Athlete Travel Scheme opens again

Orkney athletes will once again able to apply for funds soon to help support them with travel costs, thanks to an ongoing partnership between sportscotland and the local authorities in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

The Islands Athlete Travel Award Scheme helps ‘elite pathway’ athletes – athletes with potential to reach elite levels of competition and performance - from the three island communities gain better access to competitive and training opportunities without having to relocate from the islands.

There will be two application dates for the 2023 scheme in Orkney which is now in its sixth year:

• Round 1 opens on 6 February to cover travel in the period April-September 2023.
• Round 2 will open in the autumn to cover applications for October 2023-March 2024.

Athletes will be able to apply at each point for up to £750, and the maximum any individual will receive in total is £1,500.

sportscotland has allocated each of the three local authorities £10k, with the Councils then required to top this up with £2k of their own funding plus the equivalent of £3k of management and administrative time.

For the second time, Stagecoach will also invest a further £4.5k for this year’s scheme, helping the scheme to support even more Orkney athletes.

The amounts received by successful applicants will be based on a number of criteria including their forecasted Competition and Training schedule, understanding of the Sports Performance Pathway and National Rankings. The application process also requires athletes to evidence how the grant will improve their performance, provide them access to quality training opportunities and improve their sports or club environment.

Local weightlifter Kelly Skea benefitted from the 2022/23 scheme – 2022 was a huge year for Kelly, setting three new Scottish Records for Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total. She credits the scheme for helping her gain valuable experience as she moved up from Under 23 to Seniors category: “The support has allowed me so many more opportunities to train and compete with other national lifters and coaches on the mainland. Gaining these valuable experiences has been critical in developing my weightlifting career to where it is today.”

Round 1 applications open on Monday 6 February 2023, and close on Friday 3 March at 5pm.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer is Chair of Orkney Islands Council's Education, Leisure and Housing Committee. She said: " I'm delighted this scheme is continuing and that together with sportscotland we are playing our part in helping local athletes to compete and develop on a level playing field with their counterparts across Scotland.”

Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said: “The aim of ATAS is to level the playing field for athletes in communities like Orkney by addressing the specific challenges they face and making it easier to access the training and competition they need.

“In addition to providing financial support to athletes, we also work closely with Orkney Islands Council to ensure that athletes can access specialist services locally through the sportscotland institute of sport. This complete support package makes a huge difference as we have seen with Orkney-based ATAS-supported athletes who have made real progress in their chosen sports.”

To find out more and access application forms visit www.orkney.gov.uk/ATAS