Gordonstoun has revamped its sports provision for students with bold plans to offer top quality academy coaching and partnering with senior rugby and football clubs.
The school, set in 200 acres of countryside by the Moray Firth in Scotland, will hire a new team of experienced coaches as part of the long-term sports strategy.
The ambitious plans will also see the creation of several sporting partnerships. The first one overseas is with Dubai-based Gulf United, one of the premier professional football clubs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
The international partnership will enhance the development of football and other sports in Scotland and the Middle East, providing elite pathways for students, alongside educational opportunities.
Gordonstoun has also agreed a unique partnership in Scotland with Moray RFC in Elgin to run combined rugby junior age groups. For the first time, Gordonstoun will be taking part in local rugby and football leagues to increase competition and strengthen community links.
The rugby partnership will see matches played under the auspices of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) in the Highland Leagues, providing access to their elite pathway, with the most talented players being invited to regional training sessions and matches.
The new sports strategy identified team sports that attract both male and female students of all ages, while ensuring access to high-quality coaching from Gordonstoun’s Prep School all the way up to those senior students in Year 13. These sports will be Football, Rugby, Hockey, Basketball, Netball, Cricket, and Tennis.
For specialist training, Gordonstoun will be developing the provision of elite academy training facilities in sports such as Golf, Sailing, Equestrian, Tennis, Fencing and Modern Pentathlon. Students who demonstrate sporting aptitude will have access to a wider selection of pathways to support their sporting ambitions.
Simon Cane-Hardy, Head of Gordonstoun, said:
“This is an exciting new era for sport at Gordonstoun, a vision where sports provision is designed to benefit all our students while strengthening our links with the local community and building new sporting partnerships around the world.
“Our long-term sports strategy will allow us to support all levels of sporting ability and to better identify the most talented children, supporting them with qualified coaches, offering elite pathways and creating more competitive opportunities.
“The new football and rugby and sporting partnerships will offer students a unique opportunity to work in a professional environment to support their ambitions both at home and in other countries around the world.
“The fixture calendar will be focussing on participation in local rugby and football leagues to increase competition opportunities and to minimise regular long-distance travel. Overall, this will create greater flexibility in the sporting timetable, ensuring a better balance with other parts of the school curriculum.
“At Gordonstoun, our motto ‘Plus Est En Vous’ is at the heart of everything we do, and we are continuously improving and innovating the education we deliver, whether that’s in the classroom, through service to others, in the mountains or on the sports field.”
The partnership with Gulf United will see an exchange programme between Gordonstoun students and young footballers at the club. Their education-based football programmes allow students to experience what it is like to be a professional footballer while continuing their studies. The club also run various scholarships, helping talented student-athletes to gain entry to universities in America and Canada.
Mohamed Al Rais, a Director with Gulf United and former Gordonstoun student, said:
“This partnership will create a positive value exchange between Gulf United and Gordonstoun, fostering a rewarding and beneficial environment for young student athletes to develop.
“Sport, and in particular, football, is a powerful tool for unity. This is evident at Gulf United where we are proudly represented by 82 nationalities, whilst our home city of Dubai boasts over 200 nationalities.
“Likewise, Gordonstoun is represented by a rich tapestry of nationalities. These dynamic and welcoming environments greatly enhance the experience for students, allowing them to broaden their horizons, whilst positively aiding their development, not only as players, but as people.
“Gulf United actively looks for ways to create platforms that provide young people with the best possible tools to nurture their talent and develop lifelong skills. GUFC has a deep love for the game of football and are here to harness the opportunities it creates.
“The Gordonstoun-Gulf United partnership allows the club to expand on that and further broaden the unique global sporting and educational pathways we offer to young people from across the world.”
Cath Lyall, Gordonstoun Head of Prep School, added:
“It is important for our students to know that if they show an aptitude for a particular sport from a young age, there will be an elite coaching pathway for them to ensure thy reach their full potential.
“This will see the expansion of our coaching team to ensure that we can deliver this ambitious new sporting strategy across both the Senior and Prep School.
“The other benefit will be an Increase and improvement in the provision of recreational sport to enhance the curriculum and benefit boarders. We already have a range of sports facilities, and we will be further upgrading our amenities to meet the needs of our students, the first of which will be the new fitness suite.”
Categories: Gordonstoun School News
