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Cash from crooks to provide sports facilities
27/10/2008
The latest strand of the Scottish Government's CashBack for Communities scheme is to be used to fund sports facilities in some of Scotland's hard-pressed communities.
The scheme takes the ill-gotten gains of criminals and reinvests them back into our communities to make a real difference to the lives of young people.
From today, sports clubs and public bodies including local authorities in partnership with local clubs, will be able to apply for a share of the £2 million which Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill first announced in April.
The money is to be invested in projects brought forward by the Scottish Football Association (SFA). While football is expected to be the main beneficiary, other sports may also gain via access to the facilities.
Kenny MacAskill said:
"Our young people need to be given the opportunity to reach their potential and have real hope for their future.
"The vast majority of them are a credit to their communities. But we want to do more to prevent them getting into trouble in first place.
"The devil makes work for idle hands and that is why through our CashBack for Communities scheme we are giving them the chance to try things that might normally never be available to them.
"To allow our kids to be all they can be we need to have the facilities available for them. Scotland has some wonderful professional facilities but many public facilities are sadly lacking. This is an opportunity to build up not just grassroots participation in the national game but the public facilities to play it.
"Playing sports, including football can give them something worthwhile to do and bring real benefits to their health.
"By using crooks cash to improve sports facilities for our young people, this Government is further boosting Scottish sport and helping to build better, healthier communities."
Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell said:
"This new sports facilities fund is a great boost to Scottish sport and will build on the significant investment the Scottish Government already makes in this area. The provision of quality facilities is essential if we are to achieve our twin sporting ambitions of increasing participation and improving performance.
"Physical activity and sport bring substantial benefits to the health and wellbeing of people of all ages. This initiative puts the boot into criminals and their illegal gains reinvesting the money to build better, healthier communities."
The main aim of the £2 million CashBack for Communities funding for sports facilities is to provide sports facilities in or around deprived communities with an emphasis on young people.
In the first instance funding will be invested in projects brought forward by the SFA. While football will be the main beneficiary it is anticipated that other pitch sports will also gain from this investment.
Priority will be given to projects covering the improvement or creation of pitches and the alteration, refurbishment or extension of changing facilities. In addition, priority will be given to projects that enable a club or a number of clubs or teams use of a facility to be significantly extended. For example, this could include portable floodlighting to a training area, a club development container or modular or traditionally built changing accommodation.
Applications will be accepted from clubs and community groups, ideally in partnership with the local authority. The applicant will be required to meet defined criteria in terms of equality, child protection, dissolution, etc and show how the project will sustain and develop participation in sport by young people in the community.
Priority will be given to applications that will benefit multiple teams within a single club, or two or more clubs working together to share the facilities provided by the funding. Again the emphasis will be on funding sports projects that benefit young people. For the purposes of this funding, young people are defined as being under the age of 19.
Applications will be assessed by a panel made up of representatives from the Scottish Government, the SFA and Sportscotland. This panel will then be responsible for making recommendations to Ministers on which applications should be supported.
Awards will be limited to a nominal maximum of £100,000. In exceptional cases, this nominal maximum may be exceeded. Partnership and applicant funding will be encouraged but in some instances awards could be up to a maximum of 100 per cent of the eligible project cost. The latter would most likely only apply to projects deemed high priority and where there will be significant revenue funding in future from either the SFA or local authority.
The assessment panel will put forward recommendations to Ministers in December and successful applicants will be announced in January.