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Labour urges action on tackling gender gap in sport

Former Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald believes fans are paying too much for football.
Former Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald believes fans are paying too much for football.

The Scottish Government has been accused of failing to tackle the gender gap in sport.

Labour said ministers had not been able to name any project or organisation that had benefited from the £300,000 Sporting Equality Fund.

Launched by Nicola Sturgeon last July, it is aimed at increasing the number of women involved in sport.

But no examples were provided in response to a parliamentary question tabled by Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale asking which schemes had received support.

According to research, lower participation by women in sport begins in the early to mid teenage years.

During this period, substantially more boys begin to report participation in sport (71%), than girls (56%).

North East MSP Lewis Macdonald, Scottish Labour’s sport spokesman, said it was disappointing that ministers had failed to invest any money in projects to tackle the gender gap since the fund’s launch.

He added: “If you’re a young girl at school, you are 15% less likely to be active in sport. We cannot stand by and let this continue.

“Only last week we heard that Scotland’s record on child health is one of the poorest in Western Europe.

“This, alongside the Scottish Government’s proposals to cut the sports budget by more than 8% in real terms, shows the SNP is failing to deliver for our young people and to deliver the 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy we were all promised.”

But Sport Minister Aileen Campbell insisted the fund would increase the participation, engagement and promotion of women in sport.

And she confirmed applications would open this summer.

She added: “Creating a more active and healthy Scotland is something we are striving for and part of that is increasing opportunities to be active regardless of gender.

“The fund will be delivered by Spirit of 2012 and will offer grants of £10,000 to £25,000 to community based organisations.”

She also said the government had announced an additional £2million for governing bodies to support increased participation in sport by under-represented groups, such as women and girls.

Earlier this year, Aberdeen-born Ms Dugdale tabled a written parliamentary question at Holyrood asking which projects and organisations had received support from the fund.

Ms Campbell said officials were working with stakeholders to shape it, but did not provide any examples.