Exclusive:Sports stars of the future will not be discovered due to funding cuts, ministers warned

Government ministers are being warned that sport is becoming “the bastion of middle class and private education” because too many Scots are being priced out of their local facilities.

This comes as the Scottish Government pledged to fund numerous sports activities over the summer to coincide with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Scotland’s qualification to the men’s football world cup.

The government has set aside £40 million to increase young people’s participation in sport and physical activity.

However Brian Whittle MSP, who represented Great Britain 45 times as a professional athlete, says this will not reverse the trend of venues being closed down and clubs becoming too expensive to attend.

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Speaking to The Scotsman, the Conservative MSP said: “We are creating greater and greater inequalities in sport as council budgets are squeezed and people are charged more to participate.

“For example I was speaking to a lady who has two kids in the local football team, but she has to pay £7 per child twice a week to use the Astroturf, so now she only takes them once a week.

“Their ability to progress with the rest of the team is negated because it is only those who can afford to pay who can.

“If there is no access to sports, then there are no sports stars.

“A lot of sports stars are happy accidents. I was not the fastest guy at school - there was someone who was quicker than me with no training, and can you imagine how fast he could have been if he had my ability to train?

“Clubs are closing down. The Emirates Arena in Glasgow is fantastic for example, but local facilities in the east end have closed down and now those who live there are priced out.”

Mr Whittle is due to question SNP ministers on the legacy of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in parliament on Wednesday afternoon, as he believes the legacy of the 2014 games was not realised.

“2014 was phenomenal and showed Glasgow and Scotland at its best,” Mr Whittle said. “But the outcome was poorer access to sport, meaning it has become the bastion of middle class and private education.

“That legacy was not realised at all, and we need the government to tell us what legacy looks like and how to deliver it for the 2026 games.”

He said sport is “chronically underfunded” in Scotland and “not enough” to make a meaningful change to local communities.

Mr Whittle added the extra funding for sports participation to coincide with the summer of sport is “welcomed” but is non-recurring funding that will not make a long-term impact.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “We have allocated an additional £40m towards sport for the 2026/27 budget, subject to Scottish Parliament approval.

“Our investment will remove barriers for communities to access sport and will offer every young person the opportunity to swim regardless of their background.

“It also includes a £20m increase to the core budget of sportscotland to create and sustain opportunities for people from across Scotland to be more active.

“Sport can be a force for good and by encouraging people to become and stay active, we can unlock a range of wider physical and mental wellbeing benefits that can leave a lasting impact long after the world cup and the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.”