Scottish Student Sport are thrilled to announce that this year’s Festive Gathering will take place on Wednesday 3rd December at UHI Perth.

Festive Gathering is our one day winter extravaganza of best practice, learning and connection across the SSS Network, sprinkled with a hint of festive cheer.

Expect to hear from figures across tertiary education, sport, and further afield. We also look forward to being joined by our partners with more details to be announced in due course.

UHI Perth host us for the second time having previously been the venue for Festive Gathering 2019. Its central Scotland location will hopefully make the single day event accessible for delegates from across the country.

Registration Details

Sign ups are open for all members, partners and external delegates through the link below:

Festive Gathering Sign Ups

Ticket prices are as follows with members able to take advantage of the best discount:

Members: £20

Partners & Governing Bodies: £25

Externals: £30

Once again, individuals can sign up to five people up at a time – easing the burden on those staff members responsible for registering their teams!

Support us with Content

Our agenda is almost set, but we have a couple of slots still to be confirmed. Should you or someone you know have an interesting concept or project, we’d love to hear from you! Please send any content suggestions to our Head of Development Jordan Dawson ASAP.

In order to give members and partners plenty of opportunity to plan for the day, we’ll be ensuring the agenda is available before sign ups close.

This Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, Scottish Student Sport are launching a new campaign to provide free period kits for student sports clubs.

Periods shouldn’t bench you. Claim Your Kit is a simple, Scottish Student Sport led campaign that seeks to put free period kits where our athletes and sports people already are – pitches, courts, mats and courses – so that nobody has to sit out because they don’t have the products they need.

We know there is a patchy access to period products despite the national commitment to free period product provision in Scotland. When someone doesn’t have readily accessible, affordable period products they may miss training, matches or social events. We don’t want anyone to have to leave a match, event or a training session because of they can’t access products easily. There is fantastic access to period products across our member institutions but we have only just crossed the start line in this race.

Grace & Green have designed accessible on the go period kits which ensure that period care is always accessible. The kits stacked with a variety of products stored in a waterproof durable kit bag are the perfect item to ensure your teams always have what they need where ever you are.

Access to products is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. We want to make this easier for everyone by providing free access to these period kits to student clubs and our members.

Who is this for?

This campaign is for anybody from one of our SSS member institutions. Due to funding arrangements from our governing body partner, we will be prioritising distribution through women’s football clubs. Distribution will then be based on demand and access across our membership.

Our aim at SSS is that every one of our members will receive at least one kit for their institution.

Applications are encouraged directly from both student clubs and institutions.

What’s in the Kit?

Each kit is designed to be taken with you from the changing room to the touchline. It fits in perfectly next to your teams first aid kit. Every kit provides:

• 1 Period Kit Bag (waterproof, durable, wipe clean and reusable)
• 20 x Liners
• 8 x Non-applicator Tampons (4 x regular and 4 x super)
• 8 x Applicator Tampons (4 x regular and 4 x super)
• 20 x Medium Pads
• 1 x pack of 25 biodegradable wipes
• 1 SSS Information Card containing direct links

This kit can be refilled. Information is provided inside the kit to support with this.

How to Claim a Kit?

We have tried to simplify the process as much as possible. Clubs can complete our dedicated link to submit their request directly to Scottish Student Sport.

To support us in delivering these kits as quickly as possible please only submit one request per institution club. There is an option to request more than one free kit (these will be provided where possible) if you have multiple teams who would benefit from this.

Claim your Kit Here

Timeline:

• Deadline for submission: 12:00 3^rd November 2025.
• Confirmation of request: 12:00 5^th November 2025
• Expected shipping date: w/c 10^th November 2025

Got Questions?

Any queries and questions can be directed to Head of Development, Jordan Dawson.

Who are Grace & Green?

Grace & Green are a world-leading B Corp creating zero waste reusables tampons, pads and liners with organic material. They aren’t just about the products though, they fight for access, inclusivity and education. Their experience in ethical production and commitment to dignity and sustainability ensures every kit supports students and athletes not just in the moment, but with care for their health and the planet. They were an ideal organisation for us to work with in the delivery of this campaign.

Scottish Student Sport have opened applications for the hugely popular Coach Like a Girl programme, which is returning for a second year.

After a successful pilot in 2024, the initiative is back – bigger and better – to continue supporting and inspiring the next generation of female coaches across Scotland’s colleges and universities.

Why Female Coaches?

Across the tertiary education sector in Scotland, 45% of the student population engaging in club sport identify as female, compared to 44% as male. This is a phenomenal statistic and while work is far from completed in the participation space, what can be seen across the nation is that women are hugely underrepresented in the coaching space.

Research shows that having female coaches benefits all participants; they challenge stereotypes about gender and leadership by offering diverse perspectives, insight and advice to their athletes. Furthermore, female coaches become role models which makes other females think about coaching as a legitimate and viable career; being visible in their role can inspire other females to participate.

At SSS, we recognise the largely untapped potential of female students as coaches and will continue to deliver a tailored coaching programme to play our part in inspiring the next generation of female coaches.

What is Coach Like a Girl?

Coach Like a Girl (CLAG) is a dedicated development programme designed to empower female student coaches and aspiring coaches. The project provides a safe supportive environment for participants to build confidence, share experiences and gain the skills needed to thrive as coaches in sport. CLAG was the name chosen by the participants on our pilot programme. The name empowers female coaches recognising the leadership and need for role models in sport whilst reclaiming words often used to demean women and girls ability within sport.

Why get Involved?

• Funded opportunities to engage in practical skills development activity across a range of sports
• Build confidence in your coaching practice
• Learn from experienced coaches and sport experts
• Connect with like-minded students across Scotland

Previous participants on the programme had this to say:

“YES. I would definitely recommend it. I really enjoyed the in-person sessions. They make it so much easier to connect with other women coaches and to talk about similar issues. It made me feel less alone with some problems I struggled with initially, and taught me ways on how to overcome them.”

“Being able to get advice and share experience with other female coaches that had similar experiences and/or could offer a wide range of advice”

Who can Apply?

This programme is open to women, trans and non-binary students from colleges and universities across Scotland whether they are currently coaching, have aspirations to coach or are just interested in what coaching could look like for them.

How to Apply:

Applications are open now! Spaces are limited, so don’t miss your chance to be part of this exciting journey. Applications will close at 12:00, 14^th November 2025. The timeline for activity will be shared with those successful once all applications have been considered.

Apply for Coach Like a Girl Here

We kicked off Scottish Women & Girls in Sport Week at Dundee & Angus College with a visit from Scottish Government Minister Graeme Dey MSP.

Mr Dey, local MSP and Minster for Government Business was on campus to celebrate the impact of the Active Campus Programme. He was joined by the Lord Provost of Dundee, Bill Campbell.

Arriving on campus, the party were met with an abundance of activity as the sports hall was packed with female students participating in table tennis and boccia. This lunchtime event was organised by Dundee & Angus’ Active Campus Coordinator Lauren Simpson, with support from Sport staff in the college.

A few students were given the opportunity to share their story including HND student Michelle, who has returned to college 11 years after first completing her NC. Her story is particularly inspiring. After pausing her studies to start a family, she was determined to return to studying Sport and Fitness following her diagnosis with a degenerative eye condition which is being helped by physical activity and continuing to look after herself.

Once she completes her studies, she hopes to work directly with people suffering from long term health conditions, and inspire them to make sport and physical activity a part of their regular lifestyle.

Following the activity session, there was an opportunity for discussion with Lauren given the opportunity to demonstrate the impact her role has had in front of the Minister, the College’s Senior Leaders, and partners from SSS, sportscotland and Colleges Scotland.

Commenting, Graeme Dey MSP said:

“It’s great to see the impact Lauren has made in her role. Seeing someone so enthusiastic about what she does, the numbers show that her work is having an impact and getting more students active on campus.

“Sport’s important for everyone, both in terms of participation and enjoyment. What’s great about her is the way sport has been opened up […] to students from across the college to access sport.”

Dundee & Angus Active Campus Coordinator Lauren Simpson said:

“When I first started [2023] there was nothing happening at our college in particular, and actually just raising the profile that sport and physical activity was within reach… that was the big step.

“For Scottish Women & Girls in Sport Week it’s about promoting connection and all the other benefits that sport brings. I think it’s very underestimated what sport can do to change lives”.

Scottish Student Sport has set off on a refreshed strategic journey as we gear up for the 2025/26 academic year.

Entitled Inspiring, Active, Learning, our new strategy came into effect on 1st August 2025 and will guide our direction over the next two years, through to summer 2027.

At its core, our mission remains unchanged: to empower colleges and universities to enhance their sport and active wellbeing opportunities for students.

This strategy launches at time when SSS have undergone significant organisational change, against a backdrop of public funding cuts and the ongoing cost of living pressures. This has required a rethinking of how particular areas of work can be delivered over the coming years. However, the strategy also sets out a path to look at 2027 and beyond, where we can continue to elevate the student experience for those participating in sport on campus.

We’ve also worked to align our goals with the Scottish Government’s new Physical Activity for Health Framework, launched in October 2024. Together, the network is committed to playing an active role in delivering national outcomes across sport, health, and education. By placing ourselves at the junctions between tertiary education and partners across the Scottish sporting system, we will continue to support, connect and advocate for our members.

Sport and active wellbeing are fundamental parts of the student experience—and just as higher education helps shape the future of sport in Scotland, sport enriches life on campus. SSS is committed to leading visibly and collaboratively, helping to bring these worlds even closer together.

View the full strategy below:

Strategy 25-27

The Scottish Student Sport network came together for our Annual General Meeting, which took place virtually on Wednesday 20th August.

Alongside business and financial updates from the organisation, voting took place for vacant positions on our three committees: Executive, Competitions and Development.

In addition, three constitutional amendments were agreed upon, including a restructure of the Development Committee which is reflected in the breakdown of positions below.

On our Executive Council, Ian Lowe (RGU) steps up into the vacant staff member role. Taking up the one year student positions are sabbatical officers Anna Edvaldsson (Strathclyde), Freya Rennie (UWS), and Liv Stevens (Edinburgh).

Moving to our Competitions Committee, and Ben Graham (Heriot-Watt) was elected as Chair. Aonghus Sellar (SS Football) was reelected as the Sports Chair Representative, while Laura Shaw (Stirling) and Rory la Trobe (Dundee) were named Student Representatives.

Finally, our Development Committee will be led again by Katherine Duncan (Edinburgh). Xsara Murray (Edinburgh College) and Callum Ball (Stirling) were both elected for the first time to the new-look committee.

A couple of positions on our Development Committee remain open. Interest in any of these roles should be registered with Julia Stenhouse.

Thank you to all those who attended our AGM and best of luck to our new elected representatives over the coming year!

Committees in Full

Executive Council, 2025/26:

Please note that representative(s) from sportscotland, and BUCS may also be present at Executive Council meetings.

Competitions Committee, 2025/26:

Please note that the Fixtures Forum Chair may also be present at Competitions Committee meetings.

Development Committee, 2025/26:

Updated 30/07/25

With season 25/26 approaching, we can confirm more details about our new phase of work, and the changes this brings to Scottish Student Sport.

The changes are the result of a challenging financial climate, created by rising core costs and the removal of £100k of annual external funding. Previously, we have confirmed that the SSS staff team will from August 1st drop from ten to six with the following roles discontinued:

• Competitions Assistant
• Sport & Active Health Coordinator
• Inclusion & Culture Coordinator
• Learning & People Coordinator

Looking Forward

A slimmed down staff team means that changes to our ways of working are required. As an overview, we can now provide a streamlined ‘roles and responsibilities’ graphic which outlines the areas of of work, partners, and Sports Groups each staff member will look after.

In Competitions, we’re aiming to deliver around 100 events alongside the usual league activity, and what we expect to be a slimmed down National Squad programme. The full run of events for 25/26 will be confirmed by September.

Our SSS Leagues, Knockouts, and BUCS Centralised Leagues will all return in 25/26 with information on entries communicated to the relevant institution staff. We will be leaning more on volunteers to help support the delivery of these events throughout the year.

Any SSS/BUCS Centralised League, or National Squad queries should now be directed to Head of Competitions Chris Purdie.

We will be evolving our Development approach to provide broader, more flexible support across the sector focusing on our membership, our partners and key areas of work. By prioritising breadth, impact, and added value, we aim to engage more members and partners through networking opportunities and collaborative project work.

We will be looking to continue our workforce development efforts including a revised Reffin’ Brilliant programme and flexible staff education to fill knowledge gaps. Our focus on a wider exploration of how physical activity for wellbeing can be embedded further across tertiary education will allow us to continue our work with SAMH and integrate movement into the everyday student life.

Similarly, our Equality Action Plan will aim to enhance belonging across a diverse community to ensure no student is left behind in their desire to play sport or be active. We’ll be enabled in all of this by harvesting research, insights and data analysis from a range of areas to better inform the membership, our partners and the broader network about the important role of sport/physical activity.

Our Advocacy work will continue apace, with SSS staff responsibilities being supplanted by members representing SSS in a variety of networks connected to sport and education. Collectively we will continue to position sport and physical activity within tertiary education and vice-versa, ensuring that joined up thinking and collaboration is made as easy as possible on a national level.

We will prioritise our partnerships with sportscotland and BUCS, aim to stay connected to SFC to identify future possibilities for refreshed support, and aim to contribute to strategic decision making about sport at a local, regional and national level. We will also be working hard to influence sustainable longer term to the Active Campus network in partnership with College senior management and Colleges Scotland.

Sports Groups

As part of the rethinking of our areas of work, a review of our 35 sports was also undertaken with the decision made to reduce the number we operate in. This decision was made based on member/SGB engagement, available volunteer support, and our current involvement in each sport.

The groups we will no longer be continuing are:

• Boxing
• Cheer
• Climbing
• Karate
• Lacrosse
• Ultimate

In addition, Cross Country will move to sit within Athletics, reflecting the SGB structure and make-up of the majority of student clubs.

Each Sport Group is overseen by a SSS staff member who acts as the Sport Lead. Following a reallocation, sports will now sit with the following staff:

• Stew Fowlie: Basketball, Curling, Rowing, Shinty
• Chris Purdie: Golf, Football, Futsal, Judo, Volleyball
• Jordan Dawson: Cricket, Fencing, Hockey, Netball, Swimming
• Julia Stenhouse: Archery, Badminton, Rifle, Sailing, Table Tennis
• Sophie Charlton: Athletics/XC, Handball, Polo, Tennis, Trampoline
• Ruairidh Campbell: Cycling, Rugby, Squash, Triathlon

Recruitment continues for most of our sports. With the operational changes in play, we are more reliant than ever on volunteers to step up and support our sports this season. View the vacancies available here.

Further Updates

Once our new committees are in place following our AGM, we will be able to confirm the SSS Operational Plan for 25/26. This will fill in any final gaps relating to project delivery moving forward.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect in the meantime, please contact COO Stew Fowlie on stew@scottishstudentsport.com or call 07903 891 497.