Students Set for a Summer of Sport

Students across Scotland’s Colleges and Universities will be able to enjoy a Summer of Sport thanks to a significant investment in tertiary education from sportscotland.

SSS have been successful in securing funding on behalf of the tertiary education to support free and low-cost opportunities for young people to get active as part of the national Summer of Sport programme.

The sector-wide bid means we will now distribute funds directly to Scottish institutions to support specific projects with successful bids set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The fund is part of an £18 million cash injection from the Scottish Government designed to help communities celebrate an incredible Summer of Sport, which will include the FIFA World Cup and a home Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. A total of £1.75 million was allocated to National Partners with SSS bidding from this pot.

Helping students celebrate an incredible few months of sporting activity, we will also support projects covering the transitional period of students returning to campus, helping maintain the momentum of this summer.

Commenting, SSS COO Stew Fowlie said:

“The Summer of Sport campaign is a wonderful development and I am delighted that SSS has been recognised as a key national partner in delivering the campaign.

“Significant funding secured by SSS will support a brilliant variety of projects, linking campuses and communities across Scotland. This will help provide opportunities for many many hundreds of folk that otherwise might not have had the chance to get active – with extra effort being taken to keep them going into 2027 and beyond.”

About the 2026 Summer of Sport:

The 2026 Summer of Sport will provide children and young people across Scotland the opportunity to get active in their local communities through events and activities hosted by schools, clubs, sporting bodies and local authorities. Free and low-cost opportunities will be provided with investment from the Scottish Government and delivered by sportscotland, as the excitement of the FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games and more inspires a generation to get involved in sport and physical activity.

The Summer of Sport forms part of a wider £20 million Scottish Government investment in sport and physical activity across Scotland, including:

• £15 million for the Summer of Sport, providing free and low-cost sport and activities for children and young people.
• A universal learn-to-swim offer for every primary school child in Scotland, that will continue beyond 2026, backed by initial year-one investment of £2 million.
• A £2 million ‘Celebration of Football’ fund, aligned with the FIFA World Cup, using the power of Scotland’s national game to change lives through football.
• A £1 million ‘Health in the Community’ campaign targeting areas with low activity levels to become and stay active.