Meeting of the Parliament 24 March 2026 [Draft]
I thank Brian Whittle for bringing this important debate to the chamber. Mr Whittle’s motion rightly highlights that sport and physical activity are about far more than physical health. I commend him—as others have done—on his commitment to raising those issues in Parliament over the past 10 years. I have always had respectful and positive engagement with Mr Whittle, whether in the chamber or at committee.
Colleagues have also mentioned that the issues that we are highlighting relate to not only physical health, but mental wellbeing, confidence and strength in our communities. I will focus my remarks on an area where, although progress has been made, barriers still remain: the participation of women and girls in sport. As a member of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I had the privilege of contributing to our inquiry on female participation in sport and physical activity. What we heard was clear. Although the benefits of sport are universal, access to those benefits is not. The evidence shows that a great gap in participation opens early, often around puberty, and continues into adulthood. That is not because girls and women value sport any less, but because the system too often does not work for them.
For teenage girls, the barriers can be immediate. Puberty brings physical change, along with increased self-consciousness, concerns about body image and practical challenges such as managing periods. Too often, those challenges are made worse by unsuitable facilities, a lack of privacy and clothing that does not meet teenage girls’ needs. However, the barriers are not only physical, but also cultural: we heard consistent evidence of negative attitudes from boys, girls being sidelined in physical education and playgrounds being dominated by boys’ activities. Those experiences matter, because they shape whether a young person feels that sport is for them, and that feeling can last a lifetime. Even when girls stay involved, they are often offered a narrower range of activities, which are still shaped by outdated assumptions about what girls will or should enjoy.
However, it is important to recognise that there has been progress. The Scottish Government’s women’s health plan is helping to normalise conversations about menstrual health, which is key to breaking down stigma. Programmes such as active schools are widening access and introducing girls to a broader range of sports. I have a wee shout-out here: Mr Carson mentioned the St Cuthbert Wanderers’ walking football group in Kirkcudbright; I had the joy to participate and play there. There is also a walking football group in Stranraer, which invited me to join in on a game. Although I did not score any goals, Presiding Officer, I was credited with a couple of assists.
The commitment to increase investment in sport and physical activity to £100 million a year provides a strong foundation to build on. Elena Whitham mentioned community—I want to give another wee shout-out. I welcome the fact that the minister visited Let’s Get Sporty in Dumfries last November. It is a social enterprise that has broadened its community involvement over 14 years to now include programmes such as let’s get mentored, let’s get training, let’s get heard, let’s get driving, let’s get ready and let’s get employed. There is a real community initiative going on there.
We cannot ignore the impact of cost. Fees rise when access to facilities is limited and, when equipment is expensive, participation becomes a privilege rather than something that everyone can enjoy. If we are serious about sport as a force for good, access must be genuinely universal; for sport to realise its full potential as a force for good, it must be a force for everyone. It means designing systems that work for women and girls, not expecting them to fit into systems that were never built with them in mind, and tackling cultural barriers as well as practical ones. If we get that right, we will not only improve participation but also improve health, strengthen our communities and unlock Scotland’s full potential.