Ryan’s relishing his sporting role

Tillicoultry teenager Ryan Kellock is set to play a key role in developing sport in Scotland over the next two years as part of the Young People’s Sports Panel (YPSP).

Led by sportscotland and supported by Young Scot, the YPSP provides a national platform to represent a voice for young people from across Scotland to influence and shape the future of sport in the country and raise the profile of sport.

Ryan (pictured) was chosen along with 18 other panel members after a rigorous recruitment process whittled the numbers from 156 down to 102 for interview before 38 candidates were selected for a second interview ahead of the final 19 being confirmed.

They will now have the opportunity over the next two years to have their views heard and valued and the chance to influence decision making and drive change in Scottish sport.

The new panel met for the first time in sportscotland’s Edinburgh office on Friday, June 29 along with their parents and guardians. This provided an opportunity for the young people to hear from former panel members and find out more about the expectations of the next two years.

Ryan (16), an SFAqualified referee who dreams of one day taking charge of an Old Firm game, says he is relishing the challenge on being a panel member.

He said:“Sport is my life, growing up I have always been involved in sport one way or another.

“I would like to encourage as many people as I can both regionally and nationally to get involved in sport whether it be as a participant, coach, volunteer or official.”

Part of the role of the young people’s panel is to create online content that will encourage and entice their peers from across Scotland to get involved in sport. A lot of this content is hosted on the Young Scot website at young.scot/ypsp and they use their various channels to communicate with their audience.