Sport

This Knowledge Base entry is about local authority responsibilities for sport. These responsibilities were originally focused on schools. In 1908, local authorities were given responsibilities to ensure adequate physical exercise in continuation classes (for over 14s who had left school) and permitted to appoint specialist teachers of physical exercise.[1] Similar provision for children in nursery classes was added in 1918.[2] Subsequent legislation included requirements for education authorities to provide adequate facilities for recreation and for physical and social training.[3] This included enabling legislation to assist in the establishment, management and maintenance of facilities outwith schools, such as camps, playing fields, swimming baths and gymnasiums.

The Physical Training and Recreation Act 1937 enabled local authorities to acquire land and construct buildings for gymnasiums, playing fields, campsites, or use by athletic, social or educational clubs for exercise, recreation and social purposes.[4] In 1958 the local authorities were enabled to make loans to voluntary organisations for these types of facilities.[5] The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 transferred these functions to regional, district and islands councils and gave regional councils a duty in consultation with district councils to ensure there was sufficient provision for social, cultural and recreative facilities.[6] The Local Government and Planning (Scotland) Act 1982 restricted this function to district and islands councils but added sport to the list of activities and facilities they were empowered to develop and fund.[7] These responsibilities were transferred to unitary authorities in 1996.[8] From 2007 onwards, some councils set up trusts, which could acquire charitable status, to manage council-owned facilities and provide sports functions on behalf of the council.

Records of local authority operated sports facilities and activities may be held by local authority archives services. The National Records of Scotland hold the records relating to the Central Council of Physical Recreation and the Scottish Sports Council as well as records relating to local byelaws on recreation grounds.

Local authority archives services and university archives may hold records of local voluntary and professional sports clubs, (such as the West of Scotland Football Club [rugby] at East Dunbartonshire Archives. The National Library of Scotland holds records of a wide range of sports clubs and societies. Stirling University Archives holds the records of Commonwealth Games Scotland and a number of specialist museums hold records relating to their sport, such as the Scottish Football Museum and the Scottish Golf Museum.

Compiler: Elspeth Reid (2021)

Related Knowledge Base entries

Leisure and recreation

Bibliography

Ferguson, Keith, An introduction to local government in Scotland (The Planning Exchange, 1984)

References

[1] Education (Scotland) Act 1908 (8 Edw. VII c.63) s.10, s.17.

[2] Education (Scotland) Act 1918 (8 & 9 Geo. V c.48) s.5.

[3] Education (Scotland) Act 1946 (9 & 10 Geo. VI c.72) s.3.

[4] Physical Training and Recreation Act 1937 (1 Edw. VIII and 1 Geo. VI c.46).

[5] Physical Training and Recreation Act 1958 (c.36).

[6] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c.65) s.91.