BBC Radio Scotland and sportscotland went on the road to Perth to create an exciting opportunity for pupils at Perth High School. Supported by the local Active Schools team, the BBC Sportsound on the Road event involved football coaching for a group of pupils and a live radio broadcast for the school community.
On 6 October, 30 Perth High pupils benefitted from the coaching expertise of some of St Johnstone FC’s current and former players. Hannah Clark, Megan Paterson, Liam Craig and Liam Gordon worked together to coach and share their experience from their careers as players and the feedback from the pupils was incredibly positive! Later that evening, pupils, staff and families were invited to attend a live broadcast of the BBC Sportsound radio show from the school, where they had the chance to ask questions live on air.
Beth Allan, a member of the sportscotland Young Ambassador Conference Delivery Team, with interests in broadcasting, joined the sportscotland team, gathering content, getting involved and supporting the event. We caught up with Beth and asked about her experience in sport and what she thought of the BBC Sportsound on the Road event and here’s what she told us.
Beth’s sporting background 
“Growing up, I was always very energetic, and I soon found that the best way to channel that energy and adrenaline in a positive way was by playing sport, whether in a club or simply kicking about a rugby ball in the park with my dad.”
“Being involved in sport has definitely improved my confidence and self-belief that I can achieve anything if I work hard and put my mind to it. Sport has also given me the opportunity to take on leadership roles, as a captain for my rugby team and as a Young Ambassador for sport and as a member of the Young Ambassador Conference Delivery Team. It was really exciting to get involved in the BBC Sportsound event and I learned a lot!”
Celebrating women & girls in sport
The event took place during Women and Girls in Sport Week and included the school’s girls’ football team who were excited to take part. Beth was delighted to see so many girls involved in the coaching session and to have a coaching team that was split equally male and female:
“I feel strongly that it is important for women and girls to have positive female role models to look up to, to motivate and inspire them but also to prove that female sport is valued.”
“The thing I took away from the day was how important events such as these are at keeping girls interested and motivated within sport”
“I think it is so important to host these events whilst at school to reassure girls from an early age of the benefits and excitement of being involved in sport.”
“I think that it is crucial when playing sports that the fun aspect is at the forefront and every other factor comes second to that. It was clear that the emphasis throughout the coaching was on having a good time and it was great to see everyone enjoying playing football without any pressure”.
Social media takeover
Beth was able to help engage and inspire other young girls to get involved in sport through an Instagram takeover on the day.
“My role was to do an Instagram takeover on the sportscotland Instagram with Young People’s Sport Panel member Molly, to highlight the football coaching session delivered to budding footballers at Perth High. Throughout the day, I captured videos of what was going on and I also interviewed some of the St Johnstone coaches including Megan Patterson and Liam Gordon.”
“In the evening, I had the opportunity to be part of the audience as the radio show was broadcast live from the school, which was definitely special!”
Supporting other girls
“My advice for any girl who is thinking of venturing into the sporting world would definitely be to take every opportunity that you can.”
“The more that you put into the experience, the more you will get out. You may feel slightly apprehensive and nervous to start with but the butterfly feeling which you have in your stomach is good as you can generate those nerves into adrenaline and excitement!”
“Go out there, enjoy it and we will be behind you every step of the way!”
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