Shetland: where sport is for everyone

Basketball, boccia and badminton are just three of the activities at the core of Shetland’s burgeoning sports scene for those with additional support needs. Everything from table cricket to netball, swimming to kayaking, and football to rugby is now readily available for people with additional needs to try in Shetland.

Participants can pick up a ball or a racquet, dive in the pool, or shoot some hoops, as the barriers that were once in place have long since been removed.

Ability Shetland is the isles’ go-to charity for helping people with disabilities to realise their potential. Its sporting endeavours – from clubs to fun sessions – have grown exponentially over the last decade.

That growth led to a 19-strong Shetland team heading to Stirling in July to compete in the Scottish Learning Disability Games for the first time.

Shetland’s athletes were not just trailblazers because they were the first from Shetland to go to the games – they were also the first island team ever to compete.

And the team proved how competitive they are, bringing a superb tally of 15 medals back north with them on their maiden visit.

It’s not just Ability Shetland which ensures that those with additional support needs can get into sport. Shetland Island Council’s sports and leisure team are also heavily involved in sessions ranging from canoeing to wheelchair basketball.

The wide range of sports and opportunities to get involved is partly down to the extensive and welcoming sporting network in the islands.

Ability Shetland’s sports development support worker Megan Keppie and sports development coordinator Marc Robertson explain how they bring sport to people with disabilities.

“We work with local clubs in all sports to promote inclusivity and remove barriers

for participation,” they say.

“At the moment, we work closely with the Shetland Canoe Club, Delting Football Club, Hurricane’s swimming team and Shetland Badminton Association.”

As well as that, Ability Shetland runs the Shetland Boccia Club every Friday night, and the newly formed Shetland Ravens wheelchair basketball team trains every second Friday

More sports are in the offing – curling and goalball, a sport designed for athletes with visual impairment, are next in line.

Megan and Marc say they “love being able to share our enjoyment of being active with others”, as well as providing much-needed opportunities for people to take up sporting activities.

For Jack Clubb, a sports development officer at Shetland Islands Council, he said it was “inspiring” to see the “enthusiasm and enjoyment” the groups get from every session.

“A highlight for me was the gym sessions I did with the learning disability games team this summer, [they were] some of the most enjoyable session I have ever done in my role”.

Boccia, a Paralympic sport in which athletes throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court to get closest to a ‘jack’ ball, has become big business in Shetland.So much so, in fact, that an annual championship is hosted in the isles. Competitors also regularly travel to the mainland to take on the cream of the crop in Scotland.

The medal success on the national stage of team Shetland this summer, plus more sports – such as rugby and kayaking – being offered for people to try, means there has been a rising interest in sports from those with additional needs.

Clubb says there has “definitely” been more people getting involved than ever before.

The Ability Shetland pair say it was “amazing” to watch Shetland’s success at Stirling in July.

“It was great to see team Shetland travel to a national competition and compete at

such a high level,” they say.

“The team performed excellently and did themselves and Shetland proud. It had a huge impact on the athletes but also on their families and the local community.

“It showcased the skills and abilities of disabled people and those with additional support needs in our community, and that they should be respected and celebrated as with all our other athletes in the islands.

“Not only did they bring home medals but gained pride and confidence in themselves, [knowing] what they can achieve.

For Jack, the success in Stirling “shows how far disability sport has come over the past few years”

“It was amazing to see how well the team did at the event in Stirling,” he says

“It shows people that it is possible to travel and compete in sport on the mainland and further afield.

“Hopefully, Shetland will have an even stronger squad in two years’ time, with more sports represented and in future have athletes competing in major events such as the Commonwealth Games or Paralympics.”

There’s a growing belief that every sports club in the isles could make themselves accessible to people with additional needs to ensure there is something for everyone across Shetland.

“The hope is that more and more sports will offer all-ability sport moving forward,” Jack says.

Meanwhile, the Ability Shetland pair are ready and waiting for anyone interested in working with them to make their sports club accessible to everyone.

Whatever your passion, Shetland offers something for you – discover more.