Academic: People will not pay to play sport when they struggle to pay bills
People are more likely to embrace exercise if they find something they enjoy rather than being inspired by elite athletes, experts believe.
Participation levels in sport in Scotland did not rise after the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, according to a report published by the Scottish Government in 2018.
The percentage of Scots adults meeting the guidelines for moderate or vigorous physical activity remained stable at 64% and in 2016 it stood at 61% in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The GoWell East study examining Glasgow’s east end found the figure dropped from 62% to 53% between 2012 and 2016.
But academic Lynda Challis, who studied the legacy effects of major sporting events when she was a lecturer in sports development at Bournemouth University, said a helpful approach can be finding an activity where exercise is secondary to enjoyment.
She said young people were often less interested in sports traditionally played in schools and preferred the more social or adventurous vibe of activities such as table tennis, paddle boarding or frisbee golf, which were provided in many of Glasgow’s parks.
She added:
“It’s about affordability too, certainly in an area that’s deprived, as the last thing people are going to want to pay for is leisure when the priority is they want to make sure they have the money to live, for housing and food and so on.
“The area for priority is the health side of things. It’s the physical activity linked to health agenda rather than sport. I think that’s the way forward.”
Ruairidh Mackenzie credits mountain biking on Cathkin Braes with keeping his spirits high during lockdown.
But the social side of the sport is as important to him as the exercise and he believes the area would have benefited from the mountain bike activity centre in Castlemilk.
The 50-year-old dad of two, who lives in Cathcart, Glasgow, was able to cycle to the Braes during lockdown and would ride home to refuel with coffee and cake in his garden.
He said: “In terms of my mental wellbeing, mountain biking up at Cathkin Braes has been of huge benefit to me.
“If I go to Glentress, which is the supermodel of mountain bike facilities, then the period in the cafe afterwards is as much of an important aspect of the day out as the actual bike-riding.
“If you were coming from further afield, then to me the lack of a cafe at Cathkin Braes is a missed opportunity.
“Going to a cafe afterwards is a big part of making it a social event.
“Exercise? I’m not interested in it, but it’s a wonderful bonus. I don’t do it for the exercise but I love the fact it gets me to places in Scotland that I would never get to if I didn’t have the bike.
“The views, the scenery, the fresh air, the chat. I am, in summary, a little boy who likes playing on his bike.”