Recognised for their success in driving participation, development and performance at all levels of Scottish sport, three organisations have been shortlisted for the title of Governing Body of the Year at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards on Wednesday 28 September 2016.

Netball Scotland, scottishathletics and Boxing Scotland emerged as finalists from a strong list of nominees, in what has been a fantastic year for Scottish sport and are now vying to scoop the award sponsored by Bluefin Sport.

With the launch of a new, modern image and innovative programmes from recreational to international level, Netball Scotland are committed to raising the profile of the sport and inspiring players at all levels. Capitalising on interest following Glasgow 2014 has resulted in a staggering 60% increase in membership since Glasgow 2014, 35% in the past year alone. With initiatives like the Bounce Back to Netball adult recreational programme, the sport is reaching out to new audiences including bringing island and rural communities within the national programme.

At the elite level, the national team are now ranked inside the world top ten and a new national franchise, the Scottish Sirens, will join the top flight of the Vitality Netball Superleague next season which is being broadcast by Sky. Investment in age group performance has also seen record results at European level, with medals at the Netball Europe U17, U21 and Open Championships.

It has been also been a bumper year for scottishathletics with a raft of medals at World, European and Commonwealth events across all disciplines and age groups. The 15 Olympians selected for Rio 2016 comprise the largest Scottish representation for a century, with a further six athletes selected for the Paralympics Games which get underway this week.

Underpinning this success is the new national strategy ‘Perform When It Counts’ delivering the highest competition entry numbers since the 1970s with over 120,000 athletes participating in scottishathletics permit events over the past year. The strategy has also driven significantly increased membership of clubs and the recreational jogscotland programme, as well as the launch of eight new clubs and centres, catering for para-sport athletes, in partnership with Scottish Disability Sport. Along with innovative developments in coach and club development and the creation of an industry leading physical competency programme, scottishathletics is working hard to ensure that the success of 2016 is repeated in years to come.

With four medals from four athletes at the Commonwealth Youth Games last year, two medals at the European Youth Championships and a record six gold medals at the GB Elite Championships, Boxing Scotland have had much to celebrate performance wise over the past year.

Their commitment to club and coach development and to eliminating traditional barriers and prejudices, is perhaps even more impressive. The development of an online members’ portal has revolutionised the way clubs interact with the governing body, while in March, Boxing Scotland launched a new SQA accredited Level 1 coaching qualification. 59 coaches successfully completed the award in the first three months and will go directly into catering for growing membership numbers, including a phenomenal 38% increase in the number of registered female boxers. Committed to promoting equality, Boxing Scotland also has plans to expand on the successful Glasgow based ‘Knockout Boxing’, the first initiative to provide an open environment for the LGBT community to engage in the sport.

Paul Bush OBE, Chairman, Commonwealth Games Scotland said: “Governing bodies sit at the heart of Scottish sport, putting in place pathways for athletes, coaches and officials from their very first contact with the sport through to achieving their aspirations at international level. Our three finalists stand out for their innovative approach and commitment to the development of their respective sports and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards on 28 September.”

Sponsor of the Governing Body of the Year Award, Bluefin Sport is one of the UK’s leading insurance brokers providing risk management and insurance solutions to the sports and leisure industry. Representing sporting organisations, including governing bodies, from grassroots through to the professional levels they provide independent advice, access to all leading insurers and the ability to design specialist insurance programmes to both organisations and high profile individuals.

Winners across all twelve categories will be crowned at the Team Scotland Scottish Sports Awards in a star-studded celebration of Scottish sport on 28 September at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.