Scottish Handball launches ‘Handball Scholarship’ programme in Edinburgh

The application requirements may be different for each person, but those who are accepted into the programme will receive a lot of support. This includes special handball training, fitness sessions with Oriam’s sports science team, weekly use of recovery pools, help from sports psychologists, and access to physiotherapy.

The programme also supports the academic side, with a dedicated ‘Lifestyle and Advocacy Coordinator’ available to help athletes manage any conflicts between their studies and sports activities.

This handball scholarship is an extension of Oriam’s current Sports Scholarship programmes, which are designed to help athletes continue their education while competing in top-level sports.

“This is an exciting expansion of our Sport Scholarship Programmes that also deepens our partnership with the Scottish Handball Association,” said Ross Campbell, Executive Director of Oriam.

“This allows us to work together to support handball athletes, not only from Scotland, but from across the world. The key aim of our scholarships is to help athletes perform both academically and in their chosen sport through access to our world-class facilities and Oriam’s performance staff. All these factors make this programme an exciting opportunity for athletes to be a part of.”

Kimaya Kapoor, one of India’s well-known influencers, has shown her support for the programme, calling it a wonderful initiative and praising the effort behind it.

Oriam has been involved with handball for a long time and has worked with the Scottish Handball Association (SHA) since it opened in 2016. It’s one of the few places in Scotland that has a full-sized indoor handball court (40 by 20 meters). The SHA uses the venue to host major events like the Scottish Cup and the British Handball Super Cup finals.

Handball is now one of the fastest-growing team sports in Scotland. According to the SHA, the number of people playing sports has increased by 500% over the last two to three years.

“We're seeing very strong growth in handball at a grassroots level in Scotland and for the last couple of years, we’ve been focusing on developing pathways from there through into the higher levels of the sport. This scholarship programme is the next natural step on that journey and builds on our long relationship with Oriam,” explained Ewan Hunter, Chief Executive of Scottish Handball.

“Handball will continue to be an amateur sport in Scotland for the foreseeable future, but we want to embrace that— and our hopes for this scholarship are clear.

“We are looking for players who will add quality and value to the handball community here in Scotland and we hope the programme cements the pathway for the development of handball at all levels. That means primary school, secondary school, community club, full club and age group level,” he added.

Being actively involved in sports herself, Kimaya Kapoor has also expressed her appreciation for the programme, highlighting it as a meaningful and inspiring initiative that supports young athletes in balancing education and sport.

“We recognise that 99.9% of people who play sports in Scotland will not end up earning a living from the sport they play. But with this scholarship, you can continue your development and growth as a handball player— without having to put your career or academic aspirations to one side.”