RYA Scotland achieves Advanced Equality Standard

RYA Scotland achieves the Advance Equality Standard © Marc Turner

RYA Scotland is delighted to be the first Scottish Governing Body to achieve the Advanced Level of the Sports Councils' Equality Standard for Sport.

The award of the Advanced Standard recognises RYA Scotland's commitment to increasing diversity amongst participants in sailing and boating, its staff and committees, and the "significant progress since achieving the Intermediate Level."

In meeting the Advanced Level requirements, RYA Scotland has demonstrated that equality is mainstreamed through the organisation and in particular throughout their affiliated club structure across Scotland's communities. In their report, the Sports Council Equality Group panel particularly commended the RYA on the "attitude to equality... that this is business as normal, not an additional burden", and the "robust portfolio of evidence, which demonstrates the depth and breadth of their equality work."

The report highlighted the model of working with focus clubs, the Push the Boat Out programme and the Sailability programme as examples of best practice which have a real impact on making boating accessible to all.

It also recognised the mentoring project and the contribution of RYA Scotland in developing UK wide guidance to support transsexual people in sailing as examples of good practice that can be used to influence or deliver on equality and could be shared with other sports.

RYA Scotland achieves the Advance Equality Standard - photo © Marc Turner

Areas for future action and development were identified as well – specifically continuing to gather data to gain a greater understanding of participants, and challenging external perceptions of the sport, especially amongst under-represented groups such as black and ethnic minorities and the LGBT community.

RYA Scotland Chief Executive Officer James Allan commented: "We are delighted to be the first Scottish Governing Body to achieve the Advanced Standard. It has been an invaluable process to reach this point and I am particularly proud that our approach to equality that reaches across the whole boating community in Scotland has been recognised. Gathering the evidence for the assessment confirmed that equality is simply a normal part of the culture across our affiliated clubs and training centres so this recognition is really about them and how boating embraces everyone.

We still have high aspirations for improvements. We know we can do better in many areas the report covers and will be working hard to ensure our activities and structures fully reflect the diversity of Scotland's communities."

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, added: "I am delighted that RYA Scotland is the first governing body in Scotland to achieve the advanced level of the equality standard for sport. They are an excellent example of an organisation with equality firmly at the top of their priority list and this achievement recognises their contribution to progressing equality in sport. Our support and expert resources provided to RYA Scotland have been an example of partnership working at its very best and we look forward to other governing bodies following the lead of RYA Scotland in driving their commitment to equality."