Hamilton GC, a Scottish Gymnastics member club, has a proven track record of running excellent gymnastic programmes for a wide range of groups and have shown a commitment to nurturing talent and growing participation in the sport.
That track record has been borne out by its membership numbers, the club hosts a huge number of packed sessions each week with around 1500 people coming through the door every week, from young people trying the sport for the first time to elite gymnasts competing in events across the UK and Europe. To ensure that pathway remains strong the club relies heavily on a dedicated group of 40 coaches and volunteers.
Club members Katie Coull, Andrew Dickie and Hannah Paterson were all on the longlist for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, while Aaron Convery was named as a reserve, something that would not have been possible without the facility redevelopment which allowed for the appropriate equipment to be installed for gymnasts to train all of the areas required to compete at the highest level.
In 2024 the club was awarded £108,401 from the sportscotland Sport Facilities Fund for an expansion on their facility, which had been running at capacity and the club had a waiting list of 250 people, majority of those people have now been able to become members.
Earlier this year sportscotland, the national agency for sport, announced that sports clubs and community sports facilities across the country will receive an extra £5m of National Lottery funding over the next two years after the Sport Facilities Fund budget was doubled. Meaning £10m is available in that time for projects designed to increase sporting opportunities in Scottish communities.
The aim behind the sportscotland Sport Facilities Fund is to work with partners to support projects which are designed to create or improve the places where people take part in sport and physical activity in their local community.
Priority is given to plans that widen access to participation or allow people to progress further within their chosen sport locally by removing barriers, particularly in rural areas or areas of deprivation and for groups who are underrepresented in sport.
In addition to the investment, projects can benefit from the expertise within sportscotland’s facilities team to maximise the impact that their plans will have, ensuring they meet the needs of their local communities now and in the future.
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop:
"Hamilton Gymnastics Club is a fantastic example of a club that has shown huge commitment to growing their sport, providing members with countless opportunities to stay active and becoming a key part of the community in Hamilton.
“We are proud to have supported their continued growth and work to ensure more people can enjoy gymnastics in such a high-quality environment.
“The impact of the sportscotland Sport Facilities Fund cannot be overstated. Without that regular investment, and the investment and commitment of our local and national partners, Scotland’s sporting infrastructure would look very different today.
Ruth Gibson, former Commonwealth Games gymnast, founder and Head Coach of Hamilton Gymnastics Club:
“We’ve established ourselves as one of the best men’s artistic clubs in Scotland. The investment from sportscotland allowed us to install pits which allows us to reach the skill level we want to achieve, and we can do that in house without having to travel to train.
“We’ve got new classes and more opportunities, we’ve expanded into a new unit which has allowed us to take on more members as well.
Shona Grigor, Head of Men’s Gymnastics at Hamilton Gymnastics Club:
“I think the success of the club is down to how happy we make everyone feel. It feels like a big family. I think people who are new and have only been here a week they’ll feel like they’ve been here for years.”
Andrew Dickie, Scotland international gymnast:
“I’ve been here almost my whole life. It’s a brilliant club and in recent years I’ve been able to make a lot of progress with the help of everyone at the club and the facility we now have.”
