Services
Sports development
Sports development is a process whereby effective opportunities, systems and structures are set up to enable everyone to take part in sport for recreation or to improve performance whatever level they desire. This opportunity should apply to all people irrespective of which area or group they belong to (Sport for All in West Lothian' Strategic Plan).
The Sports Development Team is based at the Strathbrock Partnership Centre, Broxburn. The ultimate aims of the Sports Development Team are to:
- Increase participation in sport
- Develop a sustainable sporting infrastructure
- Establish sporting pathways that enable participants to reach their full potential and ensure lifelong participation in sport
- Ensure sport plays an integral part of the community of West Lothian
To achieve the ultimate aims a great deal of the Sports Development Team work is done in partnership with a number of external and internal partners including:
-Active Schools
-Clubs
-Community Learning and Development
-Scottish Governing Bodiees of Sport (SGBs)
-National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs)
-Sportscotland
-West Lothian on the Move
-West Lothian Leisure
And many more
The Sports Development Team strives to build the capacity of partners and empower them to support and drive forward the development of sport across West Lothian.
What's on Offer from Sports Development
The Sports Development team offer a range of activities for adults, young people and children across West Lothian such as;
Athletics
The athletics programme is based on a number of building blocks and is a year round programme. It reflects local needs and is consistent with the Scottish Athletics national Developing Performance Plan. It works within Active Schools, schools PE and PSD, Clubs and community groups.
The blocks would include the following:
Tasters in primary schools taking advantage of opportunities such as health weeks, highland games, Physical Activity weeks and the like.
Development programmes such as Sportshall, Startrak and Giant Heptathlon in primary and secondary schools which offer safe, fun, appropriate activity founded on key educational principles.
After school clubs in primary schools where Shine awards and Sportshall style activities are used and where local athletic clubs are encouraged to engage. Over the years a number of recruitment and reception initiatives have been tried.
Short term squads have been put together for Sportshall, trials nights, Inter area cross country and composite track and field teams.
In the holiday period athletics is part of a Physical Activity Tour round small community venues and incorporating an Athletics camp, multi-sport games days and a fitness component as we try to bind health, sport and education together.
At affiliated club level, the three local clubs are supported in a number of ways (grants, equipment, coach education) and are close to the local athletics partnership.
Competition is provided over the various age bands and in a number of formats: Highland games, primary and secondary cross country, primary and secondary Sportshall at local and regional level, track and field for clubs and secondary: road as well as trail and cross country competition for seniors and veterans. West Lothian host the Scottish Road Relay Championships annually as well.
The athletics programme is supported by capacity building and coach education development. This is delivered locally and nationally as we try to attract 'would be' coaches and encourage experienced coaches to continue to improve and teach novices. We try to educate the coaches and volunteers in latest and best practices.
West Lothian Council takes advantage of a number of Tutor programmes such as:
- Elevating Athletics
- Fun in athletics
- TOPS
- Sport Leaders
- Reach for Sky
- Basic Moves
West Lothian Council also deliver in-house courses to volunteers, fellow professionals, senior pupils and College students.
Alex McEwan
Athletics Development Officer
Strathbrock Partnership Centre
189a West Main Street
Broxburn
EH52 5LH
01506 774743
alex.mcewan@westlothian.gov.uk
Badminton
Sporting Choices
This programme provides badminton coaching to Primary children from aged 5 to 12 years. It caters for both beginner and improver levels and starts by introducing the basic rules and skills of the game, progressing to improvement through simple routines and fun games practice. The programme also enables coaches to identify talented youngsters to trial for the West Lothian Junior Advanced Badminton Squad.
Badminton Sportshall Challenge
This is a new in initiative from Badminton Scotland which has recently been introduced in West Lothian through Primary Schools. The Challenge aims to give Primary Children aged (P3 to P5) a fun, competitive introduction to badminton and improve and develop movement skills required for all sports i.e. running, jumping, balancing, and hand eye co-ordination. It is an important part of the Long Term Player Development Pathway, and the early introduction to badminton is helping to encourage more children to join clubs including the West Lothian P1 P5 squad.
3 Good reasons for taking the challenge are: -
- Its Non Badminton Specific
- Team Based
- Competitive
West Lothian JABS
The West Lothian Junior Advanced Badminton Squad acts as a satellite squad to Badminton Scotland. It caters for players aged 8 to 18 years that are currently competing at District, National & International levels. Players are identified to trial OR become members of the squad through the following areas: -
- Sporting Choices
- School Health weeks/After school clubs
- Badminton Carnivals
- Local Community Clubs
The squad takes place at Bathgate Academy on Tuesday nights: -
A Squad 7.30 - 9.30pm
B squad 6.30 - 7.30pm
P1 P5
This is a new mini squad that has been set up as part of the JABS structure. It focuses on the P1 to P5 age group. The aim is to increase participation at this age group and offer more opportunities for children to play badminton for fun. However some children demonstrating good potential are also given the chance to advance into the JABS 6.30 squad.
This new squad has been set up to: -
- Create a better pathway for LTPD
- Improve talent identification
- Develop stronger links with Primary Schools
- Increase participation
P1P5 takes place at Bathgate Academy on Tue nights 5.30 - 6.30pm
Kathryn Graham
Sports Development Assistant
Strathbrock Partnership Centre
189a West Main Street
Broxburn
EH52 5LH
kathryn.graham@westlothian.gov.uk
Basketball/Disability Sport
West Lothian works with a number of community clubs involved with disability sport and basketball. The range of disability sports clubs include sports like boccia, wheelchair basketball, swimming and bowling. Sports Development are also working with mainstream clubs to offer inclusive sports sessions or to allow the growth of a disability session within an already established, strong club. An example of this would be the work that has been done with Murieston Community Football Club to allow them to offer a disability football session as part of their overall provision. A major part of developing sport is capacity building, working to involve volunteers to enable clubs to run more effectively and safely theough Club development.
Basketball Coach Education
West Lothian offers Getting Started Basketball Courses and the UKCC Level 1 in Basketball Coaching in partneship with basketballscotland. For more details of courses in West Lothian visit the 'Sports Coaching' page or contact:
Andrew Smyth
Sports Development Officer (people with a disability and basketball)
Strathbrock Partnership Centre
189a West Main Street
Broxburn
EH52 5LH
01506 774745
Andrew.smyth@westlothian.gov.uk
Useful websites
basketballscotland (new window)
FIBA Europe
Scottish Disability Sport
Club development
The main aim is to develop and support effective club structures and to encourage stability and growth, ensuring that opportunities and support exist to enable individuals to reach their highest potential. There are now fewer barriers between the seven swimming clubs. Resources are more openly shared, showing that all the swimming clubs are ready to move forward together in the development of swimming in West Lothian. This combined with the appointment of the Swim West Lothian Performance Development Coach should result in an increase number of swimmers at Performance and Excellence level within the region, making way for a clear and structured swimmer pathway.
Generic Coach Education
West Lothian Council offer a number of different courses all through the year. We offer National Governing Body Awards in many different sports and SCUK coach education courses which cover a diverse range of topics such as; Coaching Children and Young People, An Introduction to Core Stability, Fitness and Training. We also provide HSE six hour Emergancy First Aid for Sports Coaches. For more details or to download a booking form please visit our 'Sports Coaching' page.
Football
Mini Kickers Programme (3 - 5 years)
The Scottish FA have developed a mini kickers programme, which provides a curriculum framework for children 3-5 years focussing on:
- Basic motor skills
- Emotional, personal and social development
- Cognitive development
The benefits of being a mini kicker are multiple and can help children become familiar with the concepts of sharing, teamwork, rules and behaviour. All the sessions are themed and structured and are enjoyment based, rather than technical based.
Soccer Centres (5 - 12 years)
The Soccer Centres are the next stage up from the mini kickers programme and have been developed to give any child the opportunity to play in a safe and fun environment regardless of ability. There is more emphasis on structured activities and begin to look at the key components in football, such as passing, dribbling, shooting and tackling.
McDonalds School Programme
The McDonalds School Football Programme is a 4 year funded initiative aimed at increasing the physical activity levels of primary 7 pupils who are soon to move into secondary education. The programme is based on a coach delivering 20 hours of structured coaching sessions focusing on skill acquisition, physical preparation and small sided games. Through this programme we are focusing on increased physical activity along with Long Term Player Development (LTPD). Pupils are also given advice on healthy eating and the value of adequate sleep through a log book provided at the start of the first session. To supplement the 20 hours of coaching, each school also has the opportunity to participate in a games programme with other participating schools involved in the programme.
Regional Development Squads
The West Lothian Council Regional Development squad is part of the whole South East regional "B" selection process which gives talented players from the area an opportunity to develop the playing skills under the trained eye of our qualified and experienced coaches. In West Lothian we have an under 13's and under 14's age group which compete regularly in a games schedule against other local authorities in the South East region.
The players participate in an extensive training programme which covers various areas such as football development, psychological development and physiological development. Players are also given information on maintaining a healthy eating programme as well as balanced sleep programme, all important elements if aiming for a long?term career in sport.
Players are selected from various areas of our football development programmes such as:
- Holiday Courses
- Football Festivals
- Soccer centres
- Primary school initiatives
- Midnight Leagues
- Recommendations from local boys clubs
Midnight Leagues
The Bank of Scotland Midnight League is a national 5-a-side community football development initiative aimed at keeping young people off the streets and reducing crime levels and anti social behaviour. It is also a stage for local youths to showcase their football skills in front of their peers.
Coach Education
West Lothian Council offers a wide range of coach education opportunities in football in partnership with the Scottish Football Association. For more details visit our 'Sports Coaching' page or contact:
Jim Grant
Football Development Officer
Strathbrock Partnership Centre
189a West Main Street
Broxburn
EH52 5LH
01506 774734
Jim.grant@westlothian.gov.uk
Useful Websites
Scottish FA (new window)
West Lothian Soccer Sevens (new window)
Football Central (new window)
West Lothian Association of Youth Football (new window)
Swimming
There are now more opportunities than ever for people to participate in swimming activities whether at recreational or competitive level. This has resulted in a clear increase in people participating in swimming activities throughout the West Lothian.
Learn to Swim Scheme
The new Learn to Swim scheme was developed in partnership with local providers and Scottish Swimming. It was designed to set good standards for swimming across all of West Lothian, based around high quality teaching and coaching and swimmers long term athletic development. The structure of the scheme consists of 8 progressive levels and covers key stages of development:
- Safety
- Fun and Play
- Entries and Exits
- Streamlining, breathing and sculling
- Development of the 4 strokes
- Kick and Pull techniques
- Introduction to early endurance practices
Coach Education
West Lothian Council offers a wide range of coach education opportunities in swimming and also runs a comprehensive CPD programme in partnership with Falkirk Council. For more information please visit our 'Sports Coaching' pages or call 01506 771755
Sporting Choices
Sporting Choices in a out of school/holiday programme that offers classes for Children and young people aged 3-16years in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Football, Gymnastics, Swimming, Trampolining and Multi-Sports.
