ABERDEEN’S Robert Gordon University (RGU) is set to launch its first-ever wheelchair basketball team after a partnership of Scottish sporting organisations received £15,000 in funding from Morrisons Foundation.
A collaboration between RGU Sport, Scottish Disability Sport (SDS), Grampian Flyers and the University’s Disability Sport Working Group secured the funds, allowing for the purchase of 10 sport wheelchairs.
The partnership hopes the team will “open up the sport to a new audience in the north east”.
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Alison Shaw, regional manager for Grampian at Scottish Disability Sport, said: “This project ties in well with the work of the RGU Disability Sport Working Group.
“The aim of the group is to open up more sports to students with disabilities, and to engage more students with disabilities in sport and physical activity.
“This will be the first specific disability sports club offered at any of Aberdeen’s further and higher education establishments, and will provide a great opportunity for disabled students to be active, improve their wellbeing, and to develop a range of life skills.”
Sessions will be hosted at RGU Sport and will be open not just to RGU students but also to those studying at any other higher or further education institution, in a bid to make the team as accessible as possible.
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Rory Anton, club development officer at RGU Sport, said: “This investment is extremely positive for the region and also highlights the positive opportunities that have become possible through great partnership working from the Disability Sport Working Group at RGU.
“It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and Grampian Flyers Basketball Club, whose expertise will allow us to deliver an inclusive programme of wheelchair basketball for students of RGU and beyond.
“We hope this will positively impact the student community in the city and aim for this to be the first of many programmes like it.”
Rory Geddes, a law student at RGU, has volunteered to lead the team, bringing his experience as a key Grampian Flyers wheelchair basketball player to the squad.
He said: “I feel very positive about the future of wheelchair basketball for students. I think it’s great that universities are trying to be more inclusive.
“It’s offering opportunities for disabled students to get involved in social activities and competitive sport which has very positive benefits for everyone involved.
“Hopefully this inclusivity spreads to other sports and social settings within higher education.”
The wheelchair basketball sessions will begin on Thursday, January 19 and run weekly from 8-10pm until March 16.
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