John Gorrod
Deputy Sports Editor
Brogan Sinclair has predicted a bright future for GUSA, ahead of the annual Glasgow Taxis Cup.
The newly-elected Vice President, who studies Physics, this year occupied the role of Fundraising Convenor.
She reflected warmly, ‘It was a fantastic year, it really was. With all the exciting developments happening – obviously we have got the extension – I just couldn’t imagine not getting myself back in again. There is so much more to come in the next year as well!”
And preparation, for her duties as Vice-President, is about to begin in earnest. She said, “I think the thing that really got me going was the GUSA ball, which will be my wee baby for the next year. That is one of my main projects and I will start in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully it will come to fruition in February next year.”
Sinclair firmly believes, with great enthusiasm, that she can grasp the role with both hands. She said, “I think, compared to those before me, that I will bring a broader scope to the role and open our eyes to what else is going on. One thing I was very passionate about was the improvement of safety for our members involved in sport. It struck me this year, having seen, unfortunately, some bad sports injuries,” she said, “and I think that it will have an effect on all of our 12,000-member community. Ultimately, that is what I would like to look at; not just our club sport influence or our regular engagements but also outside of that.”
Some clubs, most notably Men’s Rugby with the Glasgow Warriors, have worked to forge links with institutions outside of the university. And Sinclair said, “That is something on a club-specific level which the committees themselves control. There have been a few instances this year of successful work with the wider community. I think my view on it is through my experiences of arranging club visits to the youth group, ReachOut Scotland, who are based in Glasgow.”
The charity’s website provides the following synopsis, ‘Reachout Scotland was founded in Glasgow in 1995 and was originally called Citiwise. We aim to provide mentoring and support for young people in the more deprived areas of Glasgow – areas which can be claustrophobic and difficult to escape for many young people. We hope to help broaden their horizons and help them explore the world around them.’
Sinclair continued, “We try to open up the work that clubs get up to by offering kids, who are from disadvantaged areas, the chance to try sports they maybe have never done before.”
With GUSA hoping to deliver a fifth consecutive Taxis Cup trophy, Sinclair was quietly confident. She said, “Our clubs have been outstanding once again and a few teams have surpassed themselves. Athletics, in particular, has been doing very well.
“I think that there is going to be more build up for the Taxis Cup this year, with more work done on the promotion side of things. Hopefully, through that, we will see increased numbers to create an even better atmosphere and push the teams on that last little bit.”
Time will tell whether Glasgow University can continue to assert its sporting dominance and Sinclair, full of praise for her recently-elected colleagues, said, “It’s such a strong group; there are some real characters, there is a lot of energy about already and I’m really excited to get going.”
