Scottish Sports Futures

What Scottish Sports Futures does

Scottish Sports Futures (SSF) is a Glasgow-based registered charity (SC034085) and company limited by guarantee, founded in 2000, that uses sport as a catalyst to deliver education and training programmes for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people across Scotland. Its core offering is the SSF Education & Training programme, which combines Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) accredited qualifications in Communication, Goal Setting, and related areas with bespoke SSF Wellbeing Workshops and the partnership-based LifeSkills Programme. Delivery is person-centred and direct, primarily in schools and community settings, with cohort sizes in the low double digits (e.g., 11 S4–S5 pupils at St. Ninian's High School; 12 young people across three On Route cohorts; 9 New Scots participants; 6 young people with disabilities completing qualifications).

The organisation serves multiple beneficiary segments including disengaged secondary-school pupils, young people with disabilities aged 14–35, New Scots (refugees and migrants), and partner schools and community organisations. Notable delivery partners include On Route, Sported, South Lanarkshire Disability Sport, and Cho's Tae Kwon Do, with Sported commissioning SSF for repeat cohorts in South Lanarkshire. SSF's competitive position rests on domain specialisation in sport-based youth development and a portfolio of institutional validations, including CIMSPA Registered Education Partner status, UN SDG partnership alignment (Goals 3 and 4), Disability Confident, Living Wage Employer, and Cyber Essentials.

SSF operates as a non-profit with no commercial pricing model; revenue derives from charitable donations, fundraising (including a JustGiving checkout), and grants. It markets through its own website and an organic social presence on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, alongside email newsletters and partner referrals. The organisation is governed by trustees under its charitable structure, publishes annual and audited accounts, and is currently executing a 2023–2026 Three-Year Strategic Plan.

Name

Scottish Sports Futures

Legal name

Scottish Sports Futures

Website

https://ssf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scottish Sports Futures is a Glasgow-based Scottish charity that uses sport-based education to deliver SCQF-accredited qualifications and wellbeing workshops to disadvantaged young people, including disengaged pupils, young people with disabilities, and New Scots, across Scotland in partnership with schools and community organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sport-based Youth Education and Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH), Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ)

Keywords

• Sport-based youth education
• Charity training programmes
• SCQF accredited qualifications
• Community disability sport
• Life skills coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Donations: As a registered charity (SC034085), SSF operates primarily through charitable funding, donations, and grants rather than commercial revenue generation. The organisation relies on fundraising activities and public donations to sustain operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Scottish Sports Futures uses sport as a catalyst to deliver education and training programmes to vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in Scotland. Its core offering combines SCQF-accredited qualifications with bespoke wellbeing and life-skills workshops, delivered through partnerships with schools, disability sports organisations, and social services charities in Glasgow and across Scotland.

Product overview

Scottish Sports Futures operates a unified Education & Training offering focused on using sport as a catalyst for positive youth development. The core programme combines SCQF-accredited qualifications with SSF Wellbeing Workshops, delivered through flexible, person-centred approaches in schools and community settings. Key products include the Education & Training programme (providing alternatives to traditional classroom learning), SSF Programmes (sport-based interventions), LifeSkills Programme (partnership with On Route), and Wellbeing Workshops. The organization specializes in reaching young people who face barriers to mainstream education, including those with disabilities, disengaged learners, and New Scots.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SSF Education & Training An accredited training programme delivering SCQF-qualified courses and bespoke workshops to young people, providing alternatives to traditional classroom learning, life skills development, and coaching qualifications. Targeted at vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in Scotland aged approximately 14–35.
• SSF Programmes Sport-based programmes that enable young people living in challenging environments to become champions for good in society, using sport as a catalyst for positive change. Delivered across schools and community settings in Scotland, including dedicated disability sport and New Scots delivery streams.

Quantifiable outcome

• 43 SCQF qualifications and 34 SSF Wellbeing Workshops achieved by 11 students in a 22-week programme
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• On RoutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn Route is a key partner delivering LifeSkills programmes to young people who have disengaged from education. SSF provides tailored training within On Route's LifeSkills programme, supporting pathways into training, college, or employment. The partnership has delivered programmes across three cohorts with all 12 young people achieving SCQF qualifications.
• SportedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSported invited SSF to deliver Education and Training programmes to groups of Young Influencers with disabilities. SSF has delivered programmes to two cohorts in South Lanarkshire, providing SCQF accredited qualifications in Communication and Goal Setting, plus leadership workshops.
• South Lanarkshire Disability SportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal disability sport organisation providing support staff alongside SSF tutors for programmes serving young people with disabilities in the South Lanarkshire area.
• Cho's Tae Kwon DominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal martial arts club providing support staff and expertise for disability sports programmes, helping deliver inclusive coaching and leadership training.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StreetGames: UK charity delivering sport programmes to disadvantaged young people in underserved communities. Closely comparable in target demographic (disengaged and disadvantaged youth) and sport-based intervention model, though with a broader UK footprint.
• Youth Sport Trust: UK-based charity using sport to improve young people's wellbeing and education. Directly comparable to SSF in mission (sport as education catalyst for young people) and operating model (school and community-based programme delivery), though it operates UK-wide rather than Scotland-only.
• Active Schools (sportscotland): Scottish government-funded programme delivering sport and physical activity opportunities to school-aged children. Directly comparable as a Scotland-based school-focused sport programme, though publicly funded rather than charity-led.
• Sported: UK charity supporting community sports organisations to engage disadvantaged young people. Both organisations collaborate directly (SSF delivers programmes to Sported's Young Influencers with disabilities), share the disability/youth sport intersection, and operate on a partnership-driven delivery model.
• CashBack for Communities: Scottish Government programme using seized criminal assets to fund youth activities. SSF is referenced as a delivery partner in this programme's external evaluation, making it directly comparable in targeting disadvantaged Scottish youth through sport-based interventions.

Regional players

• Disability Sport Wales: National disability sport organisation for Wales. Closely comparable in the disability sport and inclusive coaching space where SSF operates through Sported partnerships, but operating in a different UK nation.

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: Major UK children's charity supporting disadvantaged children and young people. Comparable in targeting vulnerable young people and providing alternative education/life skills, though significantly larger and more diversified in service mix.
• Prince's Trust: Large UK-wide youth charity offering education, training and personal development for disadvantaged 11-30 year olds. Overlapping mission in alternative education pathways and youth outcomes, but operates at much greater scale and with broader non-sport programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/scottishsportsfutures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scottishsportsfutures
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssf_futures
• TikToktiktok.com/@ssf_futures
• Xx.com/ssf_2000

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Sports Futures