sportscotland is hosting ‘Lead to Succeed’ on Saturday 26 November, an event for young people to celebrate 10 years of two of sportscotland’s flagship National Lottery funded programmes for young leaders: the Young Ambassadors (YA) programme and the Young People’s Sport Panel (YPSP).
We caught up with former YPSP member Fraser Johnston to see how his time on the panel has shaped him as an individual and find out about the work he is involved in now.
The YPSP provides a national platform for young people, and panel members influence and shape the future of sport in Scotland and raise the profile of sport.
Joining the panel
Fraser joined the second Young People’s Sport Panel in 2014. He said:
“I joined the panel when I was 17 just as I finished secondary school. It was a new experience as I hadn’t had any involvement in any sportscotland programmes. It was great to meet such a diverse group of people from across Scotland.”
Projects and opportunities
The YPSP opens doors for members to get involved in a lot of projects and opportunities. Fraser mentioned:
“The School Sport Award was in its early days when I was on the panel, and I had the opportunity to visit several schools that were going for the Gold Award, and I was inspired by the commitment of staff to create opportunities for their pupils.”
“I sat on the review panel of the Awards twice, and also attended a number of conferences, including the High-Performance Conference in Dunblane and a National Networking event in Glasgow where I delivered the closing speech.”
Where are you now?
“Since June 2022, I’ve been a part of Scottish Cycling’s Senior Leadership Team as the Project Lead for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and Club Development. Through this role, I coordinate all our work in relation to the Championships, with the aim of maximising the impact that this has for our sport.”
“I also lead the implementation and design of our Club Development strategy. Prior to this role I was a Club Development Manager leading on our work focused on children and young people, with specific responsibility for leading the Young People’s Panel.” 
Involvement in sport
“I’m still involved in sport, predominantly as a coach and an event organiser through my club, Falkirk Junior Bike Club. I’m doing my Level 3 Coaching Award which is helping me with the skills and knowledge to plan training for riders. I also run events, including in the last year rounds of the Scottish Mountain Bike XC and Cyclo-Cross series, and a round of the British Cyclo-Cross series.”
“Personally, I am predominantly a cyclist, and have competed in a couple of MTB and Gravel races this year. Beyond that I do a lot of walking and hiking.”
Developing skills
Members of the YPSP can meet lots of new people and build their network throughout their time on the panel. Fraser said:
“Relationships are everything. Understanding and relating to the people you are working with is essential if you’re going to progress and make an impact. I place so much emphasis on this both internally with my team and externally when working with partners.”
“I reflect on some of my early approaches when I first began working in Sport Development and cringe a bit at how I approached certain situations. However, I reflect to myself that I had my first job in sport when I was 20 so it’s okay to have made some mistakes, and I do my best now to support new colleagues coming through to avoid the same mistakes.”
“The YPSP focused on how we develop as individuals, I’ve been fortunate to find myself in a leadership role within an SGB where I am able to mentor and develop new staff coming in and see them progress their careers in sport development.”
Panel Highlights
“My biggest highlight was getting to work with a range of staff from across different sportscotland teams. Now working professionally within the sector, I call upon a lot of the relationships I developed during my time on the panel and it’s great to be able to reconnect with folks over the years.”
“Prior to joining the panel, I was set on a career in medicine, but the opportunities afforded to me through the panel, and wider experiences in my local community, shifted my career ambition a fair bit and soon after leaving the panel I knew that a career in sport was what I wanted.”
Advice to young leaders
“Don’t stop! I’ve met a lot of young people looking for a career in sport development that don’t continue to find development opportunities. It’s more challenging when you leave school when you’re not surrounded by opportunities readily available, but the best candidates I’ve seen coming through have sought opportunities alongside further education or employment to continue to develop.”
“I’ve supported several young people informally over the years interested in sport development, through reviewing job applications, CVs, talking about what next steps etc. I’m easily accessible via social media and always happy to help.”
