Glasgow Neighbourhood Clubs Draw Hundreds Into Expanding High School Sports

More than 800 Glasgow secondary pupils have signed up for summer athletics squads run by local schools and community groups since the start of June.

The increase reflects a wider push by city organisations to keep teenagers active after school hours without relying on elite club pathways. Families in areas with limited green space have turned to these programmes because they meet after 4pm and charge modest fees that fit household budgets.

East End and West End clubs set the pace

At Crownpoint Sports Centre in Dennistoun, coaches from the Glasgow Secondary Schools Athletics League run twice-weekly track sessions on the 400-metre circuit that opened to schools in 2022. Pupils from St Mungo's Academy and Whitehill Secondary walk or cycle the short distance from their gates. Across the river in Partick, the same league uses the outdoor lanes at Scotstoun Stadium every Thursday evening, drawing runners from Hyndland Secondary and Notre Dame High School who train under floodlights until 7pm.

Both sites share equipment bought with a 2024 grant from Glasgow City Council that covered new starting blocks and relay batons for 12 secondary schools. The arrangement keeps costs low: a full term of eight sessions costs £24, paid in two instalments at the venue office.

Numbers show steady growth

Council leisure data released on 3 July recorded an 18 per cent rise in registered high school participants compared with the same period in 2024. Average attendance at the two flagship venues now sits at 62 young athletes per session, up from 47 last summer. The figures come from swipe-card entry records kept at Crownpoint and Scotstoun, which also log how many pupils travel from postcodes G31 and G11.

Parents who want their children to join can collect a registration form at either sports centre reception or download it from the Glasgow Life website. The next intake opens on Monday 14 July and runs until places fill.