For someone who “had no interest in taking part or having a career in sport” when he first stepped onto the University of Dundee campus in 2009, Keith Macleod has been on quite the journey.
A year as Sports Union President at Dundee was followed by nearly four years here at SSS as an Administrator and later Communications Coordinator. Since then, Keith has had roles back at the University of Dundee and as a Board Director of Scottish Volleyball, before settling into his current position as Engagement Manager at Scottish Hockey. So what changed?
“The sporting provision at school in Edinburgh was pretty typical: football for boys, hockey for girls. Occasionally rugby was offered but that never appealed to me at the time! I did musical theatre for many years and was involved in dance, but at that time it was still an up-and-coming ‘sport’.
“The Sports Fair at Dundee changed everything. Suddenly you could see all these sports and clubs on offer, and actually speak to them. It was through that interaction that I signed up to Canoe: they seemed like really nice people, and the sport sounded quite cool – different from your traditional team sports.”
It was this emphasis on friendliness and inclusivity – a highlight of Keith’s time at Dundee – that showed that sport could be part of his student experience in a way that was never available before.
“I didn’t ‘officially’ come out as a gay man until university so there was always that kind of unspoken narrative through high school. Certainly, there wasn’t the realisation that some of the youngsters would be LGBTQI+ and everyone’s just trying to get by with the limited resources and education that was around at that time.
“It’s stark to think about it now. I left high school in 2008 and even then, in the final two years I could only tell you of one out and proud gay man in the school.
“From a sports perspective there just wasn’t the opportunity to try a multitude of different sports in what we would now consider safe environments for those of the LGBTQI+ community and for a lot of us, that was off-putting.
“Suddenly you find yourself going from that restrained environment to somewhere like Dundee which had a really unique and special culture about it. Everyone wanted to be your friend and make sure that you had the best experience possible in whatever you did.
“What stood out to me was there was never any deliberate malice or hate in the student sporting world. I was great friends with the football and rugby teams; sports at that time which you might think would have potentially more homophobic or hateful language within that setting.
“Yes, there’d occasionally be something said that would be classed as homophobic, but it was done in a naïve way, and they were always very apologetic afterwards. Looking back for me, it shows just how important the training and education we provide for clubs now is.
That brings us round to the present day where Keith has been determined to use his lived experiences to improve access and opportunity to sport at all ages. From his days as Sports Union President where he “tried to ensure everyone had the best experience they could, no matter what it took”, Keith has been at the forefront of campaigns and education across his various roles.
“I know we have to put resource into making sure that education and training is available for all clubs and sports. If we take our foot off the pedal or start to deviate, that’s where slip-ups happen and the hard work unravels.
“Just being visible and active in the space matters because growing up, I didn’t see LGBTQI+ staff in the way you do now. Being part of events like the Leap Sports Conference gives that opportunity to share your story, and it’s given me the confidence in myself to campaign for positive change.
“If I had a magic wand, it’s hard to say exactly what I’d change because we’re doing a lot of the right things already. At the end of the day, we have to remember that what sport has, and always has had, is the passion to welcome everyone, whether they do it rightly or wrongly.
“We want people to take part in sport, to be physically active, and get the enjoyment that we get from doing it. Bringing that together and providing that opportunity: that’s our superpower.”
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