CSR – Corporate Sports Responsibility

In an era of rapidly diminishing profit margins and endless efficiency drives, many companies are understandably keen to cut back on areas considered less than critical to their core business. Unfortunately, the funding of social responsibility projects in the community can rank highly on this list.  Many social enterprises and programmes, however, remain intimately tied to and reliant upon guidance and financial support from external bodies.   

“Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, is so much more than the latest buzz-word” explains Robert Gordon University Development Manager, Kay Shelby-James. “It has the potential to transform lives beyond recognition.  From the University’s perspective, the importance of receiving outside support is perfectly exemplified in the funding that is channelled into the careers of aspiring young athletes.”

For the past two years, RGU: SPORT has worked in concert with funding bodies to develop its Sports Scholarship Programme.  Since the programme was established, RGU: SPORT has worked with organisations such as Technip, Aberdeen City and Shire and Royal and Ancient to help young athletes combine their academic studies with competing in the top flight of their sports.  The sports centre itself also contributes to the scheme, investing £20,000 to support 15 outstanding student athletes during the 2009/10 academic year. 

The sports scholars represent the up-and-coming elite in a range of competitive sports, most having achieved national and indeed international success over the last year, including Inverurie swimmer Hannah Miley, Huntly skiier, PJ Barron and Ellon tennis ace, Claire Birnie.

Juggling essay writing and cramming for exams while training for and competing in international competitions is no mean feat. To this end, the RGU: SPORT scholarship provides recipients with a number of measures aimed at supporting both their athletic and academic careers. This includes sports coaching, conditioning advice, physiological and performance testing, expert guidance on nutrition and sports science, assistance with costs associated with the sport, access to advice on performance and lifestyle management as well as subsidised University accommodation.

Local swimming sensation, Hannah Miley, can testify to the value of this investment in her career.  Funding provided by the RGU: SPORT scholarship programme for the last two years has enabled the 21 year-old to fully exploit her talent, whilst studying for a degree in Sports and Exercise Science at Robert Gordon University. Training at the state-of-the-art swimming pool at RGU: SPORT enables her to successfully combine her training schedule with her lectures at Garthdee.

Since finishing sixth in the 400m medley in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Hannah’s career has gone stellar. She claimed her maiden senior international title by topping the podium in the European short course championships in Istanbul last December. She then swam to victory at the British Swimming Championships in March, adding to her medal haul with double gold and a silver.  Most recently, she claimed gold and two bronze at the European Championships in Budapest in August.  The Hungarian event has proven to be an excellent training opportunity ahead of October’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

“The sponsorship enables me to have fantastic training facilities, but remain in Aberdeen City and Shire, which is just a great place to be” comments Hannah. “Many sports scholars choose to move to America for their training, and I had been made some tempting offers, but I chose Robert Gordon University because I love being at home. The pool is really first class and an ideal environment for training, and it’s so easy to fit in the training schedule with my lectures."

Hannah is not alone in capitalising on the opportunities afforded by the Sports Scholarship Programme. Earlier this year Huntly student Peter James (PJ) Barron became the first RGU: SPORT scholar to take part in the Winter Olympics. Last year, PJ competed alongside the Irish National Ski Team in the World Junior Nordic Ski Championships and the Senior World Ski Championships whilst still a junior.  The Sports and Exercise Science student is currently No.1 in Ireland for Sprint and Distance Skiing and has his sights firmly focused on qualifying for the next Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014.

Tennis ace Claire Birnie has had more than one reason to celebrate this year. Claire, who is from Ellon, was awarded the scholarship for four years running, in recognition of her exceptional progress in the sport. The Biomedical Sciences graduate didn’t let a little thing like training for the Commonwealth Games interfere with her studies, and graduated with a First Class Honours degree last month.

“If it wasn’t for the programme I would not have been able to pursue both my academic and sporting goals. In particular, the strength and conditioning programmes have helped me to become a stronger and fitter athlete,” she says. “Another benefit is the financial support. Competing frequently throughout Britain means the costs are high, and without this help I couldn’t continue to play my sport at a high level.”

Filippo Antoniazzi, Director of Sport at the University’s sport facility, is the driving force behind the programme in conjunction with Sports Programmes Manager, Neil Brown. He states, “With the focus on the Commonwealth Games later this year, and the 2012 Olympics, many of the future British Team are likely to be entering university and will be greatly aided by initiatives of this kind.”

“We now have a growing pool of young elite sportsmen and women who recognise that we can provide the support and the facilities needed to equip them to compete on a world class stage. However, this level of support comes at a cost, and it is vital on so many levels that the business world continues to invest in up-and-coming sporting talent.”

Of course it’s not just the athletes who benefit from these schemes. With sports scholars like Hannah appearing in the press on an almost daily basis, sponsors who have contributed to their triumph have the opportunity not only to raise their profile, but also to stake a claim in their achievements throughout their careers.

“Furthermore” continues Filippo, “sponsoring the sports stars of the future can have an incremental effect on every level of society. Youngsters are often inspired to pick up a racquet or dive into the water when they see their idols triumph.”

“As such, scholarship programmes can have a massively beneficial impact on the health, and indeed the psyche of the entire region, by encouraging participation in sport at every level and generating a feeling of ownership and inclusion when local athletes triumph on the world stage,” Filippo concludes.

A number of sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2010 / 2011 RGU: SPORT Scholarship Programme. For further information please contact Neil Brown by phone on (01224) 263767 or by email at n.brown@rgu.ac.uk.

ENDS                                                                              

Photo caption

(From left) Claire Birnie, Hannah Miley, Neil Brown (Sports Programmes Manager), and PJ Barron strike a pose at the RGU: Sport facility.

Pauline Smith
Communications Officer
Robert Gordon University
Schoolhill
Aberdeen
AB10 1FR
Tel: 01224 262389
Email: p.smith1@rgu.ac.uk 

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