Impact of Covid-19 on Scottish sports

The Covid-19 pandemic has made a huge impact on society in so many ways, with the hospitality sector, education, businesses and sport all facing major stresses. All levels of Scottish sport have been affected by the pandemic in one way or another, be that professional, amateur or youth sport, with all losing vast amounts of money and development. With fans unable to watch their team play at the weekend or grassroots and amateur sportsmen and women unable to play the sport they love and socialize with friends, The impact of a lack of sport in Scotland throughout the pandemic was not only expensive for these clubs but also had a massive impact on the mental health of the players who use sport to take a step back from their stressful jobs and have fun with friends.

One of Scotland’s less popular sports is Volleyball, it is an amateur sport and has two male leagues and one female league in Scotland ran by the Scottish Volleyball Association (SVA). Due to volleyball being an indoor sport it was hit hard by the pandemic with all operations being shut down between March 2020 and October 2021 with restrictions being tight on indoor sports there was massive impact on the sport on all levels with all youth clubs losing over a year of development and the top level missing out on a full season of action.

Men’s volleyball player, 19, Harry Orr of City of Glasgow Ragazzi said: “Missing out on a full season had a massive impact on my development. Last season would have been my first proper season with the team, and I feel like it would have been a great season for me and the team”. Orr, who also plays for the Scotland under 21 national team, on what would have been his first trip away with the team,

he said: “I was meant to play a tournament abroad with the u21s in November last year and I’m gutted that didn’t go ahead because I was really looking forward to playing for my country.”

Due to volleyball not being a particularly accessible sport it would have been almost impossible to train when in national lockdown but as outdoor sports were beginning to reopen through the pandemic indoor sports showed no signs of returning anytime soon, Orr said: “ As some sports were beginning to return like football, I noticed that beach Volleyball was returning in Scotland in the summer months, so that gave me something to aim towards and I entered some 2-a-side tournament with another player from my club and that got me back into the swing of things before the indoor season started back up in October.”

Missing out on sport during the pandemic has impacted on almost all sportsmen, women and fans mental health so with sports coming back everyone hopes that they will be safe and be able to get back to normal as soon as possible, but Orr commented on the changes to the sport since it the national leagues started back up , He said: “The balls are sanitized after every point is played, there’s very little fans allowed in the halls to support the team and mask wearing has became the norm on entry and exit of the games halls, some players even wear them while playing, ‘I just hope that before too long the games can get back to normal because the sport just isn’t really the same with all the restrictions, but if it’s what’s needed in order to play the games and get back to training then we just have to get on with it.”