Behind the postcards: Sport and development in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital city and home to one of the biggest arts festivals in the world. It supports operations for global companies and boasts some of the most exclusive and expensive properties in the country, as well as top class sports facilities. However, behind the postcard images and away from the tourist hot-spots, Edinburgh is also home to some of Scotland’s most deprived areas. In efforts to reduce inequality, a number of youth projects are using sport to engage with some of the most marginalised populations.

Since 2008 the Spartans Community Football Academy (SCFA) has been providing a safe place for local young people to play football and socialise. As a social enterprise, SCFA hires out its pitches to the general public and football clubs. This allows the organisation to offset the cost of providing free facilities to the local community. SCFA are now developing an alternative school to provide education to young people who have become disengaged from mainstream schools. While sport still plays an important role in the alternative curriculum, SCFA sees the value in trying to support young people toward academic qualifications and readying them for future employment.

The Granton Youth Centre (GYC) is a space for 12-25 year olds. Through a combination of youth work, informal learning and volunteering, the centre supports young people by providing a safe environment and engagement within the local area. GYC works in partnership with nearby KABO Boxing Club to divert young people away from anti-social behaviour toward sport. Both organisations recognise that involvement with a sport like boxing can be especially advantageous in an area where violent crime is an issue. Learning discipline and being able to channel aggression in a positive way can be the difference between getting an education and committing criminal offences.

Fet-lor Youth Club is one of Edinburgh’s oldest youth work organisations, having started as a joint project between two private schools in the area in the early 20th Century. Fet-lor provides a gang-free, neutral environment for young people aged 8-18, ensuring each child is nurtured and cared for in an individual way. As well as term-time drop in sessions, Fet-lor organises activities during the school holidays. This could include mountain biking in Glentress or a visit to an indoor climbing wall, ensuring that sport and physical activity is part of their approach to the personal development of young people.

These are just a selection of the youth work organisations that operate in Edinburgh; there are others that recognise the value of physical activity to the personal development of individuals. This also demonstrates that social and economic poverty is not only a developing world problem, and the effects are just as evident in thriving global cities in more prosperous nations.