Sunday 17th November 2024

Registration is open for SSS Festive Gathering 2024, taking place at City of Glasgow College on Wednesday 4th December.

Sign ups have opened for the SSS Festive Gathering 2024!

Taking place at City of Glasgow College on Wednesday 4th December, expect a packed day of learning and connecting with the SSS Network, sprinkled with some festive cheer.

We’re also lucky enough to be joined by partners Decathlon who’ll be leading an activity session for the group, supported by the College’s Active Campus Coordinator Gregor Cree.

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

Festive Gathering Sign Ups

Once again we’re keeping a lid on costs for the event with members able to take advantage of the best prices:

Members: £15

Partners & Governing Bodies: £20

Externals: £25

New for this year, individuals can now sign up to five people up at a time – hopefully easing the burden on those staff members responsible for registering their entire team!

Sign-ups will remain open until Wednesday 27th November.

The Line Up

We can also exclusively reveal the line up for our main auditorium sessions.

Fitting for our return to Glasgow, Stuart Turner from Purple Moon will be giving us the inside story of how he led Scotland’s 2026 Commonwealth Games bid, and the opportunities coming up to be involved in the event.

Chris Gibbons – Director of Inside Inclusion – has already been working with a number of British governing bodies and partners, including SSS. We look forward to him introducing the Moving to Inclusion Framework, and how institutions can apply it in their own settings.

University of St. Andrews Director of Sport Stephen Stewart will take to the stage to discuss the current landscape of student sport.

In a thought-provoking finale, we’re delighted to be joined by Don McIntyre from Glasgow School of Art who will be discussing his project on reimagining student sport.

The programme will also feature a series of member best practice breakout rooms. Any late notes of interest are welcome but encouraged early as we’ll be releasing the final agenda very soon.

All enquiries related to Festive Gathering can be directed to our Learning & People Coordinator Jo Foster. We can’t wait to see you all in Glasgow on the 4th!

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Tuesday 5th November 2024

Students from universities and colleges across Glasgow came together for the first ever SSS Parasport Festival, hosted by Strathclyde Sport.

25 students participated in a first of its kind Parasport Festival, held at the University of Strathclyde last week.

The event, run in collaboration with Scottish Disability Sport (SDS), and Glasgow’s colleges and universities, offered students the opportunity to try new parasports, supported by experienced disability sport coaches.

Wheelchair basketball, para canoe, indoor curling and para table tennis were all on offer on the day, allowing students to try a wide range of sports. The group of students with a disability were also joined by Sports students from City of Glasgow College who were able to learn how to deliver accessible sessions.

The afternoon of activities was widely praised from students who participated. Finlay, a student at the University of Glasgow, said “I’ve never really had the opportunity to come along and just try different para sports.

“Before this I’ve mainly just swam or done water polo so it’s been really fun seeing what other sports are out there and how I can get involved.”

Creating an environment for students with a disability to be introduced to parasport was the driver behind SSS organising this event. The current student sporting landscape features limited opportunities for students with a physical disability to participate; often making it difficult to attract new students into sport in the first place.

While we have seen some great improvements in our disability sport offering – seen through a record number of sign ups for our Boccia Festival later this month – this event allowed sports that have a para offering to put that element front and centre for interested students.

Seeing the reaction of those participating was a highlight for the event’s organiser, SSS Inclusion & Culture Coordinator Eilidh Gibson:

“I’ve loved walking around and seeing students falling in love with new sports and activities. There have been a few that have come up to me and said even after a little taster they want to get more involved. It’s moments like that which make this event so worthwhile.”

It is hoped that after this pilot festival in Glasgow we may be able to run similar events in other areas of the country. For the event to work, we need the buy-in from institutions who have the ability to reach students known to have a disability who aren’t currently engaged in student sport.

Running events like this ensures we can provide students with that accessible first step towards being able to participate in sport and activity.

If you’re a member looking to enhance your disability sport offering, or a student who wants to engage with sport on campus but doesn’t know where to start, reach out to our Inclusion & Culture Coordinator Eilidh to find out how we can help.

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Tuesday 10th September 2024

We’re recruiting now for an exceptional individual to join the SSS staff team as our Head of Development. Find out more and apply now.

Scottish Student Sport (SSS) seeks an outstanding individual to join the staff team as our new Head of Development.

Working closely with the Chief Operating Officer and the SSS development team, the successful candidate will manage and co-ordinate SSS’ sports development work, with particular emphasis on member engagement, promoting best practice and knowledge transfer, and developing key partnerships with internal and external groups.

The Head of Development will have delegated responsibility for specified areas of the SSS work and will be responsible for the management of SSS’ development staff (3) across Sport & Active Health, Learning & People and Inclusion & Culture.

The Role

Grade 6 + 15% (£37,929.30 – £43,935.75)
Full time 35 hrs per week
Open-ended role

The Head of Development is a key member of the SSS senior staff team, with Development aspects of the SSS Strategic Plan- working with members, volunteers and partners to build capacity and improve the quality of provision within student sport. The successful candidate will line manage SSS’ three development staff and report to the C.O.O.

The post requires a demonstrable track record in sports development and project management and proven, successful line management experience.

For the full job description, please click here.

About SSS

SSS is a members’ organisation for colleges and universities across Scotland, providing students with sport and active health opportunities. SSS is at the heart of a network of over 600 clubs and approximately 45,000 participants. We deliver organised sports competitions, provide a range of sports development services and champion the role of sport and active health at the heart of the student experience.

SSS is supported by sportscotland, SFC and BUCS. Learn more about our strategy here.

You’ll be working alongside a small but fantastic team making the student sporting experience in Scotland the best it can be. Meet the team here.

SSS works for all the universities and colleges in Scotland as an independent organisation, but is hosted by the University of Edinburgh.

Changing Landscape

SSS is currently looking at possible changes to its strategy and accompanying staff structure from Aug 2025, with the likelihood being a smaller staff team and some new ways of working.

Any new approach is likely to retain a number of development functions and ambitions, but may see a reduction and/ or realignment of the current staffing team.

Applicants should be aware of the potential for change, the details of which are likely to become clear during spring 2025.

In light of the complex context, applications for secondments into the Head of Development post of between 6-18 months are actively encouraged.

For an off the record conversation about the current context and possible implications for applicants, please contact COO Stew Fowlie (details at the bottom of this page).

Equality

Scottish Student Sport is committed to reducing barriers to sport and physical activity for students across Scotland. We welcome applications from all communities, including from trans people and people with variations in sex characteristics, from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people, and from disabled people who are currently under-represented in our staff team.

Application Procedure

Applications are open via the University of Edinburgh’s job site, accessed here.

The closing date for applications is 22nd September 2024.

Interviews will take place at the SSS Office, Third Floor, 48 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ on 1st October 2024 with candidates being notified of shortlisting by 25th September. The post will ideally commence in November 2024.

For further information on the role, or SSS, please contact:
Stew Fowlie – COO
07903 891 497
stew@scottishstudentsport.com

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Friday 30th August 2024

The popular course returns for an eighth year with students from all SSS member institutions invited to apply.

Applications for the 2024/25 SSS Leadership Programme are open!

Now in it’s eighth year, the Programme is an opportunity for aspiring young leaders, to come together to learn new skills, share experiences, and connect with others across the network.

The programme consists of a series of masterclass sessions held online across semester one and two. These masterclasses are led by members of the SSS Network who are experts in their field and have a wealth of knowledge about the sector.

These topics vary however previous years have seen discussions around: leadership styles, sport and employability and what success looks like.

Previous attendees have gone on to hold numerous student leadership and sabbatical positions following the course. Strong connections built across the Scottish sporting network have also proven beneficial in helping students find roles in National Governing Bodies and sports organisations.

Whether or not you plan on working in sport after your studies, the Programme will set you up well for entering the world of work.

The Application Process

For the first time, students can apply directly rather than be nominated through their institution. This decision has been made to ensure the opportunity is open to all students, including underrepresented groups and those currently unknown to institution staff.

We would still love for institutions to send details across to students they believe may benefit from being part of the 2024/25 intake.

Applicants simply need to be a registered student in a SSS member institution. The vast majority of Scottish universities and colleges are SSS members, so please do apply no matter your institution.

While sessions will be a mix of virtual and in person, you must be able to attend the first on 4th October.

Applications are via the Typeform link below and will remain open until 25th September. We will contact all applicants shortly afterwards with a decision. Any questions should be directed to the Course Lead, Jo Foster.

Sign up here

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