Who we are and where we have come from: A Brief History.

Way back in the early 1980s, various groups in Scotland sparked the idea of each local authority district having its own umbrella group to assist local sports clubs develop and to encourage a greater participation in sport as a leisure pursuit. It was the very earliest beginnings of Healthier Scotland, although at that time, having our own Parliament restored was but another dream.

In this part of the world, Strathclyde Regional Council and especially Cunninghame District Council decided this would be a good thing to have. With lots of support and guidance from our elected members on CDC, Cunninghame District Sports Council was eventually born as an arm’s length committee of the Council. This organisation flourished and prospered, taking part in the Celtic Games establishing links with similar Councils in Wales and Northern Ireland and operating its own Sports Injury Clinic. We remain grateful to these Councillors who had the vision to support a Sports Council.

When it came time for local government to be reorganised, Strathclyde Regional Council disappeared and Cunninghame District Council became North Ayrshire Council, an all-in-one local authority in its own right. Our Sports Council changed its name in line with this and became North Ayrshire Sports Council, again well supported by the local authority and continuing to run a large programme of events for a wide range of sports.

The more recent history is better known. In 2009 North Ayrshire Council announced they would no longer be in a position to grant fund the organisation. This was a great blow and looked like the end of our Sports Council. Appeals were made for alternative funding. Our Treasurer successfully approached Magnox North, the company who are busily decommissioning the redundant nuclear power station at Hunterston A. They were appreciative of our aims and existing good reputation. The resulting generous support received from Magnox North meant that our programme of planned sporting events could continue; local clubs receive guidance to develop, and more people of all ages and abilities still be encouraged to participate in sport.

To reflect our new independent status, The Executive Committee decided to look at our image. A Special General Meeting was called to consider their recommendations to rename North Ayrshire Sports Council as SportNorthAyrshire and redraft the Constitution to facilitate this. The meeting agreed without anyone speaking against the proposals. SportNorthAyrshire was born. The SportNorthAyrshire Constitution is available for download: here

SportNorthAyrshire remains an equal opportunities organisation with its original aims in place - promoting and developing interest and participation in Sport for ALL people in our local area. We have valuable additional support from our affiliated clubs who contribute £10 annually; and from individual members who contribute a minimum of £2 a year.

SportNorthAyrshire exists to promote and develop participation in all sports activities for everyone within North Ayrshire, free from any form of discrimination.

Administered entirely by volunteers, we assist our affiliated clubs by promoting and supporting championship competitions and arranging events, courses and training; encouraging citizens of all ages and abilities in North Ayrshire to take up and enjoy active sport and lead healthier lives.

Joining SportNorthAyrshire

By joining and becoming part of SportNorthAyrshire , you and your club members could benefit from our experience.

To apply for membership, please download and post your completed form, along with the relevant fee, to:   

                                                                                                           SportNorthAyrshire
                                                                                                          PO Box 8665
                                                                                                          WEST KILBRIDE
                                                                                                           KA23 9WN  

Membership Forms

• Club Affiliation  Annual Club Affiliation fee: £10
• Individual (Personal) Membership  Annual Individual Membership fee: £2

If you encounter problems downloading these forms, please email web@sportnorthayrshire.org.uk

The above documents are in Adobe PDF format. In order to view them, you will need to have Adobe Reader installed. If you do not have this installed, it can be downloaded for free from: