Monday 5th June 2023

The final SSS Medal Table of the 2022/23 season is here!

The SSS Medal Table is a method for institutions to see how successful their student-athletes have been over the course of the SSS season.

The table includes all events in which SSS medals* have been awarded during the 2022/23 season.

All semester 1 and 2 events which took place have been added.

The table defaults to alphabetical but can be sorted by any of the column headings.

 

SSS Medal Table 2022/23

InstitutionGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Aberdeen University28241769
Abertay University4239
City of Glasgow College4228
Dumfries & Galloway College0011
Dundee University17112452
Edinburgh College1326
Edinburgh Napier University54211
Edinburgh University1049162257
Fife College2439
GCU127827
Glasgow University625763182
Heriot Watt University10151540
NESCol0101
New College Lanarkshire0101
QMU0213
RGU1081533
St Andrews University646247173
Stirling University42302698
Strathclyde University343836108
UHI80210
UWS551020
West College Scotland1001
Z-GUEST29282986

 

Last Updated: June 2023

*Also includes BUCS medals won at Scottish Conference Finals

Compare how your instution got on against the 2021-22 Medal Tracker!

BACK TO LIST

Friday 3rd February 2023

If you’re interested in getting involved with Scottish Student Polo, find out everything you need to know here!

Key Information

 

Polo is a team sport that is played on horseback. The objective of the game is to score goals by hitting a small ball into the opposing team’s goal using long-handled mallets. The game is typically played on a large grass field, and each team consists of four players.

 

Contactssspolo@outlook.com

Governing bodyHurlingham Polo Association 

If you’re interested in polo, the below institutions are some of which have student polo teams.

  • University of Aberdeen
  • University of St Andrews
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Stirling

 

Events

 

  • Polo League matches 4 times a year
BACK TO LIST

Monday 6th June 2022

The final SSS Medal Table of the 2021/22 season is here!

The SSS Medal Table is a method for institutions to see how successful their student-athletes have been over the course of the SSS season.

The table includes all events in which medals have been awarded during the 2021/22 season.

All semester 1 and 2 events which took place have been added.

The table defaults to alphabetical but can be sorted by any of the column headings.

 

SSS Medal Table 2021/22

InstitutionGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Abertay University43
411
Ayrshire College112
Borders College11
City of Glasgow College4217
Edinburgh College224
Edinburgh Napier University4217
Fife College1427
Glasgow Caledonian University96318
Heriot Watt University10111334
Queen Margaret University123
Robert Gordon University510722
Scotland's Rural College112
UHI51410
University of Aberdeen23361978
University of Dundee34212075
University of Edinburgh876652205
University of Glasgow466245153
University of St Andrews714138150
University of Stirling433731111
University of Strathclyde32333398
University of the West of Scotland116623
Z-Guest Entries12111538

 

Total Events: 73 (88% of planned activity)

Last Updated: June 2022

BACK TO LIST

Wednesday 16th December 2020

Inspiration, innovation and collaboration at every corner. These were some of the key themes that emerged from the SSS 2020 Festive Gathering. Over 70 members tuned into the virtual gathering and were treated to thought-provoking discussion, high-quality guest speakers and plenty of Festive Fun! Read all about it here!

In a change to tradition and a fitting tribute to 2020, the SSS Festive Gathering was delivered virtually this year with over 70  members across the tribe tuning in to hear from a panel of world-class athletes and leaders in sport.

Whilst the virtual gathering was a first of its kind, the longstanding tradition of participants wearing festive jumpers remained true – with some fantastic outfits on show throughout the afternoon. None more so than panelist Robyn Love (pictured below) in what is undoubtedly a candidate for the most festive photo of the year.

After an energising welcome from SSS Chair Pete Burgon, a brief review of the year gone by and finances approved – our attendees were met by two equally inspiring and thought-provoking discussions from our special guests.

First up, the Road to Tokyo panel, where SSS Head of Competitions Chris Purdie, was joined by three athletes whose experiences through student sport had helped shape their career path and their journey to next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Neah Evans (Cycling), Megan Gaffney (Rugby) and Robyn Love (Wheelchair Basketball) discussed how their positive student sport experiences helped them reach where they are today. From balancing the workload of their studies with the pressure of performing in their sport and also trying to keep up a social life in the process, the panelists spoke honestly and fondly of their student days.

All three touched upon the huge sacrifices required to make it at the top level and acknowledged the vital support they received from their institutions and staff during their time at University. This support has been vital to them and many other young athletes looking to achieve their potential while also studying and preparing for their future.

The panel discussed the importance of resilience and “bounce-back ability” that the challenges of Coronavirus and lockdown caused before previewing what promises to be a jam-packed and exciting year of sport in 2021.

All three have very real and promising hopes of competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games and everyone at SSS wishes Megan, Robyn and Neah every success for 2021 and beyond.

Following this inspirational panel, the next section was packed full of ambition, innovation and collaboration at every corner: An Audience with Jan Paterson.

Jan is currently Managing Director Sport for Neom, delivering a bold new vision of future living. Neom is being designed as a global city for global citizens and Jan’s role is to engrain sport and physical activity in the lives of residents. In the future city, citizens will never be more than 8 minutes from a sports facility and physical activity will be an integral part of the curriculum.

Jan herself is a pioneer and her experiences in leadership roles were a great learning opportunity for our audience. She spoke of the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, and the significance of bottom-up team building. We also heard some great stories of her times at the World University Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

To round off the day and in true 2020 style, the SSS Tribe were treated to a Zoom Quiz of the Year courtesy of Pete Burgon. This gave everyone a chance to show off their best Christmas jumpers, share some “funny” Christmas jokes and engage in some much needed festive cheer.

We would like to wish everyone a restful festive break and we look forward to seeing you all in 2021.

BACK TO LIST

Wednesday 9th September 2020

Check out the highlights from our first-ever virtual Chair Development Day and meet your new and returning SSS Sports Chairs!

Last Sunday (6th September 2020) Scottish Student Sport hosted the first-ever virtual Chair Development Day! A total of 35 volunteers across 28 of our sports engaged in a zoom-based training day designed to equip them with all the necessary tools to tackle the upcoming 2020/21 season.

Throughout the day, the eager volunteers were treated to a series of different workshops delivered by the SSS staff touching upon a little bit of everything and anything. Including; introductions to the staff team, planning the return to play for student sport, how to encourage growth and participation levels within their sport, student mental health, all things social media and communications,  and engaging discussion surrounding where student sport fits in the wider student landscape.

In another first, the workshop was opened up to include not only sports chairs themselves but also other members of each sports development committees. This enabled vice-chairs and other officers to learn, engage and contribute to the conversation around planning for the next 12 months and beyond!

Despite not being able to meet in person, in true SSS fashion, everyone on the call grasped the opportunity to get to know each other, collaborate with one another and share best practice. We can’t wait to see some of your fantastic ideas in action. We hope all our volunteers found the day beneficial and are feel better prepared to grasp their unique opportunity and tackle season 2020/21!

Meet your sports chairs and find out what they made of the day!  🎥👇

BACK TO LIST

Wednesday 29th April 2020

The numbers are in and SSS are excited to announce a 12% growth in club membership numbers in the 2019/20 academic year. Check out the sport-specific breakdown and highlights here!

Scottish Student Sport are delighted to report that across Scotland, the collective total club membership numbers has reached just under 40,000.  Here are some of the facts behind the numbers…

  • Across 571 student sports clubs there are 39,947 individuals reported to be taking part in club activity. This healthy annual growth of 12% is representative of the hard work put in by the staff, volunteers and students at each institution working hard to ensure good quality, fun and friendly sport and physical activity are available on campus.
  • We are delighted to see a huge increase in the reported involvement of students with a disability with that number reaching a total of 1,330 students.
  • The sex balance reported is 45% male, 48% female and 6% unknown.
  • There is slight movement in the top 10 sports per membership numbers with Netball moving up and Tennis moving down. Each sport in the top 10, with the exception of mountaineering, have all increased in size since the 2018/19 reporting.

Please see below a snapshot of the data capture. If you have any questions regarding the data then please email Development & Competitions Assistant Leah Davidson.

BACK TO LIST

Tuesday 21st April 2020

The final SSS Medal Table of the 2019/20 season is here!

The SSS Medal Table is a method for institutions to see how successful their student-athletes have been over the course of the SSS season.

The table includes all events in which medals have been awarded during the 2019/20 season.

All semester 1 and 2 events which took place have been added.

The table defaults to alphabetical but can be sorted by any of the column headings.

 

SSS Medal Table 2019/20

InstitutionGoldSilverBronzeTotalNational Squad Members
Abertay University61
6132
Edinburgh College2002
Edinburgh Napier University453128
Fife College1001
Glasgow Caledonian University945181
Heriot Watt University1275249
Queen Margaret University31042
Robert Gordon University12121135
Scotland's Rural College0213
University of Aberdeen231614536
University of Dundee262721748
University of Edinburgh57645117220
University of Glasgow43455013817
University of St Andrews47364612912
University of Stirling291614594
University of Strathclyde2529247815
UHI11022
University of the West of Scotland343101
West College Scotland0101
Z-Guest Entries13212054

 

Total Events: 43 (67% of planned activity)

Last Updated: April 2020

BACK TO LIST

Wednesday 1st April 2020

The SSS Competitions Committee have passed through a new proposal, allowing students and institutions to compete against each other in eight new sports during isolation. Read more about The SSS Isolympics here!

The Scottish Student Sport Competitions Committee met earlier this week to discuss an emergency plan to keep student sport competition running throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. After a lengthy discussion, the group concluded to extend the current official 35 SSS Sports to include some new additions.

The SSS Comps Committee passed through the motion to include 8 new sports, including e-sports, where Scottish Universities and Colleges will be able to compete against each other to earn BUCS points and SSS medals for their institutions during this period of self-isolation. This new fleet of sports and fixtures will be called The SSS Isolympics.

Our SSS Competitions Committee Chair, Chris Sellar, believes the new initiative will thoroughly enhance the student experience. He said:

“The decision made by the Comps Committee is a very positive one. It is not only in keeping with the SSS values – innovative, responsive and sustainable to name a few – but it is also putting the students’ interests first and foremost. The Isolympics will bring together athletes across the country to pit their skills against the best within their disciplines. This has the making of one of the greatest sporting competitions of our generation.”

Here is all you need to know…

  • Each sports sabbatical officer or equivalent sports coordinator will be in charge of selecting one competitor for each sport. No individual can compete in more than one sport.
  • The SSS Isolympics are mixed-sex, anyone can play against anyone.
  • The fixtures and leagues will be managed by the fixtures administrators or equivalent position at each Scottish institution, liaising with one and other and their clubs as to when the fixtures of each sport can be played.
  • All fixtures will take place over ZOOM call and must be played between the hours of 9am and 8pm. As no participants will be travelling, BUCS Regulation 9.3.5 Start Times stating- No league or knockout match may start before 13:00 on a weekday – is hereby void.

For a full list of rules and regulations for the isolation games please click here.

The following 8 sports have been added into the SSS official list of sports.

E-sports | FIFA 20

Institutions will compete against one and other in a one-off  ‘Kick-Off’ match. Teams will be decided based on the geographical location of your institution. For example a fixture between Robert Gordon University v Heriot-Watt would be Aberdeen FC v Heart of Midlothian FC. All team lines to be sent to our competitions and development assistant Leah Davidson.

Press-Up Challenge 

Individuals have 5 (five) minutes to do as many full press-ups as possible. All videos to be sent to our SSS judge Megan Richardson, who will be the count whether a press-up is deemed complete or not.

Hall Putting 

Individuals have 5 (five) minutes to record their longest putt in their own home. ‘Golf clubs’ can be substituted for brooms or mops. The golf hole must be a tin can with the following dimensions: 73 mm x 110 mm.

Toilet Roll Keepy-Ups

Keep the toilet roll off the ground for as many touches as possible. Three attempts per person, take the best score.

Synchronised Brunching 

Individuals must make two identical brunch meals. SSS brunch connoisseurs Gavin Rittoo and Neil Rankin will rank the dishes based purely on presentation.

Paper Toss

Individuals have 5 (five) minutes to consecutively throw as many pieces of crumpled up paper as possible, into a waste paper bin. If you miss you go back to zero. The bin and the individual must maintain at least a two-metre social distance at all times.

Sofa Jump 

Individuals need have to jump/ ‘fosbury flop’ over the back of the sofa and onto the cushions. The highest jump wins. Each individual is allowed three failed attempts before their final height is recorded.

Speed Ironing

Timed competition – how quickly can you iron your sports team kit?

Fixtures will commence from April 1st 2020 with no final deadline date set as of yet. Best of luck!

BACK TO LIST

Thursday 30th January 2020

Scottish Student Sport are delighted to announce Queen Margaret University as the host for the SSS Conference 2020. Read the full story here!

Scottish Student Sport is delighted to announce that Conference 2020 will be hosted by Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh. This is the first time the event will be hosted by QMU, and as a modern and ambitious institution they are excited about the opportunity to welcome the SSS tribe.

QMU is located at the purpose-built site in Musselburgh – just a 6 minute-train from the centre of Edinburgh – and sustainability is ingrained in campus life. SSS is ambitious about delivering the most sustainable conference to date.

Conference 2020 is the culmination of the student sport year and provides a fantastic opportunity for the network to come together to learn and celebrate. The event will include a host of inspirational guest speakers and innovative workshops, as well as opportunities to be active. The climax of the 2-day event will be the Scottish Student Sport Awards Dinner, celebrating the biggest and best achievements and contributions of the sporting year.

Andy White, Student Vice President at QMU, said:

“We’re delighted to be able to open our doors to the SSS tribe in June and share with them a couple of days of inspirational activity.”

“Queen Margaret University are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Scottish Student Sport 2020 Conference. Our Students’ Union supports our sports teams to punch well above their weight in relation to the relatively small size of our student community. We’re delighted to be able to open our doors to the SSS tribe in June and share with them a couple of days of inspirational activity.” 

Stew Fowlie, COO at SSS, added:

“There is a terrific blend of spaces and services available at QMU, allowing us to generate a really upbeat atmosphere for our members and guests. This environment, coupled with strong local support, provides all the ingredients for what promises to be our best conference yet. We look forward to working with QMU in the planning phase and most of all to welcoming the SSS tribe to Musselburgh for 48 life-changing hours in June.”

Conference 2020 will year take place on the 10th and 11th of June 2020. Add this date to your diary NOW and watch this space for further information and sign up!

BACK TO LIST

Wednesday 18th December 2019

Read all about the highlights from our annual Festive Gathering which took place at Perth College, UHI. A fitting way to end an incredible year of Scottish Student Sport.

For the first time, the SSS Tribe descended on Perth College UHI for our annual Festive Gathering. We were delighted to welcome our members, colleagues and friends from across the length and breadth of the country to participate in a number of forums, workshops and discussions – giving everyone the opportunity to learn, collaborate and innovate the world of Scottish Student Sport going into the new year.

Stew the COO and SSS Chair, Pete Burgon kicked things off with a SSS update and overview of the accounts before we were treated to a practical session delivered by our friends at Scottish Disability Sport (SDS).

SSS has a strong partnership with SDS and this partnership has flourished with the number of events across our member institutions greatly increasing over the last few months – highlighting the appetite for disability sport in both Colleges and Universities in Scotland. Heather Lowden and Gavin Macleod, from SDS, were joined by wheelchair athlete Gemma Lumsdaine to deliver practical skills and theoretical insight into disability sport.

As well as learning more about the disability sport landscape, participants had the opportunity to test their practical skills; activities included visually impaired running,  Wheelchair Basketball, Goalball and mastering the art of Boccia. For a number of participants this was the first exposure to disability sport and raising this awareness is an integral element of the partnership between SSS and SDS.

After a hearty lunch,  we were treated to a panel discussion on Women in Sport and a keynote workshop on organisational sustainability. The panel was chaired by University of Stirling’s Cathy Gallagher who guided the conversation on a range of topics from participation in student sport to career opportunities and the role of the media in women’s sport.

Cathy was joined by Shelley Kerr, Head Coach of Scotland Womens National Football Team, Gemma Lumsdaine, Wheelchair Basketball coach and Wheelchair Rugby Player, and Laura McGhie, Sports Journalist at BBC Scotland.

With a wealth of experience on the panel we explored some of the barriers to participation but also the hurdles that women potentially face/faced in beginning their career in sport. With fantastic role models on the panel some of the topics discussed included how we celebrate achievements, encourage leadership and promote careers in sport for young women. One of the key actions to come from the discussion is to look for ways to better communicate and promote what we are achieving in the world of Women’s sport, and the importance of collaborative working to achieve this.

Following the panel discussion we were treated to a keynote workshop from Jen Curran. Jen works for Wren & Greyhound, a consultancy supporting the not-for-profit sector in working toward organisational sustainability. Jen delivered fascinating insight on a number of topics relevant to the SSS Tribe including income diversification, workload management and the importance of relationships.

To finish the day the Tribe had the opportunity to hear from Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal at UWS and recently elected Chair of BUCS. Craig’s background in sport makes him a great candidate to succeed Professor Sir Ian Diamond in leading BUCS forward and supporting the work of SSS.

Special thanks to the staff at Perth College UHI for playing great hosts and making us feel warmly welcomed. Thanks to our guest speakers, the Women in Sport Panel, SDS and all our members who attended, contributed and participated in what was a great day and a fitting way to end a hugely successful 2019. Here is to 2020…

BACK TO LIST