University of Edinburgh Sport

We're Hiring! 📢 We are looking to appoint a Head of Performance Ladies Rugby to join our team at The University of Edinburgh Sport. Head of Performance Ladies Rugby Fixed-term: 2 years Full Time (35 hours per week) We are seeking a dynamic Head Coach – Ladies' Rugby to lead our elite performance programme within the Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club (EULRFC). This pivotal role involves developing and delivering a high-performance rugby programme, with primary responsibility for leading technical sessions, squad selection, and support services to ensure optimal performance. Find out more and apply here ➡ https://edin.ac/4i1ycYp Applications close: 18/12/2024

The University of Edinburgh Sport is delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Rowland, a globally acclaimed athletics endurance coach, as its new Performance Endurance Head Coach within the ambitious Global Endurance Project. Mark Rowland, a former Olympic steeplechase medallist, brings a wealth of experience to the role. Having held various national coaching positions in the UK, he was recruited to the prestigious Oregon Track Club Elite in 2012, where he coached numerous Olympic and World Championship finalists and medallists. Most recently, Rowland served as a West Hub Endurance Coach for Athletics Canada, further cementing his reputation as one of the world’s top endurance coaches. The Global Endurance Project is a bold initiative designed to elevate endurance performance standards at the University and beyond. With Rowland’s expertise and leadership, the project is set to position the University of Edinburgh as a global leader in athletics endurance over the next 5 years. Read the full story ➡️ https://edin.ac/4eSemfc

The University of Edinburgh Sport is delighted to welcome Scottish Athletics to the Laurie Liddell Clubhouse, Peffermill, as their new head office. Peffermill is one of Scotland’s premier sports grounds and we welcome the opportunity to enhance our partnership with Scottish Athletics. Director of Sport and Active Health, Mark Munro said,  “We are always looking to develop our relationships with governing bodies and it is great to enhance our partnership with Scottish Athletics and welcome them to Peffermill as they set up their new headquarters within The Laurie Liddell Clubhouse. Peffermill has undergone some magnificent changes over the last twelve months with our new hockey surface and wild Peffermill as well as recently playing host to Rugby World Champions South Africa, Fiji and Australia as they prepared for their respective Autumn Tests versus Scotland. We look forward to working with all the team at Scottish Athletics on a number of projects including the Global Endurance Programme.” From the 2nd of December, Scottish Athletics head office will be based at the Laurie Liddell Clubhouse, Peffermill Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5LL. All future correspondence should be directed to this address Read more here ➡️ https://edin.ac/4i6czpW

We are delighted to announce the release of the sports clothing and uniform tender for the period 2025-2028 with potential extension to 2031. The successful supplier will supply sports kit and apparel to all The University of Edinburgh Sports Clubs and volunteers as well as UoE Sport staff uniforms. University of Edinburgh Director of Sport and Active Health Mark Munro commented,  "As Scotland's Number One Sporting University and one of the top institutions in the UK for sport and active wellbeing, we are proud to lead the sector with the largest combined sports and gym membership in the country. Our ambitions extend beyond excellence on the field; not only do we aim to be a global leader in sport and active wellbeing, but we are driving innovation and impact in areas such as equality, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. We are seeking a partner who not only matches our top 'sporting' ambitions but also shares our commitment to creating positive change within the wider community." The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on 23/12/2024 More information on the tender is available from Public Contracts Scotland - https://edin.ac/3V6bCnr

Delighted that The University of Edinburgh will be represented in three categories at the Scottish Sport Awards. The awards, which are hosted by Team Scotland and sportscotland, take place on Wednesday 4 December 2024, celebrate the best of Scottish Sport. 🌟 Moment of the Year: Dr Jasmin Paris MBE In March this year, University of Edinburgh Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Dr Jasmin Paris MBE, made history by becoming the first woman (and one of only 20 people ever) to complete the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee, in its 38-year history. Jasmin is one 8 ‘Moments’ that went to a public vote to decide the winner. The University are delighted to be supporting this award. 🌟 Sustainability in Scottish Sport: Wild Peffermill Launched in 2024 as a collaboration between University of Edinburgh Sport and the The University of Edinburgh Department for Social Responsibility & Sustainability, the Wild Peffermill initiative aims to restore and enhance natural habitats across the 27-acre Peffermill sports fields and is part of the University’s wider "Wild Campus" vision. Though still in its early stages, Wild Peffermill represents an exciting step on the journey to restore nature across the University campus. As a model for how sports venues can tackle climate and biodiversity crises, the progress at Peffermill will hopefully inspire other institutions to adopt sustainable practices, paving the way toward a greener future for sport and nature alike. 🔗 https://edin.ac/4hO2UUR 🌟 Para Athlete (M) of the Year: Stephen Clegg Associated athlete Stephen Clegg has been nominated for the Para Male Athlete of the Year following his amazing success at Paris 2024 where he become a Double Paralympic champion with gold medal wins in the S12 100m Butterfly and S12 100m Backstroke. Good luck to everybody who has been shortlisted!

We are delighted to announce that The University of Edinburgh Head of Women's Rugby, Claire Cruikshank, has been appointed to a historic new position within Scottish Rugby where she will be become the first ever professional rugby coach for Edinburgh Rugby Women. "Claire's impact on the University of Edinburgh over the past decade has been nothing short of transformative, building a programme that is now a vital pathway for talent to the National Women’s team.” “While Claire will be stepping away from the day-to-day coaching our University women’s team, we’re pleased to share that she will retain a formal strategic oversight role for our programme through our ongoing partnership with Edinburgh Rugby. We are immensely proud of Claire’s achievements and look forward to seeing her continue to shape the future of women’s rugby in Scotland at both a national and international level." Mark Munro - Director of Sport and Active Health Claire is a true pioneer in Women’s rugby developing players, coaches and driving the sport to improve. She inspires everyone around her and supports student athletes to achieve at the highest level in sport and academics Massive congratulations Claire, we are all so proud ❤️ 🔗 https://edin.ac/3YNJgQ8 British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) // Cameron Ritchie // Greg McEwan // David Hughes // Craig Bolan

We were delighted to be part of such a great day Megan Richardson and proud to be part of the CIMSPA network. Already looking forward to the next event. Mark Munro Cameron Ritchie Gerry Crabbe Melissa McLaughlin (Assoc CIPD)

Celebrating 100 years of The University of Edinburgh Olympic & Paralympic Legacy 🏅 Last week we were delighted to welcome students, staff, alumni, partners and guests to celebrate our incredible students, staff and alumni who participated in the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. The evening included an outstanding panel discussion hosted by former Sports Union President and Sport Alumni ambassador Peter Sawkins. The panel featuring 2x Paralympic champion Stephen Clegg, Olympic Bronze medallist Aleksandra Kalucka, European Championship Bronze medallist and Olympian Megan Keith, and Double Commonwealth Games Gold medallist and 3x Olympian Grace Reid focused on their Olympic experiences and the support they have received from the University performance programme. With club sport demonstrations and a brief reflection on our recent annual report, it was a great opportunity to look towards the future of Sport at The University of Edinburgh and ensuring that sport at any level can be a key part of a student’s experience at university, providing lifelong benefits and cementing lasting friendships. There are several exciting opportunities to enable access to student sport via our Sports Union or by establishing a named scholarship for elite student athletes. If you’re interested in discussing how you can support these initiatives at the University of Edinburgh, please contact cara.mckeown@ed.ac.uk or peter.sawkins@ed.ac.uk

We are delighted that 24 student athletes from The University of Edinburgh have been awarded Winning Students Scholarships for the 24/25 academic year 🔥 Funded by sportscotland and the Scottish Funding Council, Winning Students 100 supports student athletes to balance their studies with high performance. Amongst the 24 athletes from The University of Edinburgh is Lunijika (Jika), a Edinburgh Medical School student and Scottish International Hockey Player, who has already won 5 caps at senior level. She also captained Scotland Under 21's at the European Championships. "I’m so grateful to have been given the scholarship from winning students. I found it hard to combine the commitments of being a student athlete with part time work and this scholarship has allowed me to focus my energy on medical school and hockey. The support from winning students has definitely benefited me in all areas of life as a performance athlete" Read more 🔗 https://edin.ac/3YwPTWQ

The refurbishment of one of the artificial hockey pitches at The University of Edinburgh's Peffermill Playing Fields has been completed and the Carbon Zero ISCC certified hockey pitch is ready for play! The installation of the new Poligras Paris GT zero surface at Peffermill will provide an elite training facility in the heart of Scotland with the surface originally developed for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The artificial pitch is the world’s first and only carbon zero hockey turf and has also been FIH Innovation-certified for dry hockey. "We are delighted with the installation of the new Polytan surface at Peffermill. We pride ourselves on high performance at the University and we now have a world leading surface for our players to play on." - Chris McIntosh (Head of Sports Infrastructure & Sustainability) "Our “FIH Innovation Category Dry Turf Hockey Field” is a milestone in sustainable hockey. With our sustainable system and Polytan’s Turf Glide Technology, the field ensures unbeatably fast ball-rolling behaviour, increased player safety and significantly reduced water consumption." - Ashley Appleby (Sales Manager at POLYTAN SPORTS SURFACES (UK) LTD) "It is great to see the work that has gone in over the summer at Peffermill on the new hockey surface. I had the pleasure of playing on the same Polytan surface when playing for Team GB in Paris and it was first class. It's fantastic to see Hockey doing it's bit for sustainable sport whilst maintaining top class surfaces, it is important for everybody" - Sarah Robertson (Edinburgh Alumni and Olympic Hockey player) 🔗 https://edin.ac/3YmIklo