older readers)?

In Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller bookies favourites Rangers (or The Rangers or Newco Rangers) have striking talent and experience in abundance – assuming they remain fit there should be no shortage of goals at Ibrox this season. It’s not impossible to imagine that either man could well score more goals than some teams manage over the course of the season.

Rangers (or The Rangers or Newco) should have more than enough resources on the field to lift the title and return to the top flight – or reach the top flight for the first time, depending on how you see the club’s status. As has been the case over the past few years, the Glasgow club’s problems are off the field. Boardroom shenanigans, HMRC (not HMFC, we’ll come on to them later!) circling ominously once again, poor response to share issues, fans unrest, Charles Green waiting in the wings … Rangers’ business problems have not gone away, and until they are resolved there’s bound to be uncertainty at Ibrox. If that ongoing uncertainty starts to affect the players confidence – and experience shows that it often does – Rangers are far from certain to win the Championship. And if legal issues continue to dog the club, will there even be a Rangers Football Club to support come the end of the season?

So who are most likely to benefit from a Rangers slip? It’s unlikely to be Hibs, who paid for years of underperforming when dropping to the second tier at the end of last season. A new Chief Executive, and yet another new manager simply can’t solve the club’s deep problems overnight. A bright new dawn or more misery with the Chairman still pulling the strings? We’ll have to wait and see, but title challengers? Unlikely. With just a handful of new players added to a very bare squad this is a season to rebuild – the club needs time.

The so-called ‘smaller’ clubs shouldn’t be underestimated – a few of them have proved more than good enough to beat the ‘big boys’ over recent seasons – but it’s hard to see any of them sustaining a season-long challenge.

No, it’s Hibs rivals Hearts who are poised to complete a remarkable resurrection. The club now has something the other contenders lack – stability – and the management team, knowing that Hearts were almost certain to be relegated at the end of last season, has meticulously planned this seasons’s campaign with that in mind.

The players brought in appear to have one something in common – for different reasons, each has a point to prove – and there’s a quiet confidence emanating from down Gorgie way. Whisper it, but don’t be surprised if the Jambos go on to lift the title.

Enjoy your season! I’m away to look out my lucky scarf!

Female only swim sessions at Craigroyston

I would like to introduce a new female only swim session at Craigroyston High School on Sundays from 2 – 2.50pm. We have female only lifeguards on the poolside and the pool is closed to any other participants.

The cost of the session is £1.00 per adult. Children aged 8 years and under are welcome to come along to the session for free as long as they are with a female adult.

I have attached the flier with all the information for the female only swim session (below).

NOTE: Sessions will not be held on Sundays 3 and 10 August due to maintenance to the pool – sessions will start up again on Sunday 17 August.

Marie Kneeshaw

Aquatics Development Officer, Edinburgh Lesiure
mariekneeshaw@edinburghleisure.co.uk
www.edinburghleisure.co.uk
Direct: 0131 458 2195