Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland, today announced a substantial investment of nearly £3.5 million to improve sports facilities across the country, as part of its drive to increase participation and deliver a legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

This was a thorough investigation into the impact of different management regimes on the extracurricular and community use of schools for sport and cultural activities. The information identifies common elements of good practice approaches that maximise community use of school facilities for sport and cultural activities.

In order to improve and develop their policy advice, the sports councils in the UK commissioned a review of what is known about sexual orientation in sport and to draw out implications and practical recommendations. This is a thorough analysis of a wide range of research and policy documents, summarised with a combination of academic rigour and strong advocacy for the issues raised.

This guidance suggests that there is no “off the peg” solution to designing an accessible facility. However, it aims to set out a framework for designers to follow when faced with challenges such as cost, site constraints, and conflict with governing bodies of sport requirements.

It is sportscotland’s mission to encourage everyone in Scotland to discover and develop their own sporting experience, helping to increase participation and improve performance. For some groups in society, including women and girls, this mission is also a challenge. In response to this sportscotland has produced the following 10 factsheets providing guidance on how women and girls can be encouraged to more actively participate in sport and physical activity at all levels.

Minister for Communities and Sport Stewart Maxwell today announced the appointment of three new members to the sportscotland Board.

At sportscotland’s Annual Partners meeting in Edinburgh today, Chair, Louise Martin CBE confirmed that the decentralisation of the organisation is now taking shape and will be rolled out over the coming months, benefitting Scottish sport at all levels.

This Annual Review highlights the progress made by the sportscotland group and our partners in the year 1 April 2007 - 31 March 2008. It includes an update on our priority work areas, as outlined in the 2007-11 sportscotland corporate plan, including Active Schools, coaching, community sport, performance development, quality facilities, strong partners and a strong sportscotland. It also includes updates from the Scottish Institute of Sport, the high performance arm of sportscotland , and the National Centres at Inverclyde, Cumbrae and Glenmore Lodge.