Leish targets new Fife Olympians!
Published 8 Aug 2012 09:20
7 Comments
PROVOST Jim Leishman hopes that Fife can capitalise on Olympic fever as he helped launch the first stage of a new sports strategy at Lochore Meadows on Monday.
Council leader Alex Rowley joined the Provost and groups of kids taking part in an outdoor activity programme to encourage clubs to sign up to a free online database of sport and leisure activities in Fife.
Councillor Leishman said, "There is a wide range of activities on offer for young people but it is provided by so many different groups, clubs and volunteers.
"We'd like to try and capture this better so we can help young people and indeed anyone find out what is on offer in their area.
"There are hundreds of unsung heroes in our local communities who work with young people every week.
"We want to engage with all of these people to expand access to sport and leisure activity across Fife.
"With the nation in the midst of Olympic fever this is the perfect time to launch the project."
Mr Rowley commented that the new community sport initiative will be a "key plank" in the new administration's approach to tackling the issues around health and wellbeing.
Provost Leishman promised a "sporting revolution" in his pre-election campaign as a councillor and Mr Rowley acknowledged that the former Dunfermline player and manager would be key to the council's plans to produce a new sports strategy.
The council leader also stated that his administration intend to audit the levels of physical activity going on in schools to make sure resources are being put to their best possible use.
During the Festival of Sport in September the council will be asking hundreds of groups and individuals about the best way to bring sport and leisure to Fife's communities.
Councillor Rowley also underlined the importance of sport in the community at the launch.
He said, "In a lot of cases sport can do more for people than a GPs surgery ever will.
"It's about recognising that and listening to what local people are saying.
"This is the first step towards changing the way sport and leisure is carried out in Fife.
"The message now is that we want local clubs to sign up to this database. We will be launching a consultation in September and part of that will be asking people how we should spend our resources and what facilities we need.
"Our budgets need to start match what people's priorities are."
Clubs can sign up to the project at www.fifedirect.org.uk/joinourclub. For more information visit www.fifedirect.org.uk/activefife or contact the sports development team on (01383) 602-393.
What's your view? What's the best way of carrying out a sporting revolution in Fife? What can we do to try to get one of our teenagers now on the Olympic medal podim at the 2020 Games? Post your comment below and join the debate on the Press Facebook page.
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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redrobin
285 posts
Aug 8, 18:36
Report commentWhat's my view?....well we start with cutting the councillors expenses by50% and put the savings into the pot..We also get rid of the role of provost, cos let's face it ..ego trip or what?....Can't run a football club..so what's next try to run a town yes town nowhere near a city....We had years of Les Wood photographs in the press and to be fair it was not about him....it is happening again with Leishman....but this time it is all about himself......I'll bring my kids up abiding by the law, respecting their elders and developing their own skills..I don't need a long haired luver who doesn't even live in the TOWN to tell me what to do......Yeah bitter!
Recommend?
Yes 12
No 10
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lydiapot1
118 posts
Aug 8, 20:23
Report commentYou bring your kids up abiding by he law! Thats good. Judging by some recent postings with respect oor local police unit, maybe your endeviours would be better served by trying to teach some local employess of this unit to do just that.
I am ashamed to say I am served by Fife Constabulary and fearful for the vulnerable in our area who may be unable to defend themselves with vigour.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 11
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SmarmyGit
319 posts
Aug 9, 09:47
Report commentRedrobin cheers for the laugh......
No matter what you think of Leishman at least he has put his money where his mouth is and actually stood for election, all the armchair warriors that bleat and whinge about 'how bad the system is ' and do hee haw about it makes me chuckle.....
Come on Redrobin, if you want to change the system why not stand, you never know you might even get in then you'll be supping from the great train of gravy like all the rest of them.........
Recommend? Yes 17
No 4
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redrobin
285 posts
Aug 9, 15:02
Report commentYeah yeah fair point!..I would love to stand but I don't like gravy!...just a few seeds and a worm will do me fine...I know exactly where the worm is?.Oh a wee bit humour would be nice as for the bait?...no not tempted..
Recommend? Yes 5
No 5
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kaka30
311 posts
Aug 10, 09:43
Report commentAny strategy to promote sport in Fife and Scotland should be commended.
A fit and healthy populous is a productive one.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 1
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TheDEXExpress
109 posts
Aug 13, 11:32
Report commentThe database is an excellent idea and fits in with the nationwide efforts to get more people involved in grass roots sport, whether as participants or volunteeers, following the Olympics. I'm always struck by the range of 'minority' sports served by clubs in the area - fencing, shinty, water polo and so on - as well as the more mainstream sports. There are so many opportunities for folk to be active out there already. Things like the Festival of Sport are a very good base on which to build and this could be another great way of putting the clubs and coaches together with adults and especially children who want to try these sports with benefits for all. I would also like to see more opportunities for the clubs to reach children through sporting activity in the school context. I hope that the clubs will treat this exercise seriously, give Fife Council their views and that Fife Council will listen and act. It may be that we can make a big difference by changing practices rather than spending much money.
One plank of the broader initiative should be encouraging more active travel to school and elsewhere. The current Fife Cycle Strategy expires next year and there is an opportunity to look again at what low or no cost measures could be put in place to get children into the habit of regular exercise every day on their way to or from school. This can often be simple common sense. My children's school recently installed new bike racks. They then seemed surprised when children did not like using them because, being uncovered, their bikes got very wet during bad weather. You do not need to be Chris Hoy to work out that some sort of basic roof might have been a good idea. Common sense costs nothing.
One other key point that should be at the heart of any strategy is that sporting infrastructure receiving public funding should be multi-use in order to secure the most value for scarce resources. So, for example, while I'm all for football-related infrastructure being funded at Pitreavie, which will benefit both the Pars and the many who play the sport over there, anything that is built has also got to be capable of use by as many other sports as possible. If we're going to build new facilities, they must be used by as many people as possible for as much time as possible - and be maintained properly too.
As well as the health benefits, there could well be social benefits, as some of the work the community police have been doing in Duloch over the summer with young people on Friday nights, to take one example, seems to show.
Recommend? Yes 7
No 3
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shockshock
13 posts
Aug 18, 10:21
Report commentSmarmygit said
"No matter what you think of Leishman at least he has put his money where his mouth is"
Aye, and he's got plenty of both hasn't he? Seldom have I seen such a self promoting individual than "oor Jim" Tommy Sheridan perhaps goes one over him right enough.
Talk about conflicts of interests too, a councillor for Dunfermline central and director of football for a club smack bang in the middle of the ward??? What chance do residents surrounding East End have when they get the usual problems with the club, not much use writing to your Labour councillor is it??
Half the problem is that "the Leish" has much misguided support by followers of a second rate (on a good day) football team who hang on his every poem and word he says without actually listening to what he is not saying. Of course that is a personal opinion to which we are all entitled and yes I will be torched for daring to say such things about a worthy like JL but he is very good at talking a lot but saying nothing with substance.
SG also said:-
"all the armchair warriors that bleat and whinge about 'how bad the system is ' and do hee haw about it makes me chuckle"
Armchair warriors; Smarmygit, you make me laugh, your post seems to fit the very criteria you make mention of all too well, your not "oor Jim" by any chance are you, if so enjoy all the gravy.
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
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