Meeting of the Parliament 24 March 2026 [Draft]
I thank my colleague Brian Whittle for securing this excellent debate. I rise to speak about sport being a force for good with a mixture of pride, gratitude and a sense of coming full circle. This will be my last speech in the Parliament, and I can think of no better subject to close on than the power of sport, with regard to not just competition but community, compassion and change.
When we talk about sport as a force for good, we are not speaking in abstractions; we are speaking about places, people and projects that transform lives every single day. There is no better example of that than what is happening at Townhead park in Cumnock, in my constituency of Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley.
Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise is, on the surface, a successful football club. It has a proud history, a trophy-winning junior team that inspires huge local pride and a vocal but good-natured rivalry with its next-door neighbour, Auchinleck Talbot Football Club.
However, to stop there would be to miss the point entirely, because what has been built around that club is something far more powerful than silverware; it is a model of what sport can and should be. At its heart is the simple but radical idea that everyone deserves access—not just the most talented or those who can afford it, but everyone.
That means creating opportunities for girls to take part and thrive in spaces that have not always welcomed them. It means opening the door for people who are in recovery, offering not just physical activity but purpose, belonging and hope. It means recognising that participation looks different at different stages of life, whether that is walking football, which is delivered in partnership with Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland and supports people to stay active and connected, or inclusive cycling opportunities for those with learning disabilities, which is developed alongside the Things Tae Dae club. Those are not add-ons; they are the point.
It does not stop there. Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise understands that wellbeing is not just about what happens on the pitch; it is about the whole person, the whole family and the whole community. That is why it has developed goals for growth, which is an employability programme that meets people where they are at. The programme recognises that, for many, the first step towards work is not a CV workshop, but having a sense of confidence, routine and support that are built through sport and wellbeing activity. The programme connects participation with opportunity and aspiration with action.
Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise also provides dignified food provision, because no one should need to choose between feeding their family and taking part in their community. That is also why it runs affordable and accessible holiday clubs, ensuring that children are not only fed during school breaks but have the chance to play, learn and simply be children.
That is what it means for sport to be a force for good. It is not just about health outcomes, although those matter a lot, and it is not just about the economic impact, although that matters, too; it is about dignity, inclusion and creating spaces in which people feel that they belong. If we are truly serious about tackling inequality, improving public health and strengthening our communities, we must recognise, support and invest in models like that.
The lessons from Cumnock are clear: when sport is rooted in community, led with compassion and open to all, it becomes one of the most powerful tools that we have for social change. I understand that only too well—and I wish that wee me had, too. As an undiagnosed ADHDer who participated in every sport going—especially the thrill-seeking ones such as diving, rugby, track and field, mountain biking, ringette and skateboarding—it helped to focus my really busy mind via activity and dopamine. Believe me, Presiding Officer, I had knocked-out teeth, broken bones and the scars to prove it.
As I prepare to step away from this Parliament, I am incredibly proud of the communities that I have had the privilege to represent, and I am also deeply hopeful, because of what I have seen in places such as Townhead park. Sport can change lives; in Cumnock, it already is.